Daily News

MacShad brings the brightest high school students to McMaster

Fifty-two outstanding high school students from across Canada will descend upon McMaster Sunday, June 30 for the international Shad Valley Program. The program allows senior high school students, who have demonstrated excellence in academics, recreation, leadership and community involvement, to expand their minds in engineering, science, technology and entrepreneurship at the university level. Established in 1982, the Shad Valley Program combines an academic and recreational portion, that takes place at a host university in July. A work term takes place in August, for about 60 per cent of its participants. McMaster has served as one of the host universities for the Shad Valley Program for the past four years. The event is organized through the central headquarters -- Shad International, located in Waterloo. This year, approximately 860 students competed for 474 spots available at eight campuses in Canada and one in England. Shad Valley's primary goal is motivational -- to give participants an appreciation of their true potential and to encourage them to strive for the highest levels of achievement. A typical day at MacShad commences at 8:30 a.m. with a university-style lecture and an intensive academic workshop followed by an afternoon of academic sessions and a recreational activity. Events feature guest speakers from the community, opportunities for artistic expression, and time to work on collaborative team business projects. The students will design, build, market, and present a product or service to a panel of judges before they leave McMaster. In October, the winning team from each campus will compete against other Shad Valley campuses at the RBC Shad Entrepreneurship Competition in Toronto. On Saturday, July 13, MacShad will host a Mini-Shad Day for local high school students. This will provide an opportunity for prospective Shads and parents to learn more about the Shad Valley program and McMaster University. The event will feature a lecture, a team-building activity, workshops and guest speakers simulating a typical day at Shad. For more information about the McMaster Shad Valley Program or to register a student for Mini-Shad Day, contact Susan Cheng, program co-manager, McMaster Shad Valley at 905-525-9140 ext. 26948 or e-mail macshad@mcmaster.ca.