Elementary schools in Burnaby are beginning their Grade 7 transition process. All secondary schools will be hosting Student Planning Events (previously known as Open House). This is an opportunity for grade 7 students and their caregivers to learn more about secondary schools in relation to programs and courses offered, extra-curricular, etc.

I encourage you to attend the Student Planning Events at École Alpha Secondary and Burnaby North Secondary happening at the end of the month. Please see info below. Any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or the secondary school directly.

Today, students learned about the Japanese tradition of Daruma dolls and how they are used as symbols of intention, perseverance, and commitment. A Daruma begins with one eye shaded in when an intention is set. The second eye is added later—only after the intention has been worked toward and fulfilled—serving as a powerful visual reminder that growth takes time, effort, and return.

After learning about this tradition, students began sculpting their own Darumas from clay. Rather than creating identical figures, students are designing personalized Darumas that reflect who they are and what they hope for in 2026. They are thinking carefully about symbolic metaphors—shapes, textures, and features that represent their intentions. For some, this might look like strength, balance, healing, courage, or patience expressed through form.

On Friday, students will paint and glaze their Darumas and write their intentions. They will shade in one eye as a visual commitment to their goal for the year. The second eye will remain blank until they feel their intention has been fulfilled—whenever that may be.

These Darumas will stay with us as quiet companions throughout the year, reminding students that intentions are not about instant success, but about noticing effort, persistence, and who we are becoming along the way.

Yesterday, students took on our Impossible Bag Design Challenge—a creative task that asked them to transform an ordinary bag into something unexpected. The challenge was simple in description but complex in thinking: re-imagine a bag so it can hide or conceal an item, transform its function, or serve multiple purposes at once.

Students rose to the challenge with curiosity and ingenuity. One group transformed a reusable grocery bag into a popcorn bag, rethinking structure, openings, and how the material could hold and pour food. Another designed a cellphone crossbody bag / fanny pack that doubles as a phone holder or stand, allowing the object to shift purpose depending on how it’s used. Each design required students to slow down, test ideas, and respond to how materials actually behaved—not how they first imagined they would.

This challenge wasn’t about getting the “right” answer. It was about building design capacities:
• Aesthetic awareness – considering how form, colour, and shape communicate purpose
• Design thinking – moving through ideation, prototyping, testing, and revising
• Material noticing – observing how fabric folds, stretches, holds weight, or resists change
• Creative risk-taking – pushing beyond obvious solutions
• Flexible thinking – letting an object become something new

Most importantly, students practiced slowing down—pausing to think differently, notice constraints, and allow ideas to evolve rather than rushing to completion. These moments of uncertainty and adjustment are where real learning happens.

Tomorrow, students will begin the next design challenge, stretching their thinking even further as they continue transforming everyday objects in surprising and creative ways. Each challenge builds their ability to see possibility where others see limits—and to design with intention, imagination, and care.

This fall, many divisions had the opportunity to work with local fused-glass artist Debbie Hungle, who visited classrooms to introduce students to the art and science of fused glass.

Through this hands-on experience, students explored creative and critical thinking, fine-motor skills, and design processes as they moved from idea to artifact. They sketched and prototyped their designs, experimented with colour, shape, and layering, and made thoughtful decisions about composition, balance, and symbolism before assembling their glass pieces. Students learned that fused glass requires patience, precision, and flexibility—adapting their plans as materials behaved in unexpected ways during the firing process.

Each finished piece reflected students’ individual identities and ideas, highlighting their ability to plan, revise, problem-solve, and persist through a multi-step creative process. The workshop was a meaningful blend of art, design, and craftsmanship, and a powerful example of learning through making.

Photos of Division 3’s Fused glass showcasing how students highlighted their values, identity, and what matters most to them in symbolic ways.

Teen Art Contest 2025

We invite teens to submit art pieces that reflect your artistic journey where you have experimented, taken risks, and created artworks that matter. You are encouraged to combine curiosity and imaginative thinking to create work that is expressive, thoughtful, and truly your own.

Submissions are open now until January 16, 2026.

