Empowering Students Through Social-Emotional Learning
The WAB Podcast
In the ninth episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast, Grade 11 student Chloe, Grade 8 student Luca, and Rachel George, Head of Middle School Counseling, joined us to discuss the significance of the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program at WAB. Their conversation highlighted how SEL is integral to a holistic educational approach, fostering personal growth and active student participation. Rachel explained that SEL transcends lessons; it empowers students to improve their social-emotional skills by leveraging real-life situations. She outlines five core components of SEL: self-awareness,...
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Boosting Confidence & Fostering Connections through Theater
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the eighth episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast. In this episode, Grade 9 student Sophie, Grade 10 student James, and their Theater teacher Leah Bramley joined us to discuss the Middle School and High School Theatre programs at WAB. They talked about how theater can improve communication and collaboration skills, their memorable experiences in theatre, and how they built self-confidence and fostered friendships along the way. Leah discussed the structured progression from Middle School to High School theater. In Middle School, all students rotate through a a unit of theater, with...
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Exploring Math Learning in Middle School
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the seventh episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast. In this episode, we were joined by four Grade 8 students - Adrien, Elsa, Gustav, and Veronica, along with their Maths teachers Tracey Brown and Karen Jewett. Together, they had a comprehensive discussion about maths learning in WAB’s Middle School, diving into the differences between self-directed learning and teacher-directed learning. The students also highlighted their favorite aspects of learning maths at WAB and the reasons behind them. Tracey provided an overview of the personalized maths learning in our Middle...
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Student Magazine Illuminating Social Issues
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the sixth episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast. In this episode, we were joined by three Grade 12 students - Polly, Lily, and Sophia - who are the driving force behind the Youth Magazine, Utopix. Together, they discussed the development of this student-founded magazine, its organizational structure, its mission, and the challenges they have overcome along the way. Polly introduced Utopix as an online magazine dedicated to raising awareness about various social issues and highlighting changemakers through submissions from teenagers worldwide. Submissions can take various...
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Transforming Education: WAB's Award-Winning ES Library Redesign
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the fifth episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast, where we're excited to announce that WAB's Elementary School (ES) Library has won an Interior Design Award. Joining us in this episode are Architect Erica Borsa from Studio Vapore, Catherine Pierre, WAB's Elementary School Principal, and Beth Rohrbeck, Elementary School Librarian. Together, they talked about the redesign journey of our ES Library, discussing the collaborative efforts behind this community project, its impact on learning experiences, and the feedback received from our students. Erica shared that the Interior Design...
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Middle Schoolers explore Science through Hands-on, Personalized Learning
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the fourth episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast. In this episode, Grade 7 student Karina and Grade 8 student Sam shared their experiences learning science in Middle School, shedding light on how they are challenged and the support they receive. Middle School science teachers Kamil Rudolf and Greg Brown emphasized the exploratory and personalized approach to science learning at WAB and shared some tips on how parents can support their middle school scientists. Kamil used an example from the study of the solar system to illustrate the hands-on learning approach. Students...
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Student Takeover: Meet WAB's New Athletics & Activities Director
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the third episode of Season 5 of the WAB podcast. In this episode, Grade 12 student Victoria and Grade 11 student Tano have taken over as hosts to interview Mr. Kirby Boychuk, WAB's new Athletics & Activities Director. During the conversation, Kirby shared his experiences in education, his reason for coming to WAB, and his plan for further developing student leadership this year. Drawing from his beginnings in theater and music, Kirby recounted his journey from theater to physical education and then becoming an athletic director. He emphasized how this transition enabled...
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A Student-Led Dialogue with Baba the Storyteller
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the second episode of the Season 5 WAB podcast. In this episode, two Grade 12 students, Andy and Jeremy from High School student club Art Amplifiers have taken over as hosts to interview Baba the Storyteller, who visited WAB recently to share his insights on Building Our Learning Community with Our Shared Stories. They talked about Baba's personal stories, his musical journey, and his experiences at WAB. Baba introduced his travels throughout the world sharing music and culture, through his practice of an ancient African tradition called Jaliyaa in the Bamana language, or...
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Student Takeover: School Leadership Sharing Insights on WAB's Past and Future
The WAB Podcast
Welcome back to the WAB Podcast, this is the first episode of Season 5. In this episode, High School Student Council President and Grade 12 student Jeremy, and Grade 8 student Jai have taken over as hosts to interview WAB's Head of School, Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic, and the Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Mr. Stephen Taylor. Highlights from the conversation included: WAB's 30th anniversary Marta shared her anticipation around all the 30th-anniversary events. She explained how these big anniversaries are a great opportunity for a school and the whole...
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Students Share Journey of Learning and Yearly Highlights with School Leadership
The WAB Podcast
In our final podcast of the year, we're joined in person by two Middle School students, Hayley and Thomas, along with Stephen Taylor, WAB's Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching. Together, they discussed their personal growth as learners throughout the year, favorite moments, and academic highlights. Sharing their perspectives through some pre-recordings are Grade 4 students Hayden and Sooyeon, and Grade 9 student Myron. Thomas shared his growth as a student, overcoming initial challenges to catch up with his peers and reach the same level of understanding. "I've grown quite a...
info_outlineIn this week's episode, we had the pleasure of hosting two Grade 5 students Aria and Leon, alongside Niall Watt, the driving force behind the Olympic Dream Series (ODS) and the ISAC Sports program in WAB's Elementary School (ES). Together, they discussed the joys and challenges of participating in the Olympic Dream Series, reflecting on its impact and sharing valuable advice.
During the episode, Niall provided a background and overview of the Olympic Dream Series, emphasizing the remarkable participation rate of over 90% among WAB ES students. He also highlighted how ODS offers young athletes a gradual introduction to competition, starting as early as Grade 2 and progressively intensifying until Grade 5. As the journey unfolds, students are presented with a diverse array of engaging sports activities, allowing them to explore and develop their skills.
As an ODS participant for two years, Grade 5 student Aria expressed her joy in forging lasting friendships with fellow athletes while giving her all in various sports. Echoing similar sentiments, Leon, also a grade five student, emphasized the significance of friendship, recounting the fulfillment he derived from celebrating victories with his friends and finding comfort in their support during moments of defeat. Reflecting on his personal growth through ODS, Leon said, “It has impacted my social skills. And in a way that I don't think any other program that I've been to has done."
Thank you again to our Grade 5 students for sharing their experiences and to Niall for his dedication to the ODS. Find out more about this unique program by tuning in to this episode.