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Champions for Education

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One of the priorities of the GECDSB Strategic Plan is to engage communities in partnerships that respond to the needs of our learners and enhance student achievement. The Champions for Education Award supports this priority.

Generous individuals and organizations in our communities devote thousands of hours and donate financial and in-kind contributions that make a real difference to our students.

The Champions for Education Award recognizes outstanding achievement and exceptional records of commitment by individuals and organizations in support of our students and our school communities. ​
 

Champions For Education Award Recipients 2023

The event for our Excellence in Service awards was held on Thursday, May 18, 2023. The evening was open to all guests, including recipients, relatives, and coworkers. You can view pictures and read a copy of the citation that was compiled using the information submitted in the nomination package.
Photo Gallery: Champions for Education 2023 will appear here on the public site.
 Andy Paling
 

There is no evidence that Andy Paling is, in any way, a contrarian (quite the opposite, in fact) but the question must be asked, “How does your garden grow?”

 

There may not be silver bells or cockle shells at the Regional Children’s Centre’s greenhouse but there is, no doubt, that what is growing there is interesting, amusing and educational.

 

When the R.C.C. was gifted a greenhouse by the Rotary Club, the one issue was finding someone with the right colour thumbs to organize and manage all the plants. As it turned out that person has also played a significant role in nurturing children.

 

Andy is a retired teacher and volunteered to undertake the greenhouse operations in 2019.

Our Board staffs the (Agency) school at R.C.C. with 11 teachers for approximately 50 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Andy’s work has been a popular and edifying complement to the curriculum. He has created lesson plans and projects for the students. His teaching about the power of plants also provides valuable life lessons for the children.

 

They have a year-round tomato and strawberry crop and cultivate individual herb gardens. As well students have grown oak seedlings from acorns and harvested spider plants.

 

They also learn about the bugs that cohabitate gardens with the plants and how to control them without pesticides.

 

He’s always creating new opportunities and enriching the experience for students.

 

Andy Paling is an extraordinary volunteer who has developed an atmosphere in the greenhouse that is not just acceptable to plants, it is where children can flourish and grow.

He is a Champion for Education.

 Danielle Richer and Paul Finlayson 
 

Old science teachers do not really retire, they just find another half-life.

For Danielle Richer and her husband Paul Finlayson, that is doing what always came naturally…teaching.

 

Following her retirement after 20 years at Bellewood, which included 12 coaching the school Robotics Team, Danielle retained her volunteer position, along with Paul, who had been helping out for a decade. He is a PhD in neurophysiology, late of Wayne State University.

 

From the start, their goal with the Robo-bisons was to educate and excite individual young people about science and technology…encouraging them to exceed their perceived potential and achieve success as a team. Oh, and they get to play with lots of LEGO!

 

Danielle and Paul not only volunteer their time and expertise but also their own money to offer students this fun, educational, hands-on learning experience. Students are engaged in research, problem-solving, coding and engineering. They also learn skills such as teamwork, respect and responsibility.

 

It has been rewarding. The team has competed in 17 First Lego Leagues since 2008, winning 10 of them.

 

In the words of a parent, “I have seen, first-hand the amount of work and commitment required from coaches in order to create champions out of ordinary kids.”

 

The students, for their part, call Danielle and Paul “amazing coaches and mentors”. One player said, “if they are our coaches next year, I am definitely joining.”

 

But, there will come a time when they are not around, so Danielle and Paul have planned for that eventuality, recruiting and mentoring teachers and parents to carry on one day.

 

To continue a legacy of Champions for Education.

 Dave Santing 
 

While replacing an old, worn tire has not really changed much, how cars work and what it takes to repair them has been revolutionized over the past 2 decades. What was once, basically, mechanical is now technology. Over the last 25 years, there have been more advancements in the field than in the previous century.

 

As of 2019, there were 35.7 million cars on the road in Canada. The average family has 1.5 cars and they need at least one of those to be in good running condition in order to meet all their obligations.

 

That is where the W.P.A.R.A. comes in. Through their own garages and service centres, the organization has collectively been a strong supporter of automotive trade education. They have provided their expertise, promoted their profession at career events and they accept co-op students at their shops.

 

There is certainly some self-indulgence involved. While the number of cars has increased, there is a stark imbalance in the number of young workers available to replace retiring mechanics and technicians.

 

But that is, ultimately, a benefit to our students evaluating their career options. W.P.A.R.A.’s leadership, under the direction of Dave Santing for the past decade, has helped improve the quality of programming offered in our classrooms by creating links to professional garages and Transportation Technology teachers are invited to their monthly meetings.

