Meet the Teachers
- Renee Boyce
- Paul Barrett
- Mona MacDonald
- France Lafleur
- Gary DaCosta
- Gayle Esler
- George Findlay
- Daniel Gauthier
- Carol Ann Telford
- Jay Willman
- Bill French
- Stephen Gallagher
- Lindsay Johnston
- Darwin Martin
- Thomas Harapnuick
- Sharon Davis
Renee Boyce
Bishops College
St. John's, Newfoundland
Renee Boyce believes that problem solving and hands-on activities make physics "phun." She looks beyond the classroom walls for the best method to teach a topic, inviting a police officer into the class to discuss the Doppler Effect, sending her students out on longliners (a common working boat on the east coast) to study oceanography and navigation, and using computers to collect and analyze data. Classes are typically centred around group work and lab experiments so that students teach and learn while Ms. Boyce acts as a facilitator. This allows her to spend more time one on one with students, ensuring effective learning for all.
Enrolment and enthusiasm for physics has increased since Ms. Boyce joined the staff in 1996: Level 3 physics has increased from two sections to four, the number of physics projects entered in the school science fair has grown from two to more than 40, and Bishops students have maintained the highest average physics mark (and the lowest failure rate) in the school board.
In addition to stimulating interest in physics among her students, Ms. Boyce provides teaching leadership throughout the school and province. Currently vice-chair of the regional science fair committee, she was involved in preparing a successful bid to host the 2004 Canada Wide Science Fair. She has also helped develop a top-quality physics institute for teachers and has taught a physics methods course to pre-service teachers at Memorial University.
Bishops College
192 Pennywell Road
St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 2L6
Telephone: 709-579-4107
Fax: 709-579-4109
Email: rpearce@bishops.ntc.nf.ca
Websites: www.bishops.k12.nf.ca/
Paul Barrett
Cobequid Educational Centre
Truro, Nova Scotia
A colleague describes Paul Barrett as deserving a medal for bravery in the field of battle to preserve music education. This energetic teacher creates an atmosphere that encourages student leadership, co-operation and achievement of both group and personal excellence in music.
The school's bands and jazz choir regularly win gold and silver medals at local, provincial and national festivals. Students go on to join the provincial Nova Scotia Youth Wind Ensemble, the Nova Scotia Honour Jazz Program, the National Youth Band of Canada and summer bands of the Canadian Armed Forces. Graduates of Mr. Barrett's classes also earn university entrance scholarships and other awards.
Not content to simply teach students how to play an instrument, he uses musical education to instil self-discipline and responsibility, teach valuable time-management skills and develop self-confidence in his students. Students learn the value of community activities by performing at community events, raising funds for Christmas baskets, and playing for public dances.
Mr. Barrett's dedication to the promotion and preservation of musical education doesn't stop with his school. He also co-directs and oversees the Truro District Schools Bands program, comprising a dozen musical groups, including concert and jazz bands, a jazz choir and several smaller groups. He is the coordinator of Maritime Musicfest Series 2000, an annual festival that involves approximately 2500 students per year from more than 35 schools in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The festival is a regional component of Musicfest Canada.
Cobequid Educational Centre
34 Lorne Street
Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 3E3
Telephone: 902-895-2358
Fax: 902-896-5707
Email: musicfest@auracom.com
Websites: http://schools.ccrsb.ednet.ns.ca/cec/
Mona MacDonald
West Pictou Consolidated School
Pictou, Nova Scotia
A caring and positive person, Mona MacDonald believes that success is an attainable goal for every child she meets. As coordinator of her school's Learning Centre, she helps both gifted and learning-disabled (LD) students meet that goal by capitalizing on the "Triple A's of Success" - attitude, advocacy and assistive technology.
Each year, Ms. MacDonald works with students from Primary to Grade 8, and many increase their skill level to the point that they no longer need remedial help. Students build confidence preparing and presenting poems and poetry for special occasions and reading the morning announcements.
Ms. MacDonald takes the role of mentor seriously. She attends conferences, collects books about LDs for the Learning Centre, conducts evening workshops for parents, and consults with teachers. She also spends hours writing grant applications to increase the resources available to her students - primarily assistive technology.
Ms. MacDonald received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Chignecto School Board and the Nova Scotia Teacher's Union, and has presented at numerous in-service and professional conferences throughout Nova Scotia and across Canada.
