PDF Version (click here) - English Montreal School Board

Prime
Minister’s
Awards
Page 2
Dates
to
Remember
Page 3
STUDENT QUIZ
Win DeGrassi merchandise,
Jonas CDs and Party in the Box
Page 6
Today’s Choice,
Golf
Tomorrow’s
Tournament Gets
Success
A Boost
Page 7
Page 8
www.emsb.qc.ca for a comprehensive look at EMSB schools and services log on !
First Public School Education Week a success
Five Montreal-area school boards –
three French and two English –
embarked upon a unique collaborative
activity aimed at increasing public
confidence in neighbourhood public
schools. The English Montreal School
Board (EMSB), the Lester B. Pearson
School Board (LBPSB), the Commission
scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), the
Commission scolaire MargueriteBourgeoys (CSMB) and the Commission
scolaire
Pointe-de-l’Île
(CSPI),
participated in the first Public School
Education Week in January.
Under the theme Following In Their
Footsteps, the campaign encourages
prominent graduates to return to visit
their neighbourhood schools to talk to
students about the role public school
education played in leading them to
their present-day success. These
individuals now serve as outstanding
role models, as do many other
prominent Quebecers having or having
had a link with area public schools or
vocational centres.
MACKAY CENTRE
The EMSB formally kicked off its
programming by showcasing the very
unique reverse integration program at
the Mackay Centre School in N.D.G. This
program allows a limited number of
children from pre-kindergarten to Grade
5 the opportunity to attend Mackay
Centre School for one year where they
learn alongside the physically disabled
and deaf children. Canadian rock star
Jonas (www.jonaslive.com) was part of
the reverse integration process 17 years
ago and on January 15 he was
welcomed back by his former teacher
Debra Colton, staff and students. (EMSB
parents who wish to register their
children for next year should call 514482-0500 ext. 218 immediately). Jonas
was also a member of what is now the
EMSB Chorale. Jonas, a rock
phenomenon whose hit records and
riveting stage presence attracted
standing room only crowds throughout
his Suite Life Canadian concert tour,
which concluded Feb. 23 at the Bell
Rock star Jonas kicked off Public School Education Week with a visit to the Mackay Centre,
where he was part of the reverse integration program 17 years ago.
Centre, expanded his international
profile with the completion of a featurelength DVD in December 2005. Entitled
Jonas Live As We Roll, it achieved
platinum status almost immediately. In
2004 he opened up the last leg of Van
Halen’s North American tour. He records
under the Déja Musique label. Mackay
Centre School Principal Jacques
Monfette gave Jonas a brief tour of the
building, including his old classroom
and a spot called the snakepit, where
students were permitted to write their
names on the wall. Jonas found his
signature and provided a new one next
to it. Mr. Monfette later showed a brief
slide show featuring pictures of Jonas
as a 10-year-old. One of Jonas’ former
classmates, Charlie Sivuarapi, was on
hand to greet him. Students asked some
very interesting questions and thanked
their special guests by doing a
performance to one of his songs.
CARLYLE
CTV News reporter and Carlyle
alumnus Tara Schwartz, returned to her
alma mater to report on Carlyle
Elementary School’s latest project.
Carlyle Cycle 3, Year 2 students worked
on a podcast which was inaugurated
that week. This project, initiated by
Media Advisor Andrew Myers and
Resource Teacher Phyllis Esar, was a
huge success with the students. A
podcast is an online
radio
show.
Websurfers are able
to download the
show to their
computer and even
to their iPod. Such
initiatives help
students develop
Tara Schwartz
oral and media
literacy skills in line with Quebec’s
education reform. Schwartz, herself
a newbie to podcasting, learned all
about the new technology from Carlyle
students. She had the opportunity to
interview students and teachers in the
computer lab while they worked
vigorously on their next podcast. The
next podcast is set to include topics
varying from “What the world would
be like without colors” to the latest
innovations in the automotive industry.
All Cycle 3 students then had the
opportunity to ask Schwartz questions
about her job and what being a reporter
and anchorwoman entails. To listen to
the
podcast,
log
on
to
www.emsb.qc.ca/carlyle.
Continued on page 4 – please see ‘DUNRAE’
Améliorations aux bâtiments
Grâce au rendement meilleur que
prévu de la CSEM en 2005-2006, au
cours duquel un surplus « corporatif
» de 3,6 millions $ a été enregistré, et
malgré un déficit accumulé de 2 692
367 $, le conseil des commissaires a
confié à l’administration le mandat
de réinvestir 520 000 $ dans les écoles
et centres.
Le conseil a adopté une formule
selon laquelle un montant spécifique
sera alloué à chaque école et centre.
La totalité du montant doit être
appliqué à des projets faisant partie
des catégories suivantes : peindre des
sections des bâtiments qui sont
visibles aux visiteurs; mesures de
sécurité et rénovations de salles de
toilette. La répartition des fonds
prendra en considération des facteurs
tels que : la grandeur du bâtiment,
les inscriptions, le nombre de locaux
d’un bâtiment ainsi que l’âge de la
structure. Tous les projets doivent être
complétée d’ici le 30 juin 2007. La
répartition se fera comme suit : 10
,000 $ pour 10 écoles primaires avec
de plus fortes inscriptions; 5 000 $
pour 27 écoles avec des inscriptions
moins élevées; 11 écoles secondaires
recevront 10 000 $ tandis que 15 000
$ seront alloués à deux autres; sept
écoles innovatrices recevront 2 500
$; huit centres d’EAFP recevront 10
000 $ et deux autres 15 000 $; Les
écoles suivantes recevront divers
autres montants : École secondaire
John Grant (5 000 $), école secondaire
Paul VI (2 500 $), MIND (2 500 $),
Centre St. Raphaël (5 000 $) et
Mountainview (2 500 $).
Page 2 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Fall 2006
APPOINTMENTS
A
number
of
in-school
administrative appointments have been
Darlene
made.
Kehyayan is the
new principal of
Cedarcrest
Elementary in St.
Laurent. Taking her
post on an interim
basis as viceDarlene Kehyayan
principal at Nesbitt
Elementary in Rosemount is Laurier
Macdonald High School teacher and
former administration building
multicultural worker George Koutsoulis.
