Sisler High School

Digital Voices is a two credit block Digital Media course designed for students interested in digital story-telling through e-collaboration and social media. The focus of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to embrace, document, depict and digitize all components of our cultures (the Seven Sacred Teachings, traditional stories, rituals, religious artifacts, etc.) while experimenting with digital media with students from around the world. Students will create digital media projects by combining traditional and digital media platforms including: web management platforms, photography, image manipulation, app development, video-editing, sound-editing, animation, motion graphics, special effects and vector design. Students will have an opportunity to collaborate with peers and experts in the industry through blogs, social media and video conferencing. Learn more by visiting: www.digitalvoices.ca and www.soapboxED.org. In addition to successfully completing this 2 credit course, student with an 80% (or higher) and who meet the articulation agreement setup, will receive a Digital Media credit at the University of Winnipeg.

Digital Voices finished as the 2012 Finalist for the Adobe® Educators’ Choice Awards! The Adobe® Educators’ Choice Awards celebrate teaching and learning resources that unleash students’ creativity. Digital Voices impressed the international judges, and peers selected the program as one of the best of projects, lesson plans, curricula, and tutorials.

Sisler High School's Digital Voices course launched an Educational Speaker series called SoapBox.ED through High Definition Video Conferencing solutions in 2013. The SoapBox.ED series is hosted by students for students and shared through internet streaming. SoapBox EDucation provides an opportunity for students to address their views on a subject using Sisler's digital soapbox platform. The soapbox will attempt to enrich our understandings of cross-curricular outcomes, but adapted to meet the needs of 21st education. The main focus of this initiative is to provide a 21st-century learning opportunities for students throughout the Province of Manitoba and rest of the world. In addition, SoapBox.ED will:

• Bridge the gaps between education and community
• Provide an enriched interactive forum for students to gain real life experiences
• Provide a student-led digital forum with professionals
• Provide students with an equitable opportunity to develop a deeper knowledge of subject matter through Communication and Inquiry
• Remove the carbon footprint of travelling

Formats:

• Mock virtual trials with international schools (education beyond borders)
• Debates: Alternative Energy and world issue debates
• SoapboxEd Speaker series hosted by Digital Voices’ students for students throughout Manitoba
• Surgeries through HD video conferencing

The Sisler Create Program is intended to prepare students for employment and post-secondary programs in the interactive media industry. The Interactive Digital Media Framework brings together the required skill-sets in app development, augmented reality, web design, mobile applications, game technology, game design, and game-based learning models. Sisler students have been learning all aspects of interactive media by creating all of their own digital content while meeting (and in some cases even exceeding) industry-standard workflow practices by handling their own pre-production, production, and post-production processes.

• Sisler has been offering Lunch & Learns in App Development (Grades 6-8) to students attending North District schools
• Sisler is the only Manitoba High School with a professional Motion Capture Studio
• Sisler students have pitched their App and Game development company to the CBC's Dragons’ Den
• Sisler High School is an active partner in Girls in Gaming
• Sisler has beta-tested educational games for Project WhiteCard and NASA
• Sisler has an Articulation Agreement with the University of Winnipeg's Practical, Applied & Distant Education (PACE) program. Students have an opportunity to receive up to 7 dual credits App, Game & Web courses
• Sisler has established educational partnerships with KindOMa apps, iQMetrix, Complex Games, Project WhiteCard, City of Winnipeg, and the University of Winnipeg

Generation Peace was founded in 2000 and has grown to take on many humanitarian endeavours, achieving great success for international development. They mainly work with war-affected children through "War Child Canada", holding fundraisers to raise money for this organization. They have worked with Tsunami relief, Hurricane Katrina relief and Christmas Cheerboard in the past. They have also previously worked with the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation to present conferences. Their main events include "go nuts for donuts" sales, the annual Santa Gram sale, and, in collaboration with OverSeas Educational Fund, the annual Talent Show. Meetings are generally held at lunch and after school.

OverSeas Educational Fund (OSEF) was created in 2003. Ultimately, OSEF raises funds and awareness for education overseas. They raise funds to support daycares in the Philippines through International Association for Transformation (IAT) as well as the Village of Hope initiative in Zambia. OSEF works through hosting many fundraisers within the school, some of which including the Walk for Education, the Christmas-themed spirit day (entitled "Spartan Winter Wonderland"), food sales, dances, the annual talent show, holiday themed sales and events, as well as numerous others. OSEF also supports and operates with the many other humanitarian events occurring in the school. Meetings are held every Tuesday after school.