West Pictou Consolidated School
RR 2
Pictou, Nova Scotia B0K 1H0
Telephone: 902-485-7960
Fax: 902-485-7966
Websites: www.westpictouconsolidated.ednet.ns.ca/
France Lafleur
École Victor-Thérien
Lachine, Quebec
The core of France Lafleur's teaching can be summed up in the three-word slogan she teaches her students, "On est capable." It means "We can do it" and Ms. Lafleur's main goal is to develop and heighten the entrepreneurial nature of young people, who are open to a constructive vision of the future. She also advances the integration of learning about the realities of life, which have an impact both on life at the school as well as on the family and on society.
One of the ways she does this is to challenge students to take on seemingly impossible tasks. As they work as a team, they learn how much they can do. For example, her Grade 3 students set up Enterprises Ordi-Scanne, a company that used computer technology to reproduce photos and artwork on surfaces such as t-shirts. This project was later honoured by the Concours québécois en entrepreneurship.
Ms. Lafleur led her students through the exploration, adoption and use of technology for the new business. This included not only the scanning technology but also business, banking and accounting software. The students covered every aspect of starting and running a business, from setting up schedules to writing a promotional jingle. She has also built successful relationships with private sector companies to allow her students to learn about high-tech businesses.
Ms. Lafleur makes use of her training in remedial education, psychology and neurolinguistics to develop feedback techniques that leave students with high self-esteem. She continues to develop these techniques in the classroom and through professional development and eagerly shares the results of her work with colleagues.
École Victor-Thérien
305-43 Avenue
Lachine, Quebec H8T 2H8
Telephone: 514-634-0322
Fax: 514-634-0448
Email: france.lafleur@sympatico.ca
Websites: www2.csmb.qc.ca/vtherien/
Gary DaCosta
Lester B. Pearson High School
Burlington, Ontario
The best indication of Gary DaCosta's success as an auto mechanics teacher is how many of his former students now work in the industry. The number stands at more than 40, including one winner of the outstanding student award who has come back to teach auto mechanics at the school. Many of these graduates gladly employ current students and keep Mr. DaCosta informed of the latest technological developments in the field.
The secret to this success? Mr. DaCosta respects students and treats them as mature individuals. This promotes mature, responsible behaviour in students who may lack other positive role models. He encourages everyone to work hard and have fun, and up to 50 percent of technology students are girls. He sets high standards and consistently rewards success, a combination that keeps many young people in school.
As head of the technology department, Mr. DaCosta advocated and then created a compulsory integrated technology course for Grade 9 students. This course features group projects to design, build and test various machines, projects that students enjoy and finish. His commitment to technology education extends to the board level. He wrote the transportation technology curriculum, chaired the transportation technology committee, and designed classroom equipment for board auto shops. He was also a driving force behind the development of a board-wide safety policy used in every shop in the Halton District School Board.
Lester B. Pearson High School
1433 Headon Road
Burlington, Ontario L7M 1V7
Telephone: 905-335-0961
Fax: 905-336-0751
Websites: www.lbp.haltondsb.on.ca/
Gayle Esler
G.L. Roberts Collegiate and Vocational Institute
Oshawa, Ontario
Whether she is finding co-op placements, creating a new program or just chatting with students in the cafeteria, Gayle Esler always has the futures of those students in mind.
As head of the co-operative education department, she has a talent for finding job placements and opportunities. For example, she created virtual co-op positions with an on-line teen magazine, placed students in jobs in Europe and Asia, found positions for autistic and blind students, and partnered in the development of a community computer room and summer computer camp that then hired her students. The school's Peer Helping Program, which Esler developed, places 50 students in Grade 9 classes to assist teachers; co-op students also work at local elementary schools.
G.L. Roberts has the highest percentage of co-op hours in the school board and a 95 percent graduation rate for its co-op students. Ms. Esler also worked to achieve the school board's highest participation rate in "Take a Student to Work" day - in an area of high unemployment.
Recognized by the Ontario Co-operative Education Association for integrating the Conference Board of Canada's Employability Skills Profile into the Grade 9 curriculum, Ms. Esler's dedication also led her to create 2B Cont'd, an on-line resource offering opportunities for students to develop employability skills, a credit course in career planning, and access to the Human Resources Development Canada job bank.
G.L. Roberts Collegiate and Vocational Institute
399 Chaleur Avenue
Oshawa, Ontario L1J 1G5
Telephone: 905-728-7594
Fax: 905-728-7760
Email: esler1@accel.net
Websites: www.durham.edu.on.ca/s_links/schools/glroberts/
George Findlay
Princess Elizabeth Public School
Windsor, Ontario
George Findlay tells his students, "Once you're in my class, you're mine for life!" Former students, even those from decades before, are still special and important to him. What do these former students remember? They remember a demanding teacher who inspired them to stretch academically, giving them a sense of pride and achievement in their work. They remember that they left his class fully prepared for high school, regardless of their initial ability.
