Algonquin College will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017, and plans are afoot to make it a celebration for the ages.
2017 is a year that is chalk full of celebrations. Canada will be celebrating its 150th anniversary and the NHL will also be celebrating 100 years.
This presents a unique opportunity for the college to join in on the party.
“Our plan is to coordinate as much as possible with the City of Ottawa to kind of piggy back their celebrations, but not compete with them,” said Scott Anderson, Algonquin’s director of communications.
The festivities also present an opportunity for Algonquin students. The school is asking students and staff to design a logo for the anniversary.
“We want to have a distinct logo and tagline,” said Anderson.
“If we get proposals that are promising we’ll actually pay the student or staff member for their submission,” Anderson said.
The celebration festivities are still in the works. “We’re just starting to put the plans together,” Anderson said. “We’ve sent a petition to the Chief Herald of Canada, who works with the Governor General, for a new coat of arms for the school.”
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was here on Dec. 3 to announce a partnership between the City of Ottawa and Algonquin College.
“It’s going to be a very noisy year in terms of celebrations with Canada’s 150th and I believe it’s the NHL’s 100th anniversary also,” Anderson said.
Students will get a unique opportunity to play a role in the schools celebration.
“There will be lots of volunteer opportunities, a lot of work opportunities and experiential learning opportunities,” Anderson said.