 

Association members also support classrooms and students with tools and equipment because there is more to auto mechanics these days than wrenches, screwdrivers and a well-placed whack with a ball-peen hammer.

 

We are on the road to success with the Champions for Education from the W.P.A.R.A.

 Essex County Black Historical Research Society 
 

History is not a static domain. Certainly, the dates, names, events and deeds are fixed, but history does evolve as more authentic information is revealed, discovered and included in the accounts of the past.

 

The Essex County Black Historical Research Society is a group of “individuals interested in the research, preservation, promotion and advancement of the Black (African-Canadian) history of the Windsor-Essex County area.”

 

It is a very active group, currently with 895 Facebook members contributing to the expansion of our knowledge. This month, alone, there have been 21 new posts on their page that increase our awareness and appreciation for the contributions of African-Canadians to our shared culture and history.

 

Specifically, we acknowledge their partnership in the development of the local curriculum resource, the GECDSB Roads to Freedom documents. Fifteen years ago, members of the society participated in creating the original document and have earnestly maintained their association with us in revisions, most recently in the past year.

 

Roads to Freedom is a valuable record, which now includes an on-line module for teacher use which has helped boost the implementation of Black history throughout the school year, intersecting a variety of subjects.

 

The society has infused the historical record with lived experience so we all may better understand. As Maya Angelou said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

 

The Essex County Black Historical Research Society has bravely expanded our consciousness and understanding and are consequential Champions for Education.

 Paul DiGiovanni
 

Some of the qualities of integrity are sincerity, virtue, devotion, conscience and beneficence.

In manufacturing, integrity is the soundness of condition of the process and the final product.

 

Paul DiGiovanni chose the name of his company well when it was created in 2000. It has become a company regarded as a global leader in the tool and mold industry over the past 23 years. Integrity now employs more than 700 employees at 11 facilities in 3 countries.

 

He is - based on that information alone - a worthy, distinguished graduate of General Amherst High School. However, that is not the substance of the nomination for this particular honour.

 

It is Paul’s generosity and allegiance to his former school which demonstrates his integrity.

 

A long-time supporter of the OYAP Precision Metal Cutting Program at his alma mater, he realized that with the move to the new North Star High School, skilled trades students needed a comparable upgrade.

 

Paul and Integrity have donated a new HAAS CNC, 2 milling machines and all the necessary cabinets and benches to outfit the manufacturing program at North Star – an investment of approximately $250,000.

 

“Our team believes,” Paul was recently quoted, “in providing opportunity and accessibility to the best tools and supporting future generations, as well as fostering a community that will best help them acquire the skills they need to build their futures by their own hand.”

That was after he received the Certificate of Recognition from the 2022 Ontario Council for Technological Education.

 

Integrity Tool and Mold is living up to its name as well as the title, Champion for Education.

 Logan Kane 
 

There is an old saying, “Any jackass (mule) can knock down a barn…it takes a carpenter to build one.”

 

Logan Kane is most certainly the latter – he is a builder.

 

He is the training coordinator for the Local 494 Carpenter’s Union that helps us run the Enhanced Construction Program. It has been described as “a novel way to train and then place high school students with member contractors”. And with such a unique program it takes a special person to operate it.

 

In 3 years under Logan’s leadership, the 494 headquarters has been transformed to include a classroom for academic subjects and a cafeteria. They were able to continue the program through the pandemic restrictions though there were things that required in-person instruction, such as how to hammer a nail.

 

There have been 114 students in the program since it began, producing much needed skilled workers for the building trades. There are 38 in the class this year. Logan has stated that “if the ECP were not in place young people with a knack for the trade might not find their way into the field.”

 

Local 494 has already received this recognition for its contribution to our students’ achievements. This award is specifically for Logan Kane. “He always pushed me to do the best work and allowed me to reach my goals,” stated one student.

 

Logan has also extended his influence throughout our board by individually participating in health and safety training, outreach events, Grade 8 nights and pathways promotions.

He is giving young people and his industry the tools for future success.

 

Logan Kane is a Champion for Education.

 Mark Pellow 
 

A canon of these awards is that no person or organization may receive it more than once.

In 2007 we honoured the BASF Group for its generous contribution to environmental education through its partnership with our Board on Fighting Island.

 

Tens of thousands of students have benefitted from the hands-on field studies on the island since 2003. But that unique experience might have been limited or even lost if it had not been for the effort and consideration of Mark Pellow – our favourite of the 120 thousand BASF employees worldwide!

 

He is the supervisor of the company’s Wyandotte facility that oversees the operations on Fighting Island.