Students (and their parents) today know that he delivers a highly successful math program and that one of his students or the school team regularly wins first place in the University of Waterloo's Gauss Mathematics competition. They know that Mr. Findlay's students receive solid science teaching with engaging hands-on experiments, good note-keeping practice and knowledge of the inquiry method - and that novel studies, reading aloud to children and a wide variety of writing assignments, including publication of the school yearbook, create a strong commitment to reading in his students. As a result, students score higher than the board average in the Canadian Achievement Test and parents lobby to have their children in his class.
Equally important to Mr. Findlay is the development of civic responsibility and sportsmanship in his students. He organizes recycling drives, food drives, penny collections at Christmas, bus monitoring and noon-time phone answering to give his students opportunities to contribute to the community. He has coached all teams sports at the school, with the goal of developing high skill levels, commitment to the team and a chance for everyone to play.
Princess Elizabeth Public School
5399 Raymond Street
Windsor, Ontario N8S 1Z6
Telephone: 519-945-5001
Fax: 519-945-5131
Email: george_findlay@gecdsb.on.ca
Websites: www.gecdsb.on.ca/sub/schools/elem/prelizab/
Daniel Gauthier
Collège catholique
Samuel-Genest
Ottawa, Ontario
Daniel Gauthier is passionate about sciences and he conveys this enthusiasm to his fellow teachers and students. He is driven to introduce his students to science, engineering and computer and communications technology, and many are drawn into a career in these fields after time in his classes.
Project work is a big part of Mr. Gauthier's teaching practice. His students learn to stretch their abilities by taking on new challenges. The results speak for themselves. Most recently, his students have collected awards from engineering associations, Microsoft Canada, the University of Ottawa and the Canadian Armed Forces. In past years, student projects have won the prestigious Roberta Bondar Award and have reached the finals of the Bell 2000 and YTV Achievement Awards.
He and his science department colleagues have made it their personal mission to ensure that their students receive exposure to the vast and interesting world of science and science careers. In addition to his work in core curriculum courses, Mr. Gauthier has created and taught new courses in astronomy and engineering and brought 3-D design technology to the high school curriculum. As a result of the efforts he and his colleagues have made, the number of students from Samuel-Genest who go on to university programs in science and engineering has doubled in the past decade, from 20 to 40 percent of graduates.
Collège catholique
Samuel-Genest
704 Carson Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1K 2H3
Telephone: 613-744-8344
Fax: 613-744-2727
Email: gauthda@2020.csd66.edu.on.ca
Websites: www.ccsg.ca/fr/
Carol Ann Telford
Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School
Baden, Ontario
Carol Ann Telford loves ideas. Ideas make good things happen for students and schools. Her ideas encompass a wide variety of initiatives that respond to students' learning needs. Students become more comfortable and skilled with technology, gain employability skills, complete high school and gain confidence and pride in their abilities.
At her former school, her expansion of the senior level co-op education program eventually involved all subject areas, and enrolment increased from 27 students to 110 in two years. At Waterloo-Oxford, the number of academic and community service award winners tripled in two years under Ms. Telford's guidance. The number of students involved in peer mentoring, adult mentoring and job shadowing also grew.
The Transition Years Guidance/Co-operative Education Program for at-risk students, which Ms. Telford designed and taught along with another teacher, helps 75 percent of its students stay in school and an additional 10 percent find employment. Another of Ms. Telford's ideas saw the Peer Mentoring Program redesigned. A network of older students, nominated and trained by teachers, act as mentors to smooth Grade 9 students' transition into high school. This program is enthusiastically endorsed by new and former students alike.
In program design and classroom teaching, Ms. Telford strives to accommodate different learning styles and constantly expand her repertoire of teaching techniques. Innovator, architect, builder, fundraiser, marketer and teacher, Ms. Telford creates exciting learning environments for students.
Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School
RR 2
Baden, Ontario N3A 1A4
Telephone: 519-634-5441
Fax: 519-634-5469
Email: CarolAnn_Telford@wrdsb.edu.on.ca
Websites: http://wodss.wrdsb.on.ca/
Jay Willman
R.B. Russell Vocational High School
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Drama and technology make a powerful combination for change, especially in the hands of Jay Willman. Attendance rates have improved, at-risk students remain in school and even volunteer for after-school activities, and students take leadership roles in projects and gain employment after graduation.
