Latest news with #WaverleyWest
CBC
10 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Pembina Trails Collegiate marks historic moment with 1st grad class
A Winnipeg high school is making history this month, as it celebrates its first group of grade 12 graduates. Pembina Trails Collegiate welcomed its first students in the 2023-24 school year, to help meet the need in the southwest Waverley West neighbourhood — one of the city's fastest-growing areas. In its first year, the secondary school hosted Grade 9-11 students. It saw its first Grade 12 class with the current 2024-25 school year. The school celebrated its grads with a parade on Friday, which also included kindergarten graduates from nearby Bison Run School, and the Pembina Trails grads will have their convocation on Tuesday. Being part of the school's first group of graduates is "just as nervous as it is exciting," said Grade 12 student Krishna Patel, who transferred to Pembina Trails from Fort Richmond Collegiate. She's one of the founding members of the school's student council, which formed in February 2023, before the school opened. In her short time as a student at Pembina Trails Collegiate, she also started a school blood drive club and a broadcast club. After graduation, she'll be going to the University of Toronto. "[The] most memorable thing of attending school here is creating and founding all of these things, and starting from scratch," said Patel. Principal Jacqui Kroeker said she takes pride in the school's student-led approach to learning and engagement. Since this year's graduating students transferred from many different schools, Kroeker said it was important to focus on "working together, building trust and relationships from scratch, and really working on building a strong [school] culture." She describes the first group to graduate from Pembina Trails Collegiate as collaborators, critical thinkers and great communicators. "We have a very strong leadership team, called our student advisory council, and they have been innovators," said Kroeker. Sabrina Longobardi, a guidance counsellor at Pembina Trails Collegiate, works closely with students across all grade levels. This year, she was busy helping Grade 12 students prepare for life after high school, including completing post-secondary applications, and offering resources to support their learning to help ensure that they graduate. This school year, Longobardi also worked with the student council as it planned the school's first graduation. Students took the lead, she said, picking out the gowns, tassels and the decor for all the events. "We were setting precedents, and that became a bit of a stressful part of planning" says Longobardi. Tanya Chopra, the valedictorian for this year's graduating class, also said she's both scared and excited about graduating. She also said she's proud of her contributions to the school's culture, including founding the school's Key Club chapter, part of the international community service club. Chopra said the club's most successful event was hosting a dance for seniors who live in a nearby retirement home where she already volunteers. Pembina Trails Collegiate nurtured her passion for volunteering, Chopra said, and encouraged others to do the same. Asked about her plans after high school, Chopra was candid. "To be honest, I don't have a solid plan yet," she said. She'll go to the University of Manitoba next year, where she'll major in chemistry, but said she also has a passion for social work. "I have lots of things that I really like doing," she said. "It's hard to kind of choose one." Kindergarten students help celebrate 1st Pembina Trails Collegiate grad class 19 hours ago Duration 1:51 Winnipeg's Pembina Trails Collegiate, which opened as a Grade 9-11 school in 2023, is celebrating its first Grade 12 class in a unique way this week. Kindergarten students from nearby Bison Run School will parade with the 200 Grade 12 graduating students from the high school.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Winnipeggers warned to keep their grass short or face fines
Social Sharing The City of Winnipeg is warning residents not to let the grass grow under their feet — at least not too long. City bylaws call for turf grass to be no longer than 15 centimetres (six inches) and in the Waverley West neighbourhood there's been a crackdown on scofflaws. Coun. Janice Lukes said her staff has been patrolling neighbourhoods to see if homes are compliant. Last week, they issued about 70 warnings. "It's an education campaign, really," Lukes said. Some residents "maybe they never had a home before, they've lived in apartments, aren't aware of this. So we warn and then hopefully they'll cut it," she said. The city's complaint-based grass enforcement program gives residents 7-10 days after a warning to comply and cut it, or face a fine. The amount of the fine is the cost of the labour it takes to cut and clean up the grass. The expense is added to the homeowner's property tax bill. The city also has the option, under the Neighbourhood Liveability Bylaw to take a homeowner to court for a penalty to be determined by a judicial justice of the peace. More than 600 warnings have been issued so far this year, based on 2,000 complaints. Fifty-five have been enforced by city staff. "It's all about neighbourhood liveability in an urban environment," Lukes said. "Sometimes they're up to the waist, they're up to the shoulder, that's not acceptable in an urban environment." Waverley West residents Leanne and Dan Granger agree but question why the city penalizes homeowners when some of the turf the municipality is responsible for goes unmanicured. "If they can't cut their own grass and they're fining us to cut our grass, it's kind of [a] double standard," Dan Granger said. Lukes said there are peak periods where the city may not be able to keep up with the amount of grass that must be cut. The city is responsible for boulevards more than six metres (20 feet) wide. Homeowners are responsible for trimming the ones under that width. 'Why would you care?' Other Winnipeggers would like the city to stay out of their turf. Wolseley resident Marlena MacArthur said there are several overgrown lawns on her street — including her own. "My next door neighbour has a garbage pile. [I] never complain about that. But certain people who are gardeners will complain about other people's grass," she said. The Grangers said they would also never tell on their neighbours for breaking the grass bylaw, saying it only leads to pointless arguments. "[You're] just causing trouble," Dan Granger said. Daniel McIntyre Coun. Cindy Gilroy believes the bylaw should be revisited and possibly retooled. A lot of residents like natural landscapes over manicured lawns because it protects biodiversity, she said, adding the city has bigger priorities on which to focus. "Where I really want us to really put our efforts is around places that have a lot of garbage build up — vacant and derelict buildings," she said.
