SUBMITTED

The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) Student Senate held its annual Student Trustee Election on Monday, Feb. 24 and elected Alexander Moussa from Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School and Allison Gibson from Rideau District High School as the 2025-26 Student Trustees. Moussa will also serve as Chair of Student Senate and Gibson as Vice-Chair of Student Senate.

This year there were five candidates from across the UCDSB running for the role of Student Trustee. Elections were held over Microsoft Teams, during a Student Senate meeting.

Student Senate represents each secondary school in the UCDSB, including TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education. Each school has two Student Senate representatives, in addition to there being a representative from the Indigenous Leadership Program (iLead) and Akwesasne.

Each candidate had the opportunity to address Student Senate, presenting their objectives and vision for their term. Speeches were followed by a question-and-answer session and a secret ballot vote.

Moussa is a dedicated and creative student leader with a strong academic record and a passion for making a difference. “My qualities as a leader, innovator, and problem solver, can hopefully boost my sense of thought and direction into directly assisting my peers in the UCDSB,” says Moussa. “Seeing just how involved the student trustees are with the board, I hope that in this position, I can have more of a direct input into courses of action that will affect my peers on a small, and larger scale.”

“To me, students having a voice while at school is really important in making students comfortable,” says Gibson, whose focus is ensuring student voice is heard and considered. “ I look forward to working with Alexander for the 2025-26 school year.”

The term for Student Trustees runs from Aug.1, 2025 to July 31, 2026. Upon completion of their term, each Student Trustee receives $2,500. The UCDSB Board of Trustees are delighted to begin working alongside the new student representatives

“I am eager to see the fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and commitment our newly elected student trustees will bring to the board,” says UCDSB Vice-Chair Lynda Johnston. “Student trustees play a vital role in ensuring that our decisions at the board table align with the best interests of students. Their voices are essential, and I look forward to working alongside them to create positive change.”

“I also want to thank our current Student Trustees Maheen Riaz and Annika Squires for their work this school year. Their dedication and leadership will leave a lasting impact on the UCDSB,” added Johnston.

The Student Trustees participate in regular UCDSB Board of Trustees Meetings, offering succinct reports to the Board. They also assume the roles of Chair and Vice-Chair of the Student Senate. They are given the opportunity to attend conferences organized by the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association – l’Association des élèves conseillers et conseillères de l’Ontario (OSTA-AECO).