September 11th, 2024
By Kyo Lee, a Grade 12 WRDSB student
The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) Communications Department welcomed two cooperative (co-op) education students in the 2023-24 school year: Nureyev and myself.
Kyo, Student Journalist
In the last school year, my job was writing articles that helped to highlight various voices and WRDSB achievements from across our school board. I had the chance to interview and write about the achievements of a student whose animated film continues to win international recognition, speak about the importance of student journalism, and to interview renowned illustrator of Robert Munsch books and WRDSB alumni, Michael Martchenko. You can find many of my pieces under #StudentVoice on the WRDSB website.
I’d like to share three of my favourite parts of my co-op experience:
Writing
Creators of any kind may relate to the joy of admiring one’s own projects—at times for the work itself, and at others, the fact that it is over—and I’m grateful to have been given the chance to do so repeatedly.
I’d had experience writing before this placement, but this was the first time I wrote consistently for an organization. I had the opportunity to practise different forms and voices, learn more about myself as a writer, and gain a portfolio of articles.
I also enjoyed adding newness, even on a small scale, to the WRDSB’s stories, and I hope it encourages other students to expand our conception of what “Student Voice” has to look like.
Learning about the WRDSB
In this position, I had the chance to learn so much about what the WRDSB was doing to improve students’ learning. It was easy to see how the WRDSB creates and supports student-led or student-focused initiatives such as the Black Brilliance Student Conference, Build a Dream Career Expo, and student grants. So many students in the WRDSB are doing cool things, and it was exciting to connect with some of them and share their stories with the wider community.
Self-reflection
In tandem with the idea that art is a reflection of the artist, I find that writing is often a space for me to unpack myself and my place in the world. As a student journalist, I was able to discover more about myself and my role in the WRDSB. Writing about my experience in the Grade 11 NBE course, for example, allowed me to organize into coherent ideas the thoughts that were always within me but that I had never bothered to formulate.
On top of all this, I learned communication skills, interview skills, journalistic lingo, and initiative. My co-op experience has been wonderful, thanks to the WRDSB Communications team who encouraged me to write the stories I wanted to, and helped sharpen my writing while preserving the critical element of student voice.
I encourage any student to apply for a co-op position with the WRDSB, and for teachers to share this opportunity with their students. I could not be here without my English teacher, Ms. Araujo, whom I interviewed more than once for my articles, for leading me here as a writer and student.
My first advice for students interested in co-op is to take my advice with an atom of salt. My second advice is to say “yes and-,” both to your improv group and the opportunities you’re given. Saying “yes” is completing your responsibilities. The “and” is what you, specifically, are adding to your job—how are you making your position better because of you?
Nureyev, Student Communications Coordinator
Nureyev is a student at Bluevale Collegiate Institute (BCI). As the student communications coordinator, she helped with animation, illustrations, design, filming and editing video content. Her favourite project was making Acorn the Squirrel come to life in various forms!
She said of her position, “I can really explore my creative side, which is what I love about the visual arts.” She enjoyed “taking what you’re assigned to do and interpreting it the way the [WRDSB] wants, but also exploring it yourself.”
Nureyev expressed that visual and communications technology courses that she took at school “well prepared” her for the co-op experience. They “are what helped me make my portfolio, and fill my resume with skills and experience which allowed me to take on this position.” Her teachers supported her with references and interview preparations, as well as finding “quiet spaces at school to work from when I had meetings.”
At first, she had difficulties managing her time, but she found effective strategies: “I try to combat the time management [issue] by going to different work areas. I usually work at my school library or the public libraries.”
In addition to personal management skills, Nureyev gained communication skills and experience with Adobe software, particularly Premiere, Illustrator, and InDesign. This included creating captions for videos to ensure they were accessible to all viewers.
“It also made me think of possible problem areas that I could have in this kind of work…and how I can work around those. It’s made me practice what I’ll need for this industry.”
Working closely with her supervisor has also been helpful: “My co-op supervisor, Ben, has taught me a lot of skills…he [gives] me advice for this field.”
Through her position, Nureyev said that she learned more about “the school board and [their] initiatives.” Working on DreamEd, specifically, “I could see a lot of the research and thought that was being put toward bettering our education system…The DreamEd project is about changing the education system to be more student-focused and student-led, and I think that’s a wonderful initiative.”
One of the main reasons behind the co-op positions is incorporating more student voices in WRDSB operations. Nureyev said that she was able to collect information from her friends and use her own experiences to share fresh student perspectives with the board. “Instead of deciding what they think we would want, they asked me, and I was able to…direct the way of thinking.”
Nurevy’s advice for prospective co-op students is to “keep yourself open to the experiences that you’re having.” She also adds, “make it your own—implement yourself into [the position]… by applying your own experiences and perspectives.”
WRDSB Communications Department Co-Op Placements
Are you a WRDSB student taking a cooperative education course in the 2024-25 school year? Ask your co-op teacher about how you can apply!
#StudentVoice Series
This article is written by a WRDSB student and is part of the Student Agency and Voice program. Student journalists embody WRDSB’s commitment to creating space for students to tell their stories. They are ambassadors for their peers as they share their personal experiences and stories about their schools and communities in their unique voices.
