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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 14, 2015 | 26 Students like having a voice continued from p.24 The Grade 5s were then asked to pick their favourite idea, which could not be their own, and explain why they liked it. The group then voted to determine the winner of the competition. The vote yielded a tie between Palermo Public School's Erin Wright, 10, and Captain R. Wilson Public School's Zoe Perenack, 10. Wright suggested the town of Oakville could be made better through the building of additional animal shelters, which would be As seen on I think this was fabulous. The whole process was fantastic. The kids were excited to have a voice and they thought it was amazing an adult, like the mayor, was willing to sit down and listen to their opinions. It was an excellent opportunity and I look forward to it next year. Palermo Public School teacher Jennifer Moore FirstOntario Investment Shares. Strengthen your portfolio. FirstOntario is offering an opportunity to purchase Investment Shares that are not like other investment options. These Investment Shares are your chance to directly share in our continued success in the form of dividends paid annually. These shares are in limited supply and sell out quickly. While dividend payments are not guaranteed, we are proud to have always historically paid a dividend to our shareholders. Call us at 1-800-616-8878 or visit FirstOntario.com Annual Dividend Rate 4.05 % Minimum 5-year investment Investment shares are only available by offering statement. This is not an offering statement. Please contact the Credit Union as indicated above to receive and review an offering statement. paid for by fundraisers and additional taxes on pet supplies. She said more shelters would mean more animals getting the homes and medical care they need. Perenack said the community could be improved by better educating young people about voting. She said an improved voter turnout among young people could be achieved by creating student councils within local schools to educate students about the power of voting early on. She said getting young people to vote is essential because far too few currently participate in municipal elections or understand how government works and this means an entire segment of the population is not communicating what they want and need to government. Both girls said they enjoyed their experience as Town councillors. "I liked that you could come here and say what you think would make a better place," observed Wright. "You got to talk about what you were interested in and what you wanted to change." Perenack was also happy to be able to speak in the council setting. "It was really exciting," she said. "I liked that kids had a say because usually it is adults making all the decisions." Palermo teacher Jennifer Moore, who was among the chief organizers of the Bring it to Council competition, called the event a success. The teacher noted it really engaged the students and educated them about the role of municipal government and how they can have a place in it. "I think this was fabulous. The whole process was fantastic," she said. "The kids were excited to have a voice and they thought it was amazing an adult like the mayor was willing to sit down and listen to their opinions. It was an excellent opportunity and I look forward to it next year." Town staff said the Bring it to Council competition would become an annual event. The mayor said the new competition is intended to engage children and get them thinking about their potential as future leaders. The participating schools within the Halton District School Board selected the student councillors. Information packages, including student work sheets, will be provided to elementary schools to make participating in next year's competition easy and convenient for teachers. For more information, visit www.oakville.ca/ mayor.