Donna Manos moves from Gerald
McShane Elementary in Montreal North
to become principal at Honoré Mercier
in St. Léonard. Evelyn Alfonsi, who is
already the principal of Frederick
Banting Elementary in Montreal North,
also assumes the helm at nearby Gerald
McShane. Alice Sideropoulos goes from
assistant to director of the Shadd
Business Centre in N.D.G. Her assistant
becomes Martina Schiavone, who has
served in the same capacity on an
interim basis at the St. Laurent Adult
Centre … Connie Primiano has been
appointed assistant director of human
resources. Ms. Primiano has served as
the principal at
Honoré Mercier
since 2003. Prior to
that she was the
principal of Dunrae
Gardens in TMR,
Cedarcrest in St.
Laurent and viceConnie Primiano
principal at Nesbitt
in Rosemount and Roslyn in
Westmount, where she began her
teaching career as a tutor in 1976. …
Mario Argiropoulos is the new
coordinator of Adult Education and
Vocational Services. He has been the
director of the Shadd Business Centre
in N.D.G. since 2002. He was the
EMSB EXPRESS
Produced by the Communications
and Marketing Services Division of
the English Montreal School Board
6000 Fielding Avenue
Montreal (Quebec)
H3X 1T4
Phone: (514) 483-7200, ext. 7245
Fax:
(514) 483-7213
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.emsb.qc.ca
Editor
Michael J. Cohen
Communications &
Marketing Specialist, EMSB
Copy Editor
Stuart Nulman
Translation
Aline Zerounian
EMSB Photos
Michael J. Cohen
Legal Deposit
Bibliothèque Nationale
du Québec
National Library of Canada
ISSN 1488-416X
Layout and design
Ponctu@tion Grafix Inc.
www.ponctuation.com
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
assistant director for the previoius two
years. His teaching career included
stops at Laurier Macdonald and General
Vanier Adult Centres and at the John F.
Kennedy Business Centre … The EMSB
has engaged the services of a manager
of procurement services. Ivo Dittmar
arrives via private industry… Pierre
Dupont is the new energy manager …
Benoît Duhême is the new director of
legal services. He succeeds Dominique
Launay, who returned to private
practice … In December, the board of
directors of the West Island Health and
Social Services Centre appointed EMSB
Director of Finance Robert Stocker as a
volunteer co-opted director of the
board. Mr. Stocker expects to use his
financial and public sector experience
in his new governance role.
RETIREMENTS
Beverly Townsend, the principal of
Cedacrest Elementary School in St.
Laurent has retired
…
Assistant
Director of Human
Resources Richard
Meades has retired.
His
chief
responsibility these
last few years was
the hiring of
Beverly Townsend
teachers … Over
200 people attended the annual EMSB
retirees' dinner at the Omni Mont-Royal
Hotel in downtown Montreal. The
evening honoured 91 retiring
employees of the EMSB who worked as
educators, administrators, professionals
and support staff, and whose combined
years of service to the Board added up
to 2,631 years. EMSB Chairman Dominic
Spiridigliozzi, along with the senior
administrators presented each retiree
with a special thank-you gift of a
framed painting by Quebec artist PaulMichel Gagnon. One of the longest
serving employees present at the
dinner was Helton Pachake, a former
teacher at Lester B. Pearson High
School, who served with the Board for
39 years and as a teacher for nearly 50
years. Please see the Photo Album on
the EMSB website (www.emsb.qc.ca)
for pictures of the evening.
DISTINCTION
Thirty-two exceptional leaders in
education from across the country have
been chosen as Canada’s Outstanding
Principals for 2007. There was one
winner in all of Quebec – the EMSB’s
very own Paola
the
Miniaci,
principal
of
Marymount
Academy.
Nominations were
received from every
province
and
Paola Miniaci
territory
and
selection was on a representation by
population basis. From February 25 to
March 1, the 32 winning principals
participated in a five-day Executive
Leadership Training Program at the
prestigious University of Toronto’s
Rotman School of Management where
they had the opportunity to dialogue
and reflect on leadership issues with
other renowned leaders from the
educational, social, cultural and
business communities … John Grant
High School in Côte Saint-Luc has
received a $10,000 grant from the
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts
and Sciences to be used towards the
purchase of musical instruments for
their music program, which is called
Band Aid … James Lyng High School in
St. Henri and Laurier Macdonald High
School in St. Léonard are amongst the
21 English schools in Quebec which
have been chosen by the Ministère de
l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS)
to become Community Learning
Centres (CLCs). These CLCs will become
hubs for education and community
development in the English-speaking
community and serve as models for
future practice. CLCs are primarily
partnerships that provide a range of
services and activities, often beyond
the school day, to help meet the needs
of learners, their families, and the
wider community … The EMSB would
Gloria
like
to
congratulate
Chalupovitsch, a Grade 6 Language
Arts, Math and Moral Education
teacher at Merton School in Côte SaintLuc, and Theodora KourtelessiStathopoulos, a music teacher at FACE
School, who were recently honoured
with Certificates of Achievement from
EMSB Director General Antonio Lacroce,
Theodora Kourtelessi-Stathopoulos, Gloria
Chalupovitsch and Dominic Spirigliozzi
the Prime Minister’s Awards for
Teaching Excellence. The award
honours the overall accomplishments
and recognizes the efforts of
outstanding educators across Canada
who work in all disciplines at the
elementary and secondary levels, as
they help their students obtain the
necessary skills to meet the challenges
brought about by today’s society and
economy … The Quebec English School
Boards Association (QESBA) recently
recognized EMSB Commissioner Rosa
Cerrelli for reaching 12 years of service
… Le prix pour services distingués de
l’Association des administrateurs des
écoles anglaises du Québec (AAEAQ) a
été décerné au directeur général adjoint
de la CSEM, Don Reid, au cours d’une
cérémonie qui s’est tenue le 23
novembre. Ce prix est décerné
annuellement à une personne dont la
contribution à l’éducation s’est
distinguée par la qualité du service et
l’exécution de ses tâches au-delà des
responsabilités usuelles … The Robert
Alfred Peck Prize for Excellence in
French was recently presented for the
fifth time. This year there were six
winners, each of whom received 99
percent in their final year of high
school in 2006-2007: Mathieu Bray,
Elizabeth Guevara and David Rudin
from Royal West Academy in Montreal
West; Angelo M. Macri and Patrick
Macri of Laurier Macdonald High School
in St. Léonard and Alexandre Prucha
from Vincent Massey Collegiate in
Rosemount. Mr. Peck, who passed away
last year, served as the superintendent
of French for the Ministry of Education
and held similar posts with the former
Westmount School Board and the
former Protestant School Board of
Greater Montreal.