As the school's drama teacher, Mr. Willman developed and coordinates Community Action. Students conceive, produce and act in multimedia productions on issues prevalent in the inner city for schools and community groups, and have won local, regional and national recognition and awards. Mr. Willman's leadership in introducing technology to the school was a natural consequence of the drama project. Now the head of the technology department, Mr. Willman designed, maintains and programs a school-wide network of computers, manages the R.B. Computer Club and provides professional development for fellow teachers in computer technology. He also leads workshops in technology, drama and designing school change to teachers across the city and province.
While his main role is to work collaboratively with teachers to plan and deliver integrated technology lessons to every course in the school from cosmetology to autobody, Mr. Willman also coached the 1995 city champion junior varsity men's volleyball team and table tennis team.
R.B. Russell Vocational High School
364 Dufferin Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2W 2Y3
Telephone: 204-589-5301
Fax: 204-586-1817
Email: jwillman@wsd1.org
Websites: http://rbrussell.org
Bill French
Lansdowne School
Edmonton, Alberta
Insatiably curious, with boundless enthusiasm and loads of energy. This description applies equally well to Bill French as to his Grade 5 students. Every year, they embark on a voyage of learning together. While using a carefully constructed theme-based learning plan to cover all areas of the curriculum, Mr. French also models positive behaviour and critical-thinking skills for his students. In this interesting and inspiring atmosphere, student attendance is almost perfect, and performance in provincial achievement tests consistently high.
Mr. French believes that providing a wide variety of experiences for students, both in and out of the classroom, is critical for effective learning. In addition to numerous class field trips, he organized and leads an intramural handball program at recess, an after-hours computer club for students and the school science fair. Students also participate and win top prizes at regional science fairs.
Mr. French shares this energy and enthusiasm with his fellow teachers, too. He has worked as a social studies and later science consultant to the school board, as a trainer in Non-violent Crisis Intervention, as a speaker at teachers' conventions and to non-educational organizations, as a sports coach, and as the driving force behind the integration of new computer equipment and report card software into the school.
Lansdowne School
12323-51 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6H 0M6
Telephone: 780-434-3160
Fax: 780-438-4566
Email: bfrench1@epsb.edmonton.ab.ca
Websites: http://lansdowne.epsb.ca/
Stephen Gallagher
W.P. Wagner School of Science and Technology
Edmonton, Alberta
Stephen Gallagher thinks that math and physics are part of everyday life. By the end of the school year, so do his students. Teaching in a warm, entertaining and captivating manner, he excels at creating first-hand learning situations for his students, ones that clearly demonstrate how a physics or math concept directly affects an everyday object. As a result of his innovative teaching practices, tutoring of students and development of Physmatics (a course combining math and physics curriculum), enrolment in Grade 11 and 12 at the school has more than doubled and young women in his classes perform significantly above the provincial standard. Typically, 88 percent of students pass physics and math provincial exams. In 1999, 100 percent of his students passed.
Recognized for his success with a number of awards, including Alberta's Excellence in Teaching Award, Mr. Gallagher was seconded to the Alberta Distance Learning Centre to develop Physics 20 and Physics 30 distance learning courses, and later to the ACCESS Television Network to write scripts and be an on-camera presenter for Physics: A World in Motion, a television series complementing the Alberta senior physics curriculum. The 12 programs he wrote will soon be distributed across North America. Mr. Gallagher has also written the script for an interactive CD-ROM teaching nuclear physics, which is now in distribution. In addition, he is also recognized as an exemplary mentor and trainer of student teachers.
W.P. Wagner School of Science and Technology
6310 Wagner Road
Edmonton, Alberta T6E 4N5
Telephone: 780-469-1315
Fax: 780-466-6748
Email: sgallagh@epsb.edmonton.ab.ca
Websites: www.wpwagner.com/
Lindsay Johnston
Calgary Science Centre School
Calgary, Alberta
The Calgary Science Centre School isn't your typical school, and Lindsay Johnston isn't your typical teacher. A former high school science teacher, elementary science specialist and elementary teacher, Ms. Johnston guides elementary school students - and their teachers - through an exciting week of science exploration. With lots of hands-on work, interesting guests and demonstrations, and plenty of opportunities for writing and drawing their experiences and feelings, Ms. Johnston "turns the kids on" to learning about science and their world.
Her philosophy is that students learn in deeper ways when they are immersed in a rich, interesting environment. In response, she has created a learning environment that stimulates students' curiosity, expands their experience and exposes them to real science. Ms. Johnston works with 28 classroom teachers each year to prepare integrated year-long programs that first prepare the children for, and then build on, their week at the Science Centre. While the children are learning science, Ms. Johnston is modelling sound teaching practices for her colleagues, and giving them ideas and resources for their own science teaching.
In the past four years, more than 3000 students and 110 teachers have spent a week at the Calgary Science Centre School, a week many students remember as the highlight of their elementary school years.