 

The GECDSB had a couple of portable classrooms on the island for some time and they had outlived their usefulness to students, though during the pandemic restrictions - when we could not visit the island - they did serve the indigenous wildlife quite well.

 

Those buildings had to be replaced in order to continue the program.

Realizing its value to young people, Mark solicited and received the donation of a double-portable building from Michigan – a structure that would have cost our board well more than $100,000. Thanks to him, we can now aspire to decades more of enjoyment, exploration and education on Fighting Island.

 

Mark Pellow is providing young people with the resources to engage in science, art, geography and physical education. He also sees that their safety is ensured on the island and that it is available to everyone through his commitment to accessible transportation.

He is one of many in a large corporation, but now in a class of his own – a Champion for Education.

 Pure Flavor 
 

Many wonderful relationships begin over a meal.

About 5 years ago, Grade 8 students at Giles Campus French Immersion Public School planned a regular feast. In conjunction with the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, a cooking club was imagined to teach young people to cook nutritious meals. They had recipes and equipment, what they needed was a supply of fresh produce.

 

That is when Pure Flavor Greenhouses of Leamington came to the table.

Each week, they received a list of veggies needed for the menu and filled it – with enough to allow the students to prepare the meal at school and then once again for their families at home.

 

Pure Flavor also kicked in aprons and shopping bags for everyone.

 

Chris Veillon, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer stopped by the class one day and came away with even more ways Pure Flavor could support the school.

 

Covid restrictions put the cooking class on hold, but what was maintained throughout the pandemic was the delivery of “Mini Munchie” bags of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes that had become an important part of the school’s daily breakfast and snack program. Healthy diets have led to improved student attention and increased energy and helped reduce suspensions and disciplinary issues.

 

Giles Campus has moved and become James L. Dunn Public School. Pure Flavor has gone with them, supplying the breakfast and snack program and the cooking club has resumed with their continued support.

 

Sharing food has always been a great way to make new friends. Sometimes it turns out to be dinner or breakfast of Champions for Education.

Windsor Symphony Orchestra 
 

Music education is about so much more than just learning to play an instrument or to sing. Research has demonstrated that studying music can lead to higher achievement in other academic areas, such as math and language.

 

The Windsor Symphony Orchestra has been a prominent proponent and promoter of music in our schools - a partnership which seems as if it has always existed and has never gone flat.

For years the WSO has taken its music to our classrooms and brought our students to their concerts. Even during the COVID pandemic, when restrictions were placed on gatherings and live performances, they found a way, using digital technology.

 

Since we have been able to meet and play in person, orchestra members have returned Allegro and Fortissimo.

 

Last July the Windsor Symphony Youth Orchestra staged a summer concert series at all our Summer Learning Program locations. Last Fall they helped us revive The String Project – a program that introduces Grade 3 students to the violin.

 

The WSO always makes it possible for young people from our schools to attend concerts and sometimes even perform with the professional musicians in their Side By Side Concert Series.

Champions For Education
Person/Organization Year
A -
Active Body Physical Therapy 2018
Doris Armstrong 2008
Oshiomogho Atogwe, I am Foundation 2010
Rob Agnew, Circle of Seven 2010
B -
Marie Bacon 2007
Marie Bailey 2012
BASF Canada, Fred Delisle 2007
Betty Bedragon 2012
Belle River Public School Parent Council  2020
Constable Monique Bergeron 2018
Big Brothers, Big Sisters 2005
Leo Bissonnette 2017 
Elaine & Harry Bosveld 2007 
Dawn Boughner 2009 
Laurie Bradbury  2017 
Carol Brush  1998 
 C - 
Calframax Technologies 2010 

