Semester two is well underway, and Frontenac Secondary School is buzzing with activity. Highlights of this month have included our Black History Month event in the library , where students enjoyed a variety of delicious home made foods, and enjoyed hearing the story from Queen's University Equity Ambassador Bisola Olaseni and our Grade 9 Healthy Relationships Workshops, where various community partners and members of the FSS Ophelia group discussed Relationships: the good, the bad and the ugly with our grade 9 students. We are also having a number of our winter sports teams wrap up KASSAA and EOSSAA competition with some of our student athletes preparing for all Ontario championships. Next week brings March, and the highly anticipated FSS play Treasure Island.
Black History Month
On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, Frontenac Secondary’s Multicultural Team hosted a Black History Month celebration during lunch period. The event included food from different Black cultural groups such as Nigerian and Jamaican, music by African artists, some multicultural trivia from the FSS Trivia Team, and a guest speaker. It was a great event to socialize with peers.
Among the events, the MCT also invited Bisola Olaseni, Lead Equity and Ambassador from Queen’s Health Sciences Outreach & Summer Program. She came in as an African-Canadian speaker, who came to Canada as a young child. She described her life in Canada so far, and gave some inspiring words about discovering one’s place in their community and motivating students to find their passions and be ambitious in life. Olaseni said, “Coming to FSS felt like a full-circle moment, an opportunity to give back, to inspire, and to remind students that their stories, identities, and ambitions are valid and powerful.”
The celebration had a major focus on spreading diversity as well as appreciation of African and black culture around the school. It was meant to be an informative event, but also a display of the creations of African peoples.
The event was a success. A lot of students attended the celebration, and conclusively were able to learn more about black culture and discuss among their peers. Vrain Rikhi, founder of the MCT, expressed: “When I saw so many students come in, I mean there weren’t even enough seats, it really made me happy because it made our message more widespread.”
Everyone on the MCT worked hard to create such an event. In particular, Gabi Macfarlane was one of the students who created the playlist for the event, which played over the course of the day. The music was a mix of many different African artists, and gave the students examples of different kinds of music created by black artists.
Macfarlane hopes that moving forward, more people will join the multicultural team. Not just people of colour, but people of many other different cultures, so everyone can work together and celebrate their own cultures, no matter what those may be. As a whole, the Multicultural Team wants to really leave a mark on Frontenac, to gather people that will keep the team going in future years, and to create a lasting change in the community that will create a welcome space for everyone.
Student Services
Although students are just settling in to their semester 2 classes, the course request period for the 2026-27 school year is soon coming to a close! This process is an important one for students as they continue their post-secondary planning. It is critical that students choose carefully as we build our Timetable based on students' requests.
Students and families are asked to review the email sent out by Ms. Lackey on February 8th or visit our website for important details and instructions. All course requests need to be completed and submitted in myBlueprint by Friday, February 27th. 'Course Selection Sign Off Sheets' are to be printed, signed, and returned to homeroom teachers as soon as possible. Please note that Guidance Counsellors will continue to meet with students individually throughout the month of March and can make any changes necessary at that time. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to book an appointment or reach out to your Guidance Counsellor. We're here to help!
FSS School Council
The next school council meeting will be Thursday, February 26th. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm in the library. All are welcome to attend.
FSS Arts
Please indicate the number of tickets that are needed and if you would like the VIP premium seating. Thank you for your support of FSS arts.
Last Opportunity to Sponsor Treasure Island - A New Adventure
Do you run a local business or community organization? Would you like your advertisement to reach hundreds of people in the Frontenac community, and support the FSS Performing Arts Department at the same time?
We are selling advertising space in our program for Treasure Island and can accept new sponsors until Friday, February 27. Treasure Island will be performed to FSS students, feeder schools, and the Kingston community on March 5, 6, and 7. This is a high impact way to promote your business and to support this talented group of students in the Arts at Frontenac.
We can include an existing advertisement, a business card, or even design a new ad according to your specifications to include in our programs. You can also purchase a “Break A Leg” ad that includes a message of good wishes for the cast and crew!
A full page advertisement is $100, half pages are $50, and a quarter page (business card size) is $25. Reach out to a Treasure Island cast or crew member, or Emily Cavers (caverse@limestone.on.ca) for more information.
News from Acadie
In addition to the open house in February, Acadie will be hosting a book sale in March to raise funds for the Red Maple Forest of Reading trip to Toronto in May. If you are clearing out books that are appropriate for middle school students, we would happily accept them. Please send any donations to the Acadie or Frontenac Office. Thank you for your support of the school trip in May and to share the love of reading!
FSS School Council
Our next school council meeting for Frontenac will be held Thursday, February 26th. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm in the library and all are welcome to attend.
FSS Athletics
We are very fortunate to have a well supported athletics program at Frontenac Secondary School. The winter sports season is the second and most complicated one to navigate with the winter holidays and exams creating natural breaks in the schedules. A further complication this year were the numerous snow days that caused the cancellation and postponement of KASSAA games and exhibition events. There are eleven KASSAA sports offered at Frontenac during the winter season. This year we had 229 student athletes and 34 staff and community coaches and managers. Of course to make an athletic schedule run smoothly schools need: minor officials, scorers, photographers, timers, drivers and Ms. Pixley to help facilitate it all.