The In Exile Program was inspired by the Red Cross Exile program. Essentially this program simulates a refugee experience to spread awareness to high school students from numerous schools. It is held at Bird's Hill park annually. They have done both twenty-four- and twelve-hour exiles, both of which include a simulation walk, campground experience, guest refugee speakers, and "debriefing".

The 30 Hour Famine is an annual schoolwide event that raises thousands of dollars every year for famished and underprivileged children overseas. Sisler students collect sponsorships for fasting for 30 hours. This event includes the "Break For Bread" dance in the evening in which faminers and non-faminers come together to dance, break dance and avoid thinking of food.

The Students of Sisler Environmental Helpers is a program that attempts to reduce Sisler's carbon footprint and improve the school's sustainability. There are many divisions of the program, each in charge of its own project. The recycling team recently installed blue boxes in each classroom that can be filled with plastic bottles and metal soda cans; the composting team stores bio-waste such as fruit and vegetables and grinds it up to turn it into fertilizer, the SolarWall team plans to install solar panels in the theatre to provide ventilation and air conditioning. One of SOSEH's most challenging divisions is the geothermal project, with the goal to install a geothermal furnace for the senior gym. Achieving the Geothermal plan for the school's senior gym accounts for the Winnipeg School Division's support. Currently, students are going around the hallways of Sisler, asking for change, "change for change", in order to support the costly project, and to promote the project's excellent environmental friendly goals for the school. On top of everything else, a low-priority BioSphere project is in the works: the project entails transforming the smallest courtyard of the school into a prairie landscape by planting grass and trees found in such an ecosystem. A glass roof will cover the courtyard and over time students will be able to witness the effects of global warming on a prairie climate such as that the city of Winnipeg is emerged in. Ultimately, SOSEH's goal is to turn the whole school into an eco-friendly environment, in every way possible.

Global Medical Aid fundraises to provide medical supplies to people in third world countries. In 2006 GMA held a Dance Dance Revolution competition to raise money, the winner in the heavy difficulty category of competition to have a chance at challenging Canada's DDR champion.

Sisler's Sustainability Circle (SSC) consists of Recycling Team, Compost, E-Waste, After-School Cookers, Gardening, and Fair Trade. Many students spend hours volunteering in these environmental groups. Sisler's recycling team has recycled over 60 tonnes of material since 2009. In 2014, SSC was presented the Anna Lindsey Protecting Our Earth Award by Manitoba's Eco-Network for the significant contributions to awareness and protection of Manitoba's environment. They also host the Annual Fall Feast, where After-School cookers cook meals and use ingredients from the school's garden and local farmers.

Sisler has always encouraged core beliefs and values such as freedom of speech and freedom of equality. Freshly Pressed is Sisler High's Student newspaper. Any student is able to submit to the newspaper and students are encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas through this group.

Sisler's Student Athletic Council organizes school events such as intramurals, school dances, and mini-olympics.

Is a non-denominational group in Sisler that is open to everyone. CYG has weekly fellowships, on and off school grounds. CYG's main focus is to bring Christ to the school. They also hold the annual Easter service and host Operation Christmas Child.

In 2003, the rookie Sisler robotic team entered the Canada F.I.R.S.T. robotics competition. The team won awards or medalled in every category except for "Best First Year Team". The team won the "President's Cup" for finishing first place overall, including an amazing second place in the robot hockey competition.[12]

Held a petition for the students and staff to sign, asking the administrators to ban smoking on school grounds, and got over 800 signatures. Several members went to a division board meeting where they held a vote about the issue. They voted to ban smoking on the school grounds starting September 2007. Several members were also interviewed for the Winnipeg Free Press, and had their photos published. This group has been praised in the Manitoba Legislative assembly and in the House of Commons. This particular student group was also invited to present at the National Conference on Tobacco and Health in Montreal. One of S.T.A.N.D's most recent accomplishments is creating the first ever “Go Smoke Free Day” at the Red River Exhibition.

Known as SSS or S cubed. The group visits Lord Nelson to put on mini-science shows once a month for half the school year. The other half of the school year is spent on the prep and the showing of the annual Science Magic Show at Sisler's Science fair, and for aiding in running the Division's science fair while putting on a Science show for all the students. And recently when the nation's science fair was held in Winnipeg they were asked to perform another science show.