Empowering Student Leaders: Our Grade 11s Attend Global Student Leadership Summit

Last weekend, six Grade 11 students (Nate ’24, Gabi ’24, Natalie ’24, Ashwyn ’24, Aidan ’24, and Sarah ’24) had the privilege of attending the Global Student Leadership Summit (GSLS) at the RBC Place in London, Ontario. 

The conference aims to bring together hundreds of student leaders and educators from across Canada to make real, valuable connections and work together to better their communities. Our students joined in on workshops, collaborated with peers, and heard from over 20 world-class speakers. 

The GSLS was a transformative event that connected students and educators with civic, educational, and corporate partners from around the world. Our students had the opportunity to attend workshops led by notable individuals such as Andy Thibodeau, Jim Cain, Mark Black, Carla Cuglietta, and many student ambassadors. They also had the chance to hear from keynote speakers like Dr. Samantha Nutt (Canadian Physician and Philanthropist), Kwame Osei (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion expert), Stu Saunders (Founder and Head Gardener of the EPIC Community), and Mark Tewksbury (Canadian former competitive swimmer).

Attending the GSLS was an incredible experience for our students. They returned to LCS feeling inspired and motivated by a newfound sense of purpose. 

“We heard many great stories from speakers of all different walks of life. One, however, that specifically resonated with me was Mark Black. Black was forced to transplant his heart and lungs when he was only 24 years old due to medical complications. Despite being faced with such a tremendous challenge, he embraced his new difficulties and became the first person ever to run a marathon with transplanted heart and lungs, and not only did he complete one but he went on to complete four.” - Nate ’24

“I learned serval things that can benefit my leadership techniques in my Grad year. One of these things was taught to me by Ian Tyson. He made a point of saying that as leaders, don't overwhelm people with your energy. This instantly made me think of when Grads welcome new students onto campus at orientation. Ian said to meet people at their level and work with them to lead them. I took away this advice while in London, and will use it in my Grad year to not overwhelm new students and allow them to feel welcome.” - Sarah '24

We are proud of our students for representing our school so positively and we look forward to seeing how they’ll utilize the knowledge they gained in our community and beyond.