The Frontenac swim team is OFSAA bound. Nine athletes punched their own ticket beating OFSAA times or coming first in their event, as well as five of our seven relay teams that placed first in their division. New this year is the mixed relay where Frontenac took first place swimming under 2 mins. Special shout out to our junior girls, junior boys and senior boys relay teams who came first in both of their relays. Good luck at OFSAA in Windsor at the start of March.
FSS Social Sciences
This past week, our history classes were able to learn and handle various artifacts provided by the Canadian Museum of History. These hands on experiences help to deepen the understanding of the curriculum and to learn what life was like decades ago.
FSS Parking
There have been a number of parking issues that have come to our attention recently. Students are asked to not park in spots reserved for staff. These spaces are indicated by two signs on either side of the main entrance to the school. We have lost several parking spaces at the school due to the volume of snow this winter, particularly at the very northeast portion of the Frontenac parking lot. We have noted that some students and visitors are parking at the northeast corner of the building (near the gym entrance) in non-designated parking areas. This is creating a "pinch point" for other vehicles and makes it impossible for busses to get through this area when they arrive near the end of the day. We are asking everyone to not park here and are encouraging people to use the spaces at the back of the school, including the outdoor basketball court. By using these spaces, this should solve the majority of problems. At peak times (morning drop off, lunch and at the end of the school day), we encourage all families, staff and students to be cautious and patient.
FSS Library
A reminder for new students and ones that have not signed out a laptop in grades 9-11 that they can receive a loaned laptop for school use. To access a device, a Fair Notice form must be signed and returned by a parent/guardian. Please see Ms Purbhoo in the library or Mr McKenna in the main office. As well, for students that require a laptop repair, both the laptop and charging cord need to be submitted in order for a replacement device to be given.
FSS to Costa Rica-Spaces still Available!
Black Hair Workshop and Panel of Excellence
Summer 2026 Travel for Credit:
Grade 10 Civics and Careers in the Canadian Maritimes
The Limestone District School Board is excited to share that we have partnered with EF Tours Travel for Credit program again this summer. Students currently in Grade 8 or Grade 9 can earn their Civics and Careers credits this summer by participating in three weeks of virtual (asynchronous) learning plus one week of travel with EF Tours with stops in Halifax, Moncton, and Charlottetown.
Key Dates:
Summer School Dates: Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 24, 2026
Travel Dates: Wednesday, July 8 to Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Visit the Canadian Maritimes Trip website for additional information, or join us for an upcoming virtual information session to learn more about this exciting opportunity. The session will cover everything you need to know about summer school dates, structure, travel dates, destinations, itineraries, pricing, and more.
Travel for Credit Information Session
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Online Teams Meeting
Families must register online in advance for the Information Session: Register today!
Ask Questions: If you have questions, contact Kate Myers by e-mail.
LDSB hosts Elly Gotz
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults
Rotary Youth Development Opportunities
We are pleased to share the details of 2 outstanding Rotary youth development opportunities for students now accepting applications. Both of these experiences are open to high school students who will be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac and there is no cost for participants.
Interested students should apply by March 13, 2026 by contacting:
Don Polk
Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac
polkdj@hotmail.com
RYLA - Rotary Youth Leadership Academy
Date: May 22-24, 2026
Location: RKY Camp, Eagle Lake, Parham, ON
Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts around the world. It is entirely volunteer-run with many organizers and counselors being past RYLA delegates themselves. Participants (aged 15-17 years old) attend RYLA with the financial support of a local Rotary club who provide youth with a chance to participate in this once in a lifetime experience. Youth are selected based on the demonstration of leadership potential and a desire to be of service to their local and global communities.
For more information, please see visit: RYLA | District 7040
Adventure in Indigenous Understanding
Date: August 30 - September 4, 2026
Location: Trent-Severn Waterway, Peterborough
The "Adventure in Understanding" program is an annual 6-day (5-night) cultural canoe experience for youth ages 16-18 years old. It is a co-ed canoe voyage along the Trent-Severn Waterway from the Canadian Canoe Museum waterfront in Peterborough to Curve Lake First Nation. No prior camping or canoeing experience is necessary.
The program was developed by the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha with the assistance of the Curve Lake First Nation Youth Committee and is offered with the co-operation of Camp Kawartha and the Canadian Canoe Museum.
Application forms and further information are available here
Southeast Health Unit
We are sharing this website as a go-to site for information and resources around screens, media, and school age children and youth - Centre for Healthy Screen Use at the Canadian Pediatric Society. We want to bring your attention to a podcast featuring Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt, Canada Research Chair in Youth Mental Health and Violence Prevention. You can access the podcast on the main page of the website: Healthy Teens Podcast: new episode on the impacts of cyberbullying. This 30-minute podcast covers more than cyberbullying, speaks to the power of bystanders, and offers advice to families who learn that their student is being bullied or is bullying. This might be a good podcast to share with staff and families.
Upcoming Events at FSS:
February 25: Math Contests at FSS
February 25-26: Limestone Skills Competition
February 27: Course Requests for 2026-27 Due
March 5: FSS Blitz Day
March 5-7: FSS Presents: Treasure Island; A New Adventure
March 11: Parent/Teacher Night bookings open, 11:00 am
March 16-20: March Break
March 25: Coffee House at FSS, 7:00pm
March 26: Parent/Teacher Night at FSS, 6:00-8:00 pm