Rainbow District School Board welcomes Student Trustees for 2024-2025

Tia Nootchtai of Lockerby Composite School and Alexandra Wilson-Zegil of Manitoulin Secondary School will serve as Student Trustees on Rainbow District School Board for the 2024-2025 School Year. They will Co-Chair the Student Senate which includes representatives from the Board’s secondary schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I extend a warm welcome to Tia Nootchtai and Alexandra Wilson-Zegil,” said Board Chair David Farrow. “They will have an opportunity to experience the decision-making process and learn more about public education locally and provincially. More importantly, they will represent the student voice at the Board table and contribute to our collective focus on student achievement and well-being.”

Tia Nootchtai will also serve as Chair of the Indigenous Student Trustees’ Council in Ontario. Made up of Indigenous Student Trustees from across Ontario, the Council seeks to support Indigenous Student Trustees while incorporating Indigenous voices into the work of the organization. As well, it aims to educate Student Trustees surrounding the topics of Indigenous lived experiences, ways of knowing, and education.

Tia Nootchtai, who lives on the traditional territory of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, is enrolled in the Science Technology Education program (STEP) at Lockerby Composite school. When she enters Grade 12 this fall, she will continue to contribute to the Student Council (which she Co-Chaired last year), the Athletic Association, and the Planning Committee. She will also remain a prominent ally with the school’s Gay Straight Alliance.

Tia has been involved in a number of sports, including cross-country running, track and field, badminton and volleyball. She served on the Rainbow District School Board Student Senate last year as Lockerby’s Indigenous Student Senator. A former Miss Teen Greater Sudbury and Miss Ontario Regional Canada, she has hosted multiple confidence and leadership building workshops for girls across Ontario.

“School involvement is so important because it allows students to be part of a community,” she says. “Being involved in your school community creates relationships among peers and develops life skills. Education is what empowers the next generation of leaders. Student voice, therefore, is the voice of the future.”

Alexandra Wilson-Zegil will also play a provincial role this year. She has been selected as the Northern Schools Regional Representative for the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association. This role includes being a liaison between students in the North as well as planning a conference.

A proud Haweater, Alexandra has been involved in many extra-curricular activities at Manitoulin Secondary School. She is captain of the robotics team, has taken on leadership roles in the Student Council and SHARE/Go Green, and writes a weekly column about school events in the local newspaper.

Enrolled in the school’s Specialist High Skills Major in Arts and Culture, she also authored a children’s book, Robofriends and the Mowzone, that promotes robotics and environmental sustainability. A second book is in the works. This summer, she attended the prestigious SHAD Canada program.

Alexandra plans to continue her school involvement in Grade 12 as she assumes her second year on the Rainbow District School Board Student Senate. She is also involved in community clean-ups, book drives, dances and hockey. She has been playing hockey for the Gore Bay Bruins since she was four-years-old.

“Involvement in school and school life enriches the student experience and provides a broader platform for learning,” she says. “Joining extracurriculars, exploring new concepts in class, and actively developing learning strategies have kept me invested in my education and motivated me to make a difference. Being engaged in teams teaches students invaluable transferable skills like teamwork, commitment and responsibility.”

Tia Nootchtai and Alexandra Wilson-Zegil were sworn into their role as Student Trustees during the regular meeting of Rainbow District School Board on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171 ext. 7217.