Carpenters & Allied Worker Local 494

2018
The Campana Family 2014 
John Campbell Public School Parents' Association 1998 
Canadian Auto Workers Local 200 2012 
Canadian Auto Workers Local 444 2012
Mary Caton 2012
Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd.  2013
CenterLine (Windsor) Ltd.  2016
Arnie Charlton 2012
John and Sophia Chisholm 2020
John Coleman 2016
Southern Collision 2019
Community Living Windsor - Nutrition Crew at Herman Elementary 2018
Bill Conely 2015
D -
Danielle Richer and Paul Finlayson  2023
Dr. Anil Dhar 2012
Deer Run Church  2020
Paul DiGiovanni 2023
D.M. Eagle Kiss 'n Ride Volunteers 2017
D.M. Eagle Public School Council 2017
Al Douglas 2018
E -
Essex County Black Historical Research Society 2023
F -
First Baptist Church of Kingsville 2008
Brenda Fletcher 2013
David & Jennifer Fox 2008
Friends of Fontainebleau 2018
G -
Margaret Gallagher 2015
John Garinger 2010
Tara Geauvreau 2019
General Brock Public School Breakfast Club Volunteers 2017
General Motors of Canada, Windsor Engineers 2006
General Motors of Canada, Windsor Transmission Plant 2006
Joyce Gignac 2010
Greater Windsor Homebuilders Association 2007
Jodi Greige 2011
Goodfellows 2020
H -
Jhonny Hajjar 2012
Shelley Harding-Smith 1998
Home Depot Canada 2006
Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital 2008
I -
II Gabbiano Restaurant 1998
J -
J & J Marine 2015
K -
Logan Kane 2023
King Edward Home & School Association 2011
Larry Koscielski 2012
Sheri Lynn Koscielski 2014
Marlies Kutz 2020
L -
Sherry Lajoie 2005
Lakepoint Homes 2015
Leamington United Mennonite Church  2007
Lana Lee 2005
Michelle Lomazzo 2014
M -
Tamye MacVicar 2016
Lila MacVicar 2010,2019
Helen Maisonville 1998
Maryville Adolescent and Family Services 2013
Janet Masse 2018
Gordon McGregor Public School Advisory Council 2008
Julie McInnis 2006
Kim McKinley 2005
John McQuire 1998
Chris Meloche, No Frills Amherstburg 2010
Janice Millar 2009
Janet Mooney 2012
Music Express 2017
N -
Ann Nasser 2009
The Neighbourhood Charitable Alliance 2017
Northwood P.S. School Council 2009
O -
Ojibway Nature Centre  2020
Pat Ondracka 2005
Lillian Othmer 2015
P -
Andy Paling 2023
Julie Parkyn, IBM Canada  2006
Tom Payne  1998
Parkwood Gospel Church 2020
Mark Pellow 2023
Thelma Percy 1998
Wendy Pisciotto 2008
Tina Poisson 2005
Pure Flavor 2023
Prestressed Systems, Inc. 2013
R -
Chris Rabideau & Arts Collective Theatre 2017
Bianca Radu 2019
RBC Afterschool Project 2015
Krista Regehr 2020
Doug Romanek, Nana's Bakery 2008
Reko International 2015
Darrie-Ann Richard 2018
Roseland Lions Club 2011
Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 201  
Rennie Rota, Sobeys Amherstburg  2010 
Michael Rvachov 2006
Janice Ryall 2005
S -
St. Aidan's Anglican Church, Windsor 2009
St. Clair College 2005,2014
Richard St. Denis 2006
Danita Sadaka 2007
Dr. Geri Salinitri 2016
Wayne Samwell 2013
Dave Santing 2023
Mike Schlater 2012
Scottish Rite & Masonic Lodge Windsor Essex 2009
Barry Shaw 2006
Manjit Shaw 1998
Giselle Simpson 2010
Dr. Elizabeth Southcott 2011
Vicky Smith 2010
Dave Snyder 2007
Christine Stengel 2009
T -
Judy Taiariol 2007, 2011
Wendy Taylor 2015
T.D. Friends of the Environment Foundation 2009
T' Dye For Hair Salon 2009
Tecumseh Shoreline Week Community Newspaper 2011
Tepperman's Furniture  2019
Thames Valley Childrens's Centre 2008
Truax Lumber and Building Materials 2020
Marsha Tterlikkis 2012
U -
Unconquered Sun Solar Technologies 2014
Unemployed Help Centre 2013
Union Gas 2014
United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 494  2018
V -
Valiant Machine & Tool  2014
Paul Vasey  2005
Cathy Vendrasco 2009
Petra Verweij 2007
Viking Pump of Canada, Inc 2018
Philippa VonZiegenweidt 2007
Kathy Vriesen 2006
W  
Joanne Webb 2008
Tom Weber 1998
Mary Grace Weir 2020
Daniel & Gloria Wilson 2017
Windsor Downtown Lions Club 1998
Windsor Essex Community Foundation  2019
Windsor Essex County Health Unit 2008
Windsor Express Basketball Team  2019
Windsor Police Service 2019
Windsor Public Utilities Commission 1998
Windsor Regional Children's Centre 2013
Windsor Roseland Rotary Club 2006
Windsor Spitfires 2009
Windsor Symphony Orchestra 2023
W.F. Herman Secondary School Alumni 2016
Jan Wright 2005
Y -
Greg Yantzi 2011
Alba Younan 2018
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Greater Essex County District School Board

451 Park Street West
P.O. Box 210
Windsor ON N9A 5V4

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