Calgary Science Centre School
701-11 Street SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 2M5
Telephone: 403-221-3757
Fax: 403-237-0186
Email: johnstl@home.com
Darwin Martin
Eastglen High School
Edmonton, Alberta
Darwin Martin challenges his students to develop their skills to exceptional levels by challenging himself, the school and the community to provide opportunities for students to prove themselves and excel.
In his computer-processing classes he stresses fundamentals. Rigorous yet flexible assignments challenge students to learn material in depth while allowing creative solutions and problem solving. His classes have a 98 percent pass rate and an average grade of more than 80 percent. His students authored diploma exam preparation software called TutorSoft, now used throughout Alberta, placed first in the Calgary Programming Society competition in 1999 and have won top honours at other competitions.
The entire school benefits from Mr. Martin's direction. As head of the technology department, he co-ordinates the work of six teachers as well as the school technology plan for 80 staff and 1200 students. Lab utilization rates are near 100 percent. Internet access has increased from 8 to 250 computers in three years. Mr. Martin also manages a process to allow special needs students to write provincial diploma exams on computer.
To further challenge his students, this time with real-life experience, Mr. Martin established partnerships with high-tech and other local institutions. These allow students to receive enriched after-school instruction, opportunities to build business web pages, full and part-time employment in a professional environment and access to advanced multimedia equipment and instruction.
Eastglen High School
11430-68 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5B 1B1
Telephone: 780-479-1991
Fax: 780-474-3154
Email: dmartin2@epsb.edmonton.ab.ca
Websites: http://199.185.87.75/~eastglen/files/contents/homeframespage.htm
Thomas Harapnuick
Prince of Wales Secondary School
Vancouver, British Columbia
There is a magic atmosphere in Thomas Harapnuick's classroom. Regardless of the subject, the grade level of the students, their academic ability or challenges, Mr. Harapnuick accepts all students as they are. With a unique blend of high standards, imaginative, innovative teaching strategies, various evaluation tools, innumerable opportunities to earn marks, and respect for the students' choices, he challenges students to learn discipline and responsibility.
Students respond with enthusiasm. Mr. Harapnuick's courses attract vast numbers of students, all of whom know that their high school experience won't be complete without a course with "Harp." Several courses have been expanded to include additional classes, while others had to turn away eager learners.
Students respond with the excellent results he knows they're capable of, and students leave his classes fully prepared for provincial exams, and the rigours of post-secondary education. For a number of years, his students have consistently performed far above the provincial and district averages on provincial exams. His 1998 Geography 12 class ranked first in the province for both participation and results.
Mr. Harapnuick honours character as much as academic success, and continuously looks for ways to encourage and develop character in his students by organizing food drives, graduation awards for character, and fundraising for an anonymous donation from his school to an inner-city school.
Prince of Wales Secondary School
2250 Eddington Drive
Vancouver, British Columbia V6L 2E7
Telephone: 604-736-2661
Fax: 604-733-0712
Email: harapnuickt@pw.vsb.bc.ca
Websites: http://pw.vsb.bc.ca/
Sharon Davis
Jack Hulland Elementary School
Whitehorse, Yukon
Sharon Davis brings a wealth of experience in counselling, special education and psychology to her position at Jack Hulland Elementary School. She also brings a warm and caring personality, and is tirelessly dedicated to the school community. Using encouragement instead of praise to help students (and parents and fellow teachers) develop self-control and self-directed behaviour, she values them as individuals with strong ownership of their education and culture.
Because she has worked so long in the community, Ms. Davis has built a legacy of trust that enables her to bridge relations, particularly in the First Nations community, and provide a valuable historical perspective on conflicts at the school.
Ms. Davis encourages people to solve their own problems. She helps them learn how, then stands back and cheers them on. Since coming to the school, Ms. Davis has introduced or supported a number of initiatives, all directed towards developing interpersonal skills and increased social awareness in the school community. These include Family Group Conferencing, a restorative justice program, Project Self-Esteem and The Be Real Game, a simulation game integrated with the Grade 5 social studies curriculum. Students and teachers hold class meetings to solve problems in the classroom before they escalate into playground battles, and the Second Step Program teaches empathy training, impulse control, anger management and problem solving.
Interaction problems needing referral "to the office" have declined significantly during Ms. Davis' tenure. Fights and incidents of bullying are almost non-existent. Students report that they feel safe at the school.
Jack Hulland Elementary School
1304 Fir Street
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 4C4
Telephone: 867-667-8496
Fax: 867-393-6234
Email: sharon.davis@gov.yk.ca
Websites: www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/jackhulland/