Past President Tracy Bray introduced today's speakers, Mayors of the Week and Tracy's favourite meeting of the year. Five students took part in the program in November 2024 to tour City facilities, meet the staff, learn how everything operates and then to provide a follow-up report to the Rotary Club of Belleville.
Adele Chan is a Grade 11 student at Albert College and has been in Canada for two years from Hong Kong, a steep learning curve for someone at age 14 when they arrived. Adele got to see first hand how government shapes our lives and was very impressed with the knowledge shared by staff in their roles. Seeing health and safety practised first hand at the Wellness Center and then learning about emergency response at the Fire Department was exciting for her. Of course, the water treatment plant was mentioned and Adele realized that careful planning for all City departments is a necessity. Thank you to Rotary and City officials for the opportunity given to youth to learn more about how the City works.
Adanna Suresh is a student at Nicholson Catholic College and said it was a privilege to be part of the Mayors of the Week program. She was able to visit many facilities and obtain a deeper understand of how things work, with a focus on the transportation department and how the bussing systems affect so many folks living here and attending school here. This work requires a lot of effort and endless dedication and Adanna has a great appreciation for all that is required for smooth operations. Thank you to the staff and Rotary.
Anna Woodrow attends Quinte Christian High School and was very pleased to have an opportunity to see how the community works. Staff are amazing at their jobs. Her favourite was the water treatment plant, inside and outside. Before she only thought of it as water and how much can one know about it. Well, now Anna knows it's much bigger than that. Anna had an opportunity to speak to the Chief of Police and how mental health impacts the work done by police officers on a daily basis. All in all a wonderful experience.
Max O'Bryn attends St. Theresa's and found the Mayors of the Week a unique opportunity. Max grew up in Belleville so it was a great opportunity for him to shadow the mayor and meet staff in all the City departments. He was careful to listen to all that was presented as he realizes that it will impact his future and decisions that he makes.
The students were thanked by Past President Peter Malone. Their presentations were very inspirational and provided each of them ideas for the future. Peter told them Rotary is a great resource for students and to remember that for the future.