Rainbow District School Board welcomes Student Trustees for 2025-2026

Daynara Cyr of Manitoulin Secondary School and Izabella Guenette of Lasalle Secondary School will serve as Student Trustees on Rainbow District School Board for the 2025-2026 School Year. They will Co-Chair the Student Senate which includes representatives from the Board’s secondary schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island. Daynara Cyr will also serve as Vice-Chair of the Indigenous Student Trustee Council for the Ontario Student Trustee Association (OSTA).

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I extend a warm welcome to Daynara Cyr and Izabella Guenette,” said Board Chair David Farrow. “We look forward to having our Student Trustees represent the student voice and contribute to our collective focus on student achievement and well-being. At the board table, they will also have an opportunity to experience the decision-making process and learn more about public education locally and provincially.”

From Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, Daynara Cyr is the former Indigenous Student Senator for Sudbury Secondary School and this year’s Indigenous Student Senator for Manitoulin Secondary School. She is passionate about Indigenous advocacy, and sharing her language and culture.

Daynara Cyr attended Grade 9 and 10 at Sudbury Secondary School where she was enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major in Visual Arts and Dance. She worked with a team of peers to establish the Sudbury Secondary School Indigenous Advocacy Committee. Daynara has facilitated ribbon skirt making classes, presented hand-drumming practices, shared cultural teachings, and offered fancy shawl demonstrations at school-wide and public events.

As she enters Grade 11, she will continue to be a student leader at Manitoulin Secondary School where she plans to get involved in school sports. Daynara is taking the level 3 Ojibwe course and would like to teach Anishinaabemowin in her community to revitalize the language. She also wants to continue making regalia, ribbon skirts, shirts, vests, and building her brand as an Anishinaabe seamstress, aspiring to have her creations featured on runways. Daynara Cyr contributes to Youth Councils on Manitoulin Island.

“Through school involvement, students learn important life skills like collaboration, communication and leadership,” she says. “Being involved has enabled me to meet new people and gain an appreciation for the diversity in our schools.” Daynara Cyr says student voice matters because students are the future. “I am so excited to be representing Indigenous students across the Rainbow District and be a role model and a voice for us all,” she says.

A Grade 12 student at Lasalle Secondary School, Izabella Guenette is actively involved in her school community, including drama productions, the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Senior Winds, and many sports from flag football and basketball to volleyball and soccer. Izabella is President of Student Council and serves as score keeper and captain of the Reach for the Top Team. She has also supported Lasalle’s Sport Health Academics and Leadership Program (SHAL), helping out with tournaments and special events. Her involvement in school life will continue as she co-chairs the Student Senate and serves as Student Trustee.

“Involvement in school and school life is extremely important as you get to experience new things and meet new people, which can lead to lifelong relationships,”  says Izabella. “You also get to develop your strengths, such as leadership, confidence, responsibility and time management.”

She adds: “Students experience school every day. Their voice matters. When students have the opportunity to be heard, they are recognized as active participants in their education. They feel respected and know they matter.” Izabella says every student experiences the school day differently, through extracurriculars, academics and social aspects. “The student perspective offers valuable insight. The student voice makes education more meaningful.”

Daynara Cyr and Izabella Guenette were sworn into their roles as Student Trustees during the regular meeting of Rainbow District School Board on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

-30-

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