The Rainbow District School Board has two student trustees for the 2022-23 school year.
Previously, one student trustee sat on the board, but RDSB’s student senate voted this spring to select two representatives on the board for the new school year, including one student filling the newly-created role of Indigenous student trustee.
Jocelyn Kuntsi of Manitoulin Secondary School and Darcy Trudeau of Espanola High School will serve as the board’s student trustees for the 2022-23 school year.
They will also co-chair the student senate, which includes representatives from the board’s secondary schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island.
“I would like to welcome Jocelyn Kuntsi and Darcy Trudeau to their new roles,” said board chair Bob Clement, in a press release.
“I know they will both make an immense contribution to the board as they represent the student voice. They will have an opportunity to experience the decision-making process and learn more about public education locally and provincially.”
Darcy Trudeau is the Rainbow District School Board’s first Indigenous Student Trustee. A Grade 12 student at Espanola High School, she is Anishnabe/Ojibwe from Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation.
Engaged in school life, Trudeau values the importance of student participation, noting that extra-curricular activities enrich the school experience. She helped to organize the water walk that took place at Espanola High School last June.
This past school year, she was the goalie for the Espanola High School girls’ hockey team and played for the girls’/co-ed softball teams. In 2022-2023, she hopes to continue playing hockey and softball. She also plans to help organize cultural events at Espanola High School.
Trudeau has several goals as Indigenous student trustee. She plans to be an advocate for students, encourage more Indigenous students to be more involved in school and the community, foster more Indigenous representation, and organize board-wide events.
“Involvement in school and school life is important to me because I believe that it shows that you are determined to make a difference in your school and it shows that you are a good role model and student,” said Trudeau. “Being involved in the school will encourage more students to be involved throughout the school year.
“Student voice matters because it is important for people to hear what students have to say. We are the majority of the people in the schools. Also, it’s important for the students' voices to be heard in order to make change for the better.”
Jocelyn Kuntsi is enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major in Agriculture at Manitoulin Secondary School.
This summer, she attended the SHAD Program on a full FIRST Robotics Scholarship. She served as Vice-Chair of the Student Senate in 2021-2022.
An all-round student, Kuntsi has been actively involved in her school community throughout high school.
She will continue to serve in a variety of roles in Grade 12 – Co-Prime Minister on Student Council, Manitoulin Metal Robotics Team Captain, SHARE/Go-Green Committee Member promoting social justice and environmental action, Senior Band Member on Baritone Saxophone, Volunteer Tutor, MSS Musical, Vocal Group, Talent Show Performers, Halloween for Hunger Organizer, Elementary School STEM Outreach, Battery Drive Organizer and Grade 8 Day Organizer.
She will also contribute to the Burnswharf Theatre Players Company and Stratford Student Advisory Committee. In previous years, she participated in Legion Public Speaking and served as Spymaster Organizer.
“Student voice can transform the opportunities for future cohorts,” said Kuntsi. “Having a forum to convey concerns that are not always visible to an external eye is crucial to making students feel heard and safe in their place of learning.”
Kuntsi says the key to success for students is giving them a reason to want to be at school, whether it’s through the curriculum, friends, sports, the arts or other extra-curricular activities. “When students are part of shaping the school culture, they can create events and clubs that make them feel invested in their school and, therefore, in their own education,” she said.
“Being from Manitoulin Island, I know that it is hard to connect students from different schools across the Board simply due to distance. However, I think that through social media and online meetings there is great potential for strengthening inter-school relationships.”
Kuntsi and Trudeau were sworn into their roles as student trustee during the regular meeting of Rainbow District School Board on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
