Matthew Gilles, a Grade 11 student at St. Joseph High School in Red Deer, is the first from his school to be selected to join Shad Canada in a STEAM and entrepreneurship program this summer.

By rdnewsNOW staff

Entrepreneurial Challenge

Grade 11 student will participate in real-world design challenge this summer

Mar 9, 2020 | 4:06 PM

A Grade 11 student from St. Joseph High School in Red Deer will be the first from his school to take part in a special design challenge this summer.

Matthew Gilles is the first student from St. Joseph High School to be selected to join Shad Canada in a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and entrepreneurship program this summer.

The month-long program includes a real-world design challenge that asks students to work on issues such as food security, water management and waste.

Shad Canada allows high school students to attend universities and experience project groups that focus on one issue with economic and social implications.

Students get the opportunity to collectively develop design ideas, build hands-on prototypes, network and present to a panel of judges. Past design challenges include impactfully reducing waste in 2019, resilience in a natural disaster in 2018, meaningfully reducing Canada’s energy footprint in 2017, and in 2016 – how might we improve food security for Canadians?

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“When I received the news that I had been accepted into the program, I was overjoyed,” exclaims Gilles. “Shad will provide me with a great opportunity to challenge myself and learn a lot about what life is like at a university. I am really looking forward to being able to live on a university campus with other students who share similar interests with me, while also participating in a variety of university classes.

“This experience will not only be fun and exciting for me, but will also enrich my learning, creativity and connections with peers.”

Janet Spafford, Career Counsellor at St. Joseph High School, says Matthew made an excellent candidate for Shad.

“He does have a flawless academic record,” says Spafford. “He also has a dedication to extracurricular community pursuits and a history of collaborating with others that Shad looks for in applicants to mentor upon and bring together. It’s fantastic to see him light up when he talks about the chance to challenge himself with other innovative students.”

Graeme Daniel, Principal at St. Joseph High School, says they are thrilled to have Matthew represent the school as a Shad program graduate.

“Matthew will be mentored by Shad alumni who have achieved remarkable success in a variety of innovative career and business platforms,” he explains. “His selection for Shad Canada recognizes the pursuit of excellence we observe Matthew adding to our school community. We look forward to see him join the ranks of Shad alumni.”

For more information on Shad Canada, visit https://www.shad.ca/about-shad/.