LEARN MORE AND ENTER CONTEST.

Submit Entry

ECU Teen Art Contest Terms and Conditions.pdf

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Today, all Aubrey students had the exciting opportunity to take part in a special presentation led by the Vancouver Warriors. The session introduced students to the sport of lacrosse, where they learned about key skills and techniques, the fast-paced nature of the game, and what it takes to play at a high level.

Students also explored the rich history of lacrosse and its deep Indigenous roots, learning how the game has long been played as a sport, a ceremony, and a way to build community. This historical perspective helped students better understand the cultural significance of lacrosse beyond the modern game.

Adding to the excitement, students learned that lacrosse will be included as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Games, highlighting how this traditional sport continues to grow and gain recognition on the world stage.

The presentation was engaging, informative, and inspiring, leaving students with a greater appreciation for the sport, its history, and its future. A big thank you to the Vancouver Warriors for sharing their knowledge and passion with our students!

Here is the flyer they gave out in case you missed it at today’s assembly and want to redeem this special offer:

Over the past few weeks, our class has been exploring a unique intersection of art, technology, and identity. Students have been learning the foundations of electrical circuits—from understanding positive and negative pathways to experimenting with conductive tape, LEDs, and switches. But this wasn’t just a lesson about circuits or how electricity flows. It was a lesson about how ideas flow, how identity forms, and how design brings meaning to life.

Today, our classroom transformed into a studio-lab hybrid: sketches, circuit templates, reflection cards, LEDs, copper tape, and personal artifacts spread across the tables. As students worked, the room buzzed with quiet concentration, collaboration, and that unmistakable excitement that comes from making something real.

The Goal
To create a small illuminated artifact that represents a part of each student’s identity—a value, memory, interest, or personal symbol—and to use circuits as a medium to bring that symbol to life.

The Design Process

Students moved through the same creative process engineers and artists use:
• Understanding context: Who am I? What story do I want to tell?
• Planning & sketching: Mapping out a circuit and deciding where light would add meaning.
• Building & testing: Laying down copper tape carefully, troubleshooting loose connections, and making adjustments when things didn’t quite work the first time.
• Reflecting: What does this artifact represent? How does light change or highlight the message?

This process wasn’t always smooth—and that was the best part. Students learned that friction is part of creativity: lights that didn’t turn on right away, tape that wrinkled, designs that needed rethinking. These moments pushed them to think critically, problem-solve, and collaborate.

Identity Through Light

Each student chose a symbols that reflected something meaningful to them. Some selected:
• an initial representing their name or family,
• a favorite object or hobby,
• an abstract image reflecting emotion or personality,
• or a metaphor from their ongoing Designing for Justice work.

The addition of light invited students to ask deeper questions:
• What part of my story needs illumination?
• Where do I want others to look first?
• How does light change the way someone understands my design?

This combination of circuits + identity became a powerful entry point into multimodal expression. Students weren’t simply “learning circuits”—they were designing meaning.

Why This Matters

This project brings together many threads of our learning this term:
• Science/ADST (Applied Design, Skills & Technologies): Learning circuits, iterating, prototyping, and testing designs.
• Arts Education: Using visual storytelling and symbolism to communicate an idea.
• Language Arts: Crafting a narrative through artifacts and reflective writing.
Core Competencies:
• Creative Thinking: generating ideas and trying new approaches.
• Critical Thinking: solving problems when circuits didn’t work as expected.
• Communication: explaining identity through visual and technological choices.
• Personal & Social: reflecting on who they are and what matters to them.

Through these lessons students are beginning to see themselves not only as learners—but as designers, makers, and storytellers.

A Glimpse Into the Classroom

The photo above captures the beautiful mix of technical skill and personal expression that filled our learning space today: careful hands laying down copper tape, sketches transforming into circuits, and identity artifacts slowly taking shape.

Every student’s project tells a story.

Every glowing LED is a reminder that creativity, identity, and technology can come together in powerful ways.

We can’t wait to share the finished artifacts with you as our work continues to evolve.