Schools across the Sault are preparing to welcome their students for a new school year this week.
For St. Mary’s College, a significant portion of their student body will be made up of new faces – and not just because they’re entering 9th grade.
During the summer, several families from all over the world have arrived in the Sault to start a new life – some of them, high school students.
In coordination with the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board and the school’s guidance office, 26 of these newcomers have registered to begin the fall semester at SMC.
Students arrive from all over the world, representing eight different nations: Colombia, South Africa, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Peru and Ukraine.
Students are considered newcomers rather than international students because they moved here with at least one family member.
H-SCDSB Director of Education Danny Viotto is excited to welcome the kids to SMC and says the newcomers are beyond grateful for the opportunity.
“They are so excited to be here,” she says. “They commented on how kind and helpful the school and the wider community of Sault Ste. Maria is,” he says. “They feel welcome here, which is really special.”
Viotto owes a lot of credit to Daniela Veltri, a guidance counselor at SMC who took the lead in coordinating a smooth transition for students entering the school.
“He’s made sure all the supports are in place,” he says. “We did a lot of work over the summer to make sure that when they arrived, we connected with them. We can welcome them warmly, but it’s another thing to understand their culture so we can respect them.”
As of Sunday, six students have yet to arrive in the Sault. The newcomers are all different grades, but most of them are entering the 9th or 10th grade.
Viotto says many of their parents will be attending Sault College this fall as well.