JOURNÉE DU DENIM
La Fondation CURE pour la recherche
sur le cancer du sein a félicité la
communauté de la CSEM pour sa
merveilleuse participation au 10 e
anniversaire de la Journée Nationale du
Denim en mai dernier et lui a décerné
un certificat de participation
exceptionnelle. Les écoles et les centres
de la CSEM ainsi que le personnel du
centre administratif ont recueilli 28
202,30 $ en 2006. Depuis 2000, la CSEM
a contribué 175 293,23 $ et l’édition de
2007 est prévue pour le 15 mai.
ÉDUCATION DES ADULTES
ET FORMATION
PROFESSIONNELLE
Le directeur du Centre d’adultes de
Saint-Laurent, Harry Michalopoulos, a
lancé un concept historique. Attendu
que l’éducation physique et les sports
interscolaires n’existent pas au niveau
de l’éducation des adultes, M.
Michalopoulos a formé une équipe de
basket-ball composée de ses élèves et
il a encouragé d’autres centres à suivre
son exemple … The Professional Sales
program at John F. Kennedy Business
Centre in St. Michel has initiated an
Intrapreneur Award that recognizes the
true intrapreneur in the classroom. An
Intrapreneur is the term coined for a
person who focuses on innovation and
creativity and who transforms a dream
or an idea into a profitable venture, by
operating within the organizational
environment. Student Thembekile
Ndlovu was chosen as the first winner
... Quarante-huit élèves de finition de
meubles et d’ébénisterie étaient
accompagnés par quatre enseignants
lors d’un voyage à Ottawa pour assister
à des ateliers et des séminaires au
Ottawa Wood Show. Ils ont été aussi
invités à visiter une collection privée
d’antiquités au Musée de la Civilisation
et visité aussi la Lee Valley Tools
Company.
RAPPORT ANNUEL
Le rapport annuel 2005-2006 de la
CSEM est maintenant accessible au site
Web à www.wmsb.qc.ca. Consulter la
section nouvelles du site
IN MEMORIAM
A memorial service was held
recently for St. Pius X Culinary Institute
Chef Robert Pietrantonio, who died
unexpectedly from a heart attack on
Christmas day. He was only 44 years
old.
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 24, 2007
Franco Di Giovanni Foundation
Social Night Prima Luna
Reception Hall
7301 Henri Bourassa Blvd. East.
5:30 p.m
Info: (514) 494-6831 or (514) 352-6730
March 25-27, 2007
Bell Montreal 25th Regional
Science and Technology Fair
Pierrefonds Comprehensive High
School, Info: (514) 231-2478.
May 10-12, 2007
Bell Montreal Expo Sciences
Regional Finals (Primary)
Aréna Etienne-Desmarteau
3430 Bellechasse
(www.exposciencesbell.qc.ca)
May 15, 2007
National Denim Day
April 18, 2007
May 29, 2007
EMSB Volunteer Appreciation
Evening
Board of Trade of Metropolitan
Montreal
Le Crystal in St. Laurent
Outstanding Student Awards
April 20- 22, 2007
June 15, 2007
Global Youth Service Days
EMSB Night
Montreal Impact Soccer Game
April 22-28, 2007
Administrative Assistants Week
April 27 2007
Terry Fox Run
Lester B. Pearson High School
Montreal North
April 27 and 28, 2007
Robocup Junior Quebec
5th Edition
Lester B. Pearson High School
11575 P.M. Favier
Interested schools may register at
www.sciencetech.ca. Also, free entry
school visits are available.
Contact Wilson at (514) 231-2478.
May 9, 2007
The third annual Brain Waves
gala
Featuring the talents of students from
five high schools – Rosemount, Laurier
MacDonald, Vincent Massey Royal
Vale and John F. Kennedy will take
place on May 9, 2007 at the Leonardo
Da Vinci Center, (8350 Lacordaire Blvd.)
in St. Leonard. Tickets are $25. For more
information call Vince Lacroce at (514)
483-7200 ext. 5365.
SCHOOL
BOARD
ELECTIONS
Claude Robillard Centre
June 28, 2007
EMSB Scholarship Golf
Tournament
Lachute Club (355 Bethany Road)
Info: (514) 483-7200, ext. 7379
Board Meetings
The EMSB council of commissioners
meet in public once a month. These
sessions begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held
in the Laurence Patterson Conference
Room of the administration building at
6000 Fielding Avenue. Everyone is
welcome to attend. Please note that
occasionally during the year special
meetings are called. Parents are urged
to bookmark the EMSB website
(www.emsb.qc.ca) to access Board
meeting agendas and to be advised
about special meetings. To register for
question period, please call 483-7200, ext.
7264. The meetings scheduled for this
academic year are as follows:
March 28, 2007
April 25, 2007
May 23, 2007
June 20, 2007
School board elections will take
place on Sunday, November 4, 2007.
Voters in the territory of the EMSB will
elect commissioners in 23 wards. The
makeup of the electoral divisions
appear on the EMSB website.
In order to vote, you must currently
be on the permanent list of electors in
Quebec, be 18 years of age and over, a
Canadian citizen, domiciled in the
territory of the EMSB, have been
domiciled in Quebec for at least six
months, not be under curatorship and
not have been convicted of an offence
that is a corrupt electoral practice. Any
parent who has a child registered in an
EMSB youth sector elementary or high
school as of September 1, 2007 are
automatically entered on the EMSB
Fall 2006 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Page 3
LES COMMISSAIRES DE LA CSEM
EMSB COMMISSIONERS
Electoral Division/
Circonscription 16 (St. Léonard)
DOMINIC SPIRIDIGLIOZZI
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 12 (Ahuntsic)
JOSEPH PETRAGLIA
Chair
Président
Vice-Chair, Finance and Legislation Committee
Vice-Président, Comité des affaires financières
et législatives
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 3 (N.D.G.)
