Grade 7 Marymount students Annabelle Richardson, Isabella Palladino and Mila Kidd placed first in the Popsicle Stick House Challenge; an event hosted by Skills Ontario as part of the International Day of the Girl Virtual Challenge Series. 

To celebrate International Day of the Girl (which was held on October 11, 2022), Skills Ontario hosted several events including the For Girls, By Girls conference, a virtual celebration, and the virtual challenge series. 

Students were assigned the task of building a house entirely out of popsicle sticks. Along with the structure, students were required to list and describe the various trades required to complete a project such as this. They then submitted a video of their project. 

“We really wanted to win! It was a lot of fun to work together and build our popsicle house. We worked hard all week on our submission,” said Annabelle. 

“The theme of this year’s event was girls can do anything – and I think we proved that! We really like completing these challenges because we’re given the opportunity to work on technical skills and collaborate as a team!” said Isabella. 

The three students also agree that partnering with Skills Ontario and participating in experiential learning opportunities helps prepare them for the future! 

“I want to be an architect – coming to Marymount has been awesome because there are so many opportunities and programs that focus on trades and technology. I really enjoy completing Skills Ontario Challenges and look forward to completing more in the future,” said Mila.

For more information about International Day of the Girl events, please go to https://www.skillsontario.com/idg.