Around the district is a monthly update that includes a collection of stories from Richmond schools. These stories highlight Richmond’s vibrant learning community, which fosters student engagement, creativity, and well-being in inclusive learning environments.
Cherry Blossoms in Bloom: A Seasonal Art Exploration
As spring unfolded across the city, students returned from spring break to a season filled with colour and change. Many paused to notice the familiar yet striking sight of cherry blossoms in full bloom, sharing observations about how these trees transform their surroundings and signal the arrival of warmer days.
Inspired by these seasonal changes, students brought the beauty of cherry blossoms into their classroom through an engaging art experience. Using diluted brown tempera paint and straws, they created expressive, branch-like forms on watercolour paper. Once dry, delicate blossoms were added using tissue paper in soft shades of white and pink, carefully shaped to build textured, three-dimensional flowers inspired by the trees seen throughout the community.
Through this process, students connected what they observed outdoors with creative exploration in the classroom. Their finished artwork captures a shared moment of spring, reflecting both careful observation and creative response to the changing season.
Building Connections Through Kindness
A schoolwide event focused on kindness brought the school community together to reflect on how individuals can help connect and support others. Guided by the story Be a Bridge, students took part in conversations about what it means to help create a welcoming and inclusive school environment.
The project began with a gathering in the school gym, where the story was shared and key examples from the text were explored together. Students were then grouped into mixed “family teams” made up of learners from different classes. Working in these teams, they visited classrooms, learned about one another’s interests and collaborated on a shared art activity connected to the event.
The hands poster created by students reflects a collective commitment to kindness within the school. Overlapping hand shapes fill the space, symbolizing how individual contributions come together to support one another. Displayed as a shared piece, the artwork makes the school’s values of connection, care and belonging visible throughout the learning space.
Blending Colour to Capture the Spirit of Easter
Rabbits, butterflies and birds fill the page in a bright collection of student artwork, where soft blends of colour suggest lightness, movement and new beginnings. Using Easter as inspiration, learners explored familiar animal forms through colour and shape, creating pieces that feel fresh and full of seasonal energy.
Colour played a central role in setting the tone of each piece. As students worked, hues blended and shifted across the page, adding warmth and depth to their designs. Through experimentation and layering, colour became a way to express the feeling of spring in simple and playful ways.
Strong attention to shape helped each animal stand out. Clear silhouettes were maintained as colour flowed around them, allowing the animal shapes to remain clear and recognizable. Together, gentle colour blending and defined shapes give the artwork a lively and joyful presence.
Driving Care, Connection and Community Appreciation
On April 15, school communities across the district came together to recognize School Bus Driver Appreciation Day through thoughtful gestures of gratitude.
Thank-you cards, handmade crafts and messages created by students and staff were gathered and displayed at the Facilities Services office. These expressions of gratitude were a small way to show appreciation for school bus drivers who support safe, caring journeys to and from school each day.
Pulling Together on the Rowing Floor
Inside the gym, the steady pull of rowing machines set the pace as the space filled with movement and teamwork. Students leaned into each stroke, while others watched and encouraged from the sidelines, rotating through activities that ranged from skill challenges to mini races and culminated in a final 1,500‑metre relay.
The workshops were part of Ready. Set. Row.program, delivered in partnership with the UBC Thunder Rowing Club. Across eight sessions, approximately 200 students from the school were introduced to the fundamentals of rowing, including proper technique, equipment setup and pacing. Guided activities emphasized coordination, balance and timing, with students working together to develop a shared rhythm on the machines.
The experience wrapped up with the relay, bringing together the skills practiced throughout the workshops. The practical sessions demonstrated how focus, cooperation and effort combine in a team setting, offering students an engaging introduction to the sport of rowing.
Tiny Turtles, Big Earth Day Message
To mark Earth Day, elementary students took part in a thought-provoking classroom experience focused on ocean pollution and caring for the environment. The lesson began with a short video exploring how plastic waste affects ocean life, with special attention on sea turtles and the challenges they face when plastic enters the water.
After watching, students shared ideas about small actions that can make a difference. The discussion focused on everyday choices, such as cutting back on single‑use plastics, using reusable items and recycling properly, with a focus on keeping plastics out of oceans and waterways.
The learning continued with a creative, skill-building activity that students were eager to try. By following bead patterns step by step, students created their own sea turtle keychains while practicing patience and problem‑solving. Many were proud to master a new skill and enthusiastic about continuing their designs beyond the classroom. The finished turtles extended the Earth Day learning, showing how small choices can help protect the planet.
A Decade of Student‑Created Comic‑Con
Weeks of sketching, drafting and revising led to a student‑created comic convention held on April 23, where students shared their original comics through an interactive showcase of storytelling and creativity.
Now in its tenth year, the school’s Comic‑Con has become a long‑standing learning tradition built around interest in comics and visual storytelling. Over time, the event has grown into a celebration of imagination, persistence and the creative process behind student work.
As visitors moved through the displays, they read original comic creations and met the young artists behind them. Comic‑Con Passports added a playful element, with autographs and doodles collected along the way. These moments of interaction brought the event to life and highlighted the pride and ownership students felt in sharing their work with an audience.
Students Leading the Conversation at Yearly Forum
The 2026 Student Voice Forum brought together student leaders from across the district for a day centered on voice, belonging, and the courage to become. Shaped by the theme Being, Belonging, Becoming, the forum invited students to reflect on who they are, how they experience school, and how their perspectives can help strengthen their communities.
Opening remarks encouraged students to lean into their stories and listen deeply to one another, reinforcing the idea that belonging is built through connection and care. Superintendent Chris Usih spoke to the district’s renewed focus on success for all learners. He emphasized that when students feel a sense of belonging, they are better positioned to thrive. Trustees echoed this message, reminding students that their voices matter and can drive real change.
Keynote speaker Nikitha Fester challenged students to reflect on mindset and personal strengths. Through storytelling and an interactive drawing activity, she demonstrated how fixed beliefs can limit possibility, and how supportive environments invite risk-taking, growth, and confidence. Her message emphasized kindness, follow-through, and knowing when a space is or is not the right one for you.
Throughout the day, students were fully engaged. They listened intently, contributed thoughtfully, and spoke honestly about what is important to them and their school communities. Their leadership was evident in both the depth of discussion and the care shown for one another. As the forum concluded, it was clear that student voice is not confined to a single event; its impact will continue well beyond this day.