ELIZABETH FOKOEFS
Vice-Chair
Vice-Président
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 1 (Côte Saint-Luc)
SYD WISE
Vice-Chair, Education and Facilities Committee
Vice-Président, Comité des affaires pédagogiques
et des services éducatifs
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 2 (Montreal West)
DR. JOHN SIMMS
Immediate Past Chair
Président Sortant
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 4
(Hampstead - Côte Saint-Luc)
MARVIN HELFENBAUM
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 5
(N.D.G. - St. Henri - Ville Émard)
MICHÈLE CIAMPINI
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 6
(St Henri - Pointe St-Charles Westmount - Downtown)
DANIEL ANDRELLI
Chair, Transportation Advisory Committee
Président, Comité consultatif du transport
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 7
(Westmount-N.D.G.)
GINETTE SAUVÉ-FRANKEL
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 8 (Côte-des-Neiges
- Snowdon - Outremont)
ZEV NEUWIRTH
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 9
(Mount Royal - Saint-Laurent)
RON PATERSON
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 10 (Saint-Laurent)
BERNIE PRAW
Vice-Chair, Adult Education and
Vocational Services Committee
Vice-Président, Comité consultatif de l’éducation
des adultes et de la formation professionnelle
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 11
(Saint-Laurent - Cartierville)
JAMES KROMIDA
Chair, Finance and Legislation Committee
Président, comité des affaires financières et législatives
Electoral Division/
Circonscription 13
(Park Extension - The Plateau)
GEORGE VOGAS
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 14 (St-Michel)
ROCCO BARBIERI
Chair, Education and Facilities Committee
Président, Comité des affaires pédagogiques
et des services éducatifs
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 15
(Montreal North)
SYLVIA LOBIANCO
Chair, Executive Committee
Président, Comité exécutif
Electoral Division/
Circonscription 17 (St. Léonard)
FRANK VERRILLO
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 18 (Rosemount)
AGOSTINO CANNAVINO
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 19 (Rosemount Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Downtown - The Plateau)
ANGELA MANCINI
Electoral Division /
Circonscription 20 (St. Léonard)
FRANK DICESARE
Chair, Adult Education and Vocational Services
Advisory Committee
Président, Comité consultatif de l’éducation
des adultes et de la formation professionnelle
Electoral Division/
Circonscription 21
(Anjou - Pointe-aux-Trembles Montreal East)
LUCIANO D’IORIO
Electoral Division/
Circonscription 22
(Rivière-des-Prairies)
ROSA CERRELLI
Vice-Chair, Executive Committee
Vice-Président, Comité exécutif
Electoral Division/
Circonscription 23
(Rivière-des-Prairies)
MARIO CAGGIANO
Vice-Chair, Transportation Advisory Committee
Vice-Président, Comité consultatif du transport
Parent Commissioners
Représentants de parents
LIZ LEAMAN
VIKY KELLER
*For a complete list of which committees EMSB commissioners sit on,
please log on to the governance section at www.emsb.qc.ca
electoral list. In addition, any elector
who made a choice prior to the June
1998 elections and had their name
entered on the EMSB electoral list is
included. These individuals would have
signed a special form. If you do not
recall doing so, you can verify whether
your name appears on the list during
the revision process in the fall of 2007
or by calling 1-888-353-2846.
However, if you no longer have any
children enrolled in the system, by
default you will be placed on the French
electoral list. You will receive a postcard
from the Directeur Général des
Élections du Québec notifying you of
this change. When you receive this
postcard, call the EMSB Election Office
and a Notice of Choice form will be sent
to you to fill out and return to the
English Montreal School Board.
For more information, please call
(514) 483-7200, ext. 8800, or e-mail
[email protected]. You can also
consult the Directeur général des
élections du Quebec website at
www.electionsquebec.qc.ca.
Page 4 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Fall 2006
‘DUNRAE’ – continued from page 1
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
First public school Educ
SINCLAIR LAIRD
Dunrae Gardens students showcase samples of Andrey Courey’s granola products.
DUNRAE GARDENS
Dunrae Gardens Elementary School
in TMR welcomed back former student
Andrea Courey to talk about her life as
an entrepreneur. In 1997 she launched
her own company called “Grandma
Emily’s Granola,” which manufactures
100 percent natural granola cereals,
bars and crunches, as well as healthy
snacks. But Ms. Courey was not there
just to talk about her success. Instead
she wanted to engage the students in
a marketing workshop. She divided
them into groups and gave them
samples of “Grandma Emily’s Granola”
products, and asked them to analyze
the products and come up with ideas
on how to sell them. In May, the school
expects to host famous graduate Angelo
Esposito. He is a star forward for the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s
Quebec Remparts and may be the very
first choice in the June National Hockey
League entry draft.
ROSLYN
At Roslyn Elementary School in
Westmount, Mayor Karin Marks spoke
to Grade 6 students who were totally
captivated by what she had to say
about the world of municipal politics
and her years at that school. Students
presented her with some Chinese
artwork for City Hall.
Pasto’s
company,
Pastoslan and
Associates, have
offices
in
Montreal and
Toronto. They
own
and
manage
commercial
properties in
Montreal, Laval,
Michael Fratino
Brossard,
Quebec City and are presently in the
process of constructing three multi-unit
condominium buildings in Old Montreal
and one in Little Italy. He has been
teaching Finance and Entrepreneurship
at Vanier College and at Champlain
College for the last 10 years. The
colleges liked the fact that he had
working experience that he could share
with his students.
ST. MONICA
Ernie Butler, CJAD radio host and
owner of The Comedy Nest, was back
at St. Monica Elementary School in
N.D.G. He grew up around the corner at
the Benny Farm apartment complex and
also attended Marymount Academy. His
sister once taught at St. Monica. Mr.
Butler noted that he graduated from
McGill University with the intention of
becoming a teacher. Instead, he turned
to entertainment and the world of
comedy. He prepared some exercises for
the students to do, one of which had
them making captions for comics. Mr.
Butler even told a few jokes aimed at
elementary students. “Where do cool
mouse live?’ he asked. The answer: “A
mouse pad.”
Westmount Mayor Karin Marks meets with
students.
