NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
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A group of secondary school students worked with a local design and development company yesterday to develop innovative ways to use emerging technology to solve problems.
Students spent the day at Treefrog in Newmarket, learning from CEO Sean Stephens and Innovator and Entrepreneur James Daigle.
They used the design thinking process to develop creative ideas to solve potential customer challenges using Daigle’s new innovation connecting to the Internet of Things. Students pitched their ideas to representatives from Treefrog at the end of the day.
About 40 students from five different secondary schools participated, all enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major program with a focus on business. Students came from Dr. G.W. Williams S.S., Dr. J.M. Denison S.S., King City H.S., Newmarket H.S. and Sir William Mulock H.S.
“Thank you to Sean and James for a great day. It was awesome to have some real insight into the world of business and to have the opportunity to tackle some real problems,” said Varunn Vasulo, student, Newmarket H.S.
“Treefrog presented our students with an authentic business challenge and their entrepreneurial spirit really helped the students engage in the design thinking process to find solutions,” said Deneena Davis, Curriculum Consultant, York Region District School Board.
“Having 40 young people in a training room for an entire day, we often worry about what the engagement level will be. This group of students made it very easy because they were enthusiastic, engaged and had really great ideas. It was a pleasure to host this event,” said James Daigle, Founder, Ubiqweus Inc.
This event is one of several the Board is offering this year in collaboration with community organizations to support innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship training for Specialist High Skills Major students.
The program lets students experience a range of customized, career-focused learning opportunities while working toward their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. YRDSB has 33 secondary schools offering over 100 separate programs that represent different sectors of the economy, including arts and culture, business, and health and wellness.
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