Champions for Education

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.