JOHN CABOTO
John Caboto Elementary School in
Ahuntsic had visits from guitarist and
adjunct lecturer at Plattsburgh State
Michael Fratino, commercial real estate
executive Angelo Pasto and Marzia
Michielli, director of the EMSB’s
Rosemount Technology Centre. Mr.
Ernie Butler does an exercise with students.
Sinclair Laird Elementary School in
Park Extension received a number of
alumni visitors during Public School
Education Week, including chartered
accountant Tom Giannoukakis, CTV
Montreal television lineup editor Helen
Michailidis, newspaper publisher
George Guzmas, Royal Vale School Vice
Principal Suzy Douranos, nurse Effie
Rahaniotis and attorney Voula
Neofotistos from McMillan Binch
Mendelson. Mr. Giannoukakis, class of
1982, is now a chartered accountant
and senior manager at Price
WaterHouse Coopers. He shared his
school memories with the attentive
young audience noting how in
kindergarten he didn’t know a word of
English and later graduated with
perfect English. Ms. Michailidis
explained that she writes what the
anchors read, and her job requires
putting a newscast together to fit in
one hour and choosing the order of the
stories in the newscast. She gave the
students three stories and asked them
which one they would pick as the lead
story. Mr. Guzmas, class of 1976, is the
publisher of three papers: Park Extension
News, The Chomedey News, and The North
Elizabeth Ballantyne students get to meet
actor Conrad Pla.
worker Ruth Weber, McGill student and
top Canadian ranked squash player Ben
Marien, CEGEP student and Dawson
College basketball player Louis Marien,
Concordia University radio personality
Hannah Lusthaus, theatre student Annie
Crowley, mechanic Matthew Murray,
community volunteer Brian Thicke,
author Katherine O’Neil, drama student
Sebastien Jacek-Coté and retired girl
guide leader Joan Wahl. The students
had many interesting questions. They
were particularly interested in Mr. Pla’s
career, which include a starring role on
Global TV’s Regenesis and experience
in such movies as 16 Blocks with Bruce
Willis. Global Television did a broadcast
live from the school that morning.
GENERAL VANIER
Domenic Fazioli, reporter for Global
TV, returned to General Vanier
Elementary School in St. Léonard, which
he attended 25 years ago. A month
earlier he had taped a public service
announcement there for the EMSB
which was aired on Global in January
to promote registration week. Mr.
Left to right at Sinclair Laird: Commissioner
George Vogas,Tom Giannoukakis, Helen
Michailidis George Guzmas, Principal Viola
Vathilakis and teacher Esther Wearing, who
worked on the committee to find past graduates of the school.
Shore News. Although he graduated
around 30 years ago, he still
remembered the names of his teachers.
He had a couple of surprises for the
students of his old school by
announcing that the best student from
each level will get his/her photo in the
Park Extension newspaper, and will
receive two movie tickets to Cinemas
Guzzo.
Domenic Fazioli is welcomed back to General
Vanier.
ELIZABETH
BALLANTYNE
LAURIER
MACDONALD
Elizabeth Ballantyne Elementary
School in Montreal West devoted an
entire morning to an alumni day. After
an assembly with all of the students,
the alumni were then assigned to visit
different classrooms. The impressive list
of ex-grads who came to the school
included actor Conrad Pla, Montreal
General Hospital Trauma Unit clinical
nurse Louise Fullerton, retired principal
Betsy Kremmel, engineer and teacher
Melissa Macdonald, former Canadian
Olympic wrestler Doug Yeats, Canadian
badminton and squash players
Katherine and Michael Meredith, water
colour artist, children's dress designer,
furniture restorer/interior decorator, and
landscape designer Jane Prince Water,
naturopath Kadeja Lefebvre, social
Roberto Del Papa, Community
Relations Officer for Montreal Police
Fazioli explained to the students his role
as a crime reporter and answered many
questions.
Officer Del Papa makes his point.
Station 1 returned to Laurier Macdonald
High School in St. Léonard and spoke
about his career in law enforcement.
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
Fall 2006 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Page 5
ation Week at the EMSB
EDWARD MURPHY
Tourism professional Maureen
Kelahear and school commissioner
Luciano D’iorio were back at Edward
Murphy Elementary School in
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Ms. Kelahear
is also a present-day school mom and
volunteer. Mr. D’Iorio caught the
imagination of the students with his
presentation about life as a
businessman and a commissioner.
ST. GABRIEL
Community
activist Glen
Cambridge, and
author/McGill
professor
Beverly Patwell
returned to St.
Gabriel
Elementary
School in Point
St. Charles. They
spoke to the
Glen Cambridge and
Beverly Patwell
students about
their experiences, dreams, successes,
failures and the fact that hard work is
the key to success! The two advocated
the importance of friends, teachers and
good role models. Ms. Patwell is
presently president of Patwell
Consulting and has just published a
book called Triple Impact Coaching. Mr.
Cambridge is vice-president of a a
successful advertising firm called
Anderson DDB.
GARDENVIEW
Michael
Vathilakis, a
lawyer and
Harvard
graduate,
came back to
Gardenview
Elementary
School.
Presently
the general
counsel to
Convergia
and
legal
counsel to
Michael Vathilakis and a
Future
student.
Electronics, Mr.
Vathilakis expressed how exciting it was
for him to be back at the school he
graduated from in 1984 Most of all,
he told the students to enjoy their time
with one another. “Those friends you
make in elementary school are real
friends forever,” he said. “You will meet
a lot of people, yet every memory I have
from school is a memory with my
friends. Those friends will know you
and remember you when you meet
them later on the road.”
language was Yiddish,” he said.
“I learned English here at Bancroft.”
MARYMOUNT
John Parisella and Rocco Barbieri answer
student questions.
Marianna Simeone tapes a commercial at her
old school, St. Dorothy Elementary.
Brendan Elementary School in
Rosemount. He was also a teacher with
the former Montreal Catholic School
Commission. Joining Mr. Parisella at the
school was his friend, one-time teaching
colleague and present-day EMSB
commissioner Rocco Barbieri, who also
attended St. Brendan. “All of my life I
went to public school,”Mr. Parisella said.
“I believe public school represents more
of the real world. It is a much better
reflection of what you are going to
experience in life.”
during that first year she picked up the
language thanks to her teachers and
new friends. She went on to attend
nearby John F. Kennedy High School. Ms.
Simeone showed a video depicting a
day in the life of the CBC newsroom and
answered questions. She then gave a
small group of students an opportunity
to film a CBC newsbreak commercial
which aired a few days later. Two other
former students were recognized:
Sandra Andre, a 1995 grad who is doing
an internship there in early childhood
education and Maria Perrozzi, who
today teaches at the school.
CORONATION
Seeta Ramdas, public relations officer
for the McGill University Health Centre
(MUHC) and special effects makeup
artist, inspired the students at
Coronation Elementary School in Côte
des Neiges. This Trinidadian born
Canadian is a graduate in clinical
psychology from McGill University and
has gone on to complete studies in
fitness and nutrition. During her
university years as an anatomy and
physiology student, she developed a
hobby of creating models of human
organs. This launched her into a parttime career as a special effects make-up
artist earning her credits on several scifi and horror films as well as numerous
magazine and TV contracts. “My most
memorable time at Coronation was my
gym teacher, Mr. Czsillag,” she recalled.
“He taught sports, fitness and folk
dancing and had us do a show every
year that featured folk dances from
around the world. He also had us
square-dancing on Saturday mornings
on a CBC kids show called Tween Set.
Coronation had a wonderful summer
program in storytelling and writing and
theatre which helped me to break out
of my shy "fresh immigrant shell."
Seeta Ramdas gets a big welcome back to
Coronation.
ST. DOROTHY
ST. BRENDAN
John Parisella, former chief of staff
to the Premier of Quebec, president, BCP
Consultants and special communications advisor to the president of
Concordia University, returned to St.
CBC TV News at Six commentator
Marianna Simeone returned to St.
Dorothy Elementary School in St.
Michel, where she first attended school
as an immigrant from Italy 40 years
ago. She noted that she did not even
speak English when she arrived, but
BANCROFT
Dr Phil Gold first entered Bancroft
Elementary School in the Plateau 65
years ago. He has gone on to become
one of Canada’s most prominent
physicians. After obtaining his primary
and secondary schooling, Dr. Gold went
on to McGill University, where he
obtained four degrees. His graduation
from medical school was accompanied
by the Wood Gold Medal for First Place
High Aggregate Standing in the Final
Year, the J. Francis Williams Scholarship
Marymount Academy in N.D.G.
devoted an entire day for students to
meet with successful alumni, who
included Montreal Impact soccer team
captain Mauro Biello, real state agent
Dominique Lamport, Champlain College
International Baccalaureat Coordinator
Mauro Biello remembers his roots.
Dr. Steve Hreha, Queen’s University
Professor Dr. Gabby Ciccarelli, Youth
World 2002 Day (in Toronto) organizer
Paul Kilbertus, clinical nurse Luisa
Francescangeli and teaching student
Chantal Lewis. Mr. Biello was the
keynote speaker. He attended St. Monica
Elementary School and began playing
for the N.D.G. Soccer Association at a
young age. He graduated from
Marymount in 1989 and remembers
being exempt from final exams so he
could represent Canada in the Junior
World Cup.
NESBITT
Dr. Kosar Khwaja, trauma surgeon
and critical care specialist at the
Montreal General Hospital of the MUHC,
visited his old elementary school,
Nesbitt, in Rosemount. Dr. Khwaja
played an important role during the
Dr. Phil Gold, Principal Artemis Maravei and
students.
in Medicine and Clinical Medicine, the
Women’s Pavilion Prize in Obstetrics
and Gynecology, and the Prize of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of
the Province of Quebec in Pathology and
Medicine. His early research led to the
discovery and definition of the
Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), the
blood test most frequently used in the
diagnosis and management of patients
with cancer. He has served as chairman
of the Department of Medicine at
McGill, physician-in-chief at the
Montreal General Hospital and
executive director of the Clinical
Research Centre of the McGill University
Health Centre (MUHC). Dr. Gold is a
companion of the Order of Canada and
the Order of Quebec and the recipient
of numerous international honours. He
told the students about his present-day
work as an immunologist and an
allergist and of the wonderful memories
he has of the school, especially the
enormous amount of time he spent
studying in the library. “My first
Dr. Kosar Khwaja and students.
Dawson College shooting crisis. He is
also a graduate of the EMSB’s Royal
West Academy. Dr. Khwaja spoke fondly
of his school days at Nesbitt, his
education after elementary school as
well as his life as a trauma surgeon who
operated on the Dawson students last
September. As a professor, he could not
resist teaching a few lessons to the
students. His message was clear – to
always wear a seat belt, as that could
save their lives if involved in an
accident and to always play safe. The
students listened and were very
impressed by the many accomplishements of Dr. Khwaja. He told
them that with hard work they could
accomplish anything they wished for.
The students had many questions.
Interested in seeing student photos?
Log on to www.emsb.qc.ca and
go the Press Room
Page 6 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Fall 2006
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
EMSB Sports line
FOOTBALL !
Als tour schools
SOCCER #
EMSB/Impact night is June 15
The Montreal Impact and the
English Montreal School Board (EMSB)
recently concluded year two of the
successful stay-in-school program
called All the way with the Impact
(Jusqu’au bout avec l’Impact), designed
to promote the importance of
persevering in school. Over the period
of a few weeks, members of the Impact
visited seven EMSB elementary schools
(Pierre de Coubertin, Leonardo Da Vinci,
General Vanier, Merton, Westmount
Park, Dunrae Gardens and Parkdale)
and one high school (John Paul I) to
discuss with kids the importance of
staying in school and striving for
excellence. As part of the partnership,
the Impact’s game on Friday, June 15
against the Charleston Battery will be
The Impact’s Massimo Di loia is mobbed by
Pierre de Coubertin students. He graduated
from the same St. Léonard school in 1999.
dedicated to the EMSB. Last June, 3,500
tickets were sold for the EMSB gameday. The EMSB Board hopes to surpass
that number this year. The Impact will
hold a special ceremony before the
game highlighting some of the most
outstanding students, and bursaries
will be awarded to the top students.
These bursaries are named in honour
of the late Tony Licursi, the longtime
Impact statistician who died last year.
Mr. Licursi was a member of the EMSB’s
James Lyng High School Alumni
Association. The Impact 2007 seasonticket packages are now on sale. For
further information, contact the Impact
ticketing office at 514-328-3668 or
[email protected].
HEART WEEK
Sheldon Souray helps the cause
Canadiens star defenceman Sheldon Souray
and Impact captain Mauro Biello with
Edward Murphy students (left to right):
Jessica, Milena and Melissa Bentrovato at
the Heart Week launch held at Roslyn
School. Jessica is a heart patient at the
Montreal Children's Hospital.
The Heart of Life Foundation
recently organized its fourth annual
Heart Week celebrations, with the
support of The Montreal Children’s
Hospital
Foundation.
Roslyn
Elementary School in Westmount was
the site of the official launch. Special
high profile guests included Sheldon
Souray of the Montreal Canadiens, Ed
Philion of the Alouettes, Mauro Biello
of the Impact and Daman Jones of the
Royal. Children who have gone through
open heart surgery at the MCH were
present along with cardiologists to
answer
questions
and
be
photographed. Tony Marinaro from
THE TEAM 990, whose nephew was
born with a heart defect, served as the
emcee. During Valentine’s Day Week (
Feb. 12-16) students with healthy
hearts were asked to bring a small
donation - a loonie or toonie - to help
a child with a «broken heart » while
wearing a red garment to show their
friendship towards children with more
fragile hearts. One in 100 children is
born with a heart defect and this year,
this rate is 10 times higher than for any
other childhood illness. The Heart of
Life Fund was created in 1997 by
parents of children born with heart
defects who had undergone, at birth
or at a very young age, a complex open
heart surgery at the Montreal
Children’s Hospital.
Fourth annual EMSB Golf Tournament
Last fall the EMSB distributed 30
cash scholarships of $500 each to
students from the graduating class of
2006 at an Administration Building
ceremony in N.D.G. These scholarships
were funded from the proceeds of a
previous tournament. Scholarships
were awarded to high school students
who are continuing their studies in a
post-secondary educational program.
The scholarships are divided into two
categories:
Category I scholarships were
presented to students who have
demonstrated a high academic
achievement as well as involvement in
school life activities such as leadership,
volunteerism, student council, school
sports, representing the school in
different events. The recipients were:
Mary Adams-Campbell, James Lyng
High School in St. Henri; Charles
Brenchley, Royal West Academy in
Montreal West; Belinda De Luca,
Vincent Massey Collegiate in
Rosemount; Christina Di Lazzaro and
Glladvin Joseph, John F. Kennedy High
School in St. Michel; Isadore DodardFriedman and Noah Dueck, F.A.C.E.
School downtown; Samantha Fiori
and Adam Smith, Royal Vale School in
N.D.G.; Krystal Francis, Marymount
Academy in N.D.G; Zahra Ghassemi,
Westmount High School; Mallory
Lafferty, Options I School in Ville
Emard; Francesca Magliocco, and
Richard Razack, Rosemount High
School; Christina Mantzioros and
Laura Petrovic, Lester B. Pearson High
School in Montreal North; Amanda
Ménard and Carolyn Perugino, Laurier
Macdonald High School in St. Léonard;
Varouni Nagulesapillai and Dimitrios
Poliderakis, LaurenHill Academy in St.
Laurent; and Ti-Anna Wang M.I.N.D.
School in the Plateau.
The Montreal Alouettes are in the
midst of their 2007 basketball tour of
schools in conjunction with its CN
Adopt an Alouette program in
collaboration with Pfizer. Led by tackle
Luke Fritz, Alouettes’ players Étienne
Boulay, Bryan Chiu, Anwar Stewart, Paul
Lambert, Uzooma Okeke, Damon Duval,
Matthieu Proulx, Shaun Diner, Anthony
Calvillo, Keith Stokes, Duane Butler, Dave
Mudge, Ian Allen, Scott Flory and a few
others face local elementary school
representatives throughout Quebec.
Reaching close to 300 schools all over
the province, the School is Cool and CN
Adopt an Alouette programs are
designed to promote education and
fight Quebec’s high school dropout rate.
EMSB schools visited so far include John
Caboto in Ahuntsic, Carlyle in T.M.R.. St.
Raphael in Ahunstic, Frederick Banting
in Montreal North, Hampstead, John
Paul I in St. Leonard, Edinburgh in
Montreal West, Leonardo Da Vinci in
RDP, Mackay Centre in N.D.G., Gerald
McShane in Montreal North and St. John
Bosco in Ville Emard. St. Gabriel in
Pointe St. Charles (April 3) and
McLearon in Pointe-aux-Trembles (April
4) round out the list.
BASKETBALL %
Honourary chair Joey Saputo
Noted businessman and president
of the Montreal Impact soccer team,
Joey Saputo, has agreed to serve as
honourary chair for the fourth annual
EMSB Scholarship Golf Tournament on
Thursday, June 28 at Lachute.
Luke Fritz and Anwar Stewart of the Als speak
to a class at John Caboto.
Category II
scholarships
were awarded
to students
who
have
persevered in
the face of
overwhelming
odds
and
personal
difficulties. The
recipients
Joey Saputo
were:
Nailasada Alidina, Marymount
Academy; David Chafe, Royal West
Academy; Babsie Chalifoux-Reis,
M.I.N.D. School; Vassili Cremanzidis,
Vincent Massey Collegiate; Po-Hsiang
Hsu, James Lyng High School; Anthony
Rainone, Laurier Macdonald High
School; Bianca St. Martin, Rosemount
High School;
Erika
Sullivan,
Westmount High School; and Kuan
Hong Yuan, Rosemount Technology
Centre (RTC).
A Royal day
The first EMSB Day took place Jan. 21
at the Montreal Royal American
Basketball Association (ABA) franchise's
game against the Strong Island Sound
at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau. More
than 800 tickets were distributed to
EMSB students, staff and family. EMSB
Chairman Dominic Spiridgliozzi and
Director General Antonio Lacroce took
part in the ceremonial tipoff. Montreal
head coach Nevio Marzinotto is the
physical education teacher at the
EMSB's John Paul I Junior High School
in St. Léonard. Star forward Shawne
Brown attended Coronation Elementary
School as a child and still remains active
there as a volunteer coach. A number
of EMSB students performed musical
numbers during the game's quarter
breaks and a half time: Mara Peixinho
from Nesbitt Elementary School in
Rosemount sang Hurt by Christina
Aguilera; Gabriel Gagnon and McLoud
Truesdale from FACE High School played
trombone and trumpet; and brothers
Michaylo and Giuseppe Poprawa from
General Vanier Elementary School in St.
Léonard played trumpet and clarinet.
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
School closures necessary
The English Montreal School Board
Council of Commissioners recently
voted to close two elementary schools:
McLearon in Point-aux-Trembles and
Frederick Banting in Montreal North, as
of June 30, 2007. Two others which
were being considered for closure, St.
Gabriel in Point St. Charles and Carlyle
in Town of Mount Royal, will remain
open.
A period of consultation involving
the governing boards for each school
affected, the Central Parents Committee
and the specific municipalities and
boroughs where they are situated took
place over a five month process. These
partners were given the opportunity to
present briefs which served as the basis
for public hearings and discussion in
early December.
An extensive demographic study of
the EMSB network was prepared by the
Long Range Planning Committee with
data clearly demonstrating how the
EMSB is operating too many facilities
in the youth sector. Over the last two
years the EMSB has experienced a sharp
drop in enrolment of almost 2,000
students. This is due to a variety of
reasons, including a declining birth
rate, families with children moving out
of the EMSB territory and the
introduction of Bill 104 by the Quebec
government. The latter excludes studies
completed in the Quebec private school
system as a way to gain English public
system eligibility. It is anticipated that
our youth sector student population
could drop by at least 2,700 more
students in five years.
Despite the fact we have an
accumulated deficit of $2,692,367, and
we faced a significant shortfall in 20062007, the Council of Commissioners
have mandated our administration to
re-invest $520,000 in schools and
centres. Council has adopted a formula
in which every school and centre will
be granted a specific amount of money
for projects such as painting areas
within facilities that are visible to
visitors, safety and security measures
and bathroom upgrading.
The English Montreal School Board
(EMSB) will hold its sixth Volunteer
Appreciation Evening on Wednesday,
April 18 at Le Crystal (5285 Henri
Bourassa West) in St. Laurent. This
year’s event is being held during
National Volunteer Week, which is
occurring nationwide. The Gardenview
Elementary School Choir will be the
musical guests. Everyone on hand will
get a CD containing a compilation of
their songs. Global Television anchor
Jamie Orchard and 940Montreal
business editor Luciano Pipia will return
as the emcees.
First Canadian Financial Services
(www.fcfs-inc.com) and TransAmerica
Life Canada, specialists in Registered
Education Savings Plans (RESPs), will
once again be the title sponsors of
event. The theme is You Light Up Our
Schools. First Canadian’s president,
Joseph Afshar, will serve as the
evening’s honourary chairman. An
Education Savings Plan (ESP) is a vehicle
generally used by parents to save for
their children's post-secondary
education. Mr. Afshar and his team
meet regularly with EMSB parent
groups and provide free consultations.
DIRECTOR GENERAL
Today’s Choice, Tomorrow’s Success
In December the English Montreal
School Board Marketing Committee,
chaired by Sylvia Lo Bianco, unveiled a
new slogan: Today’s Choice, Tomorrow’s
Success. This has become part of an
EMSB promotional campaign in the
youth and adult sector in general. The
Marketing Committee arranged for a
special photo shoot at Le Royaume de
Lucie (www.royaumedelucie.ca) Day
Care Centre in St. Léonard. Prominent
– Dominic Spiridigliozzi
EMSB to mark Volunteer
Appreciation Week
Please see the
advertisement for
First Canadian
Financial Services
on page 8 for
contact
information.
Time and space
will not allow the
Penny Fenwick
EMSB to honour all
of its nearly 1,500 volunteers in person.
Therefore, only those individuals who
have volunteered for more than five
years will attend the reception,
representing some 500 people.
However, several thousand copies of a
commemorative program book will be
distributed to each school.
This year’s Volunteer of Distinction
is Penny Fenwick. She has been
volunteering at Willingdon Elementary
School in N.D.G. for 37 years. It began
when her two children attended classes
there. She initially helped out in the
library and assisted some children with
their reading. However, virtually all of
her time has been spent in the area of
tutoring. She spends two mornings a
week at the school working with
students who need help with math,
Fall 2006 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Page 7
The photo shoot for the
EMSB advertising campaign took place at Le
Royaume de Lucie
(www.royaumedelucie.ca) Day Care Centre at
8952 boul. Langelier in St. Léonard. The beautiful children featured are (left to right): Ilyas
Mazouz.. Océanne L’Italien and Louise-Isabelle
Mata-Ballestas. At the bottom is Vivian
Nguyen. Le Royaume de Lucie is planning to
hold a summer camp geared towards 5 to 12
year olds at an East End school. It will focus
on educational activities, sports, and weekly
educational outings. Daycare services before
and after scheduled camp hours will also be
offered. For more information call (514) 8525151
Montreal photographer Marcie
Richstone (www.marcierichstone.com)
spent most of the day there taking
pictures of a number of “future” EMSB
students, depicting them as
“Tomorrow’s Success.” Richstone is well
known for her excellence in child
photographer. Her work regularly
spelling and reading. “I just love it,” she
says. “When my kids went on to high
school, I still had a connection with the
school and the teachers so I stayed on.
And I have no intention of leaving.”
Global TV’s This Morning Live will
feature a live broadcast from Willingdon
on Wed. April 11, with reports at 7:40
a.m., 8:10 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. Ms.
appears in Montreal Families Magazine.
The EMSB wishes to thank Carole and
Lucie from La Royaume de Lucie for
their cooperation and for providing the
beautiful models.
Meanwhile, banners, sponsored by
three companies (Roche Engineering,
Ecosystem and Elise Thibodeau
Architecte) have been placed on four
EMSB buildings which are located in
strategic locations vis-a-vis traffic flow:
the Administration Building at 6000
Fielding in N.DG.; LaurenHill Academy
on Cote Vertu in St. Laurent; the Gaileo
Adult Centre facing busy Pie IX Blvd. in
Montreal North and Laurier Macdonald
High School facing Viau in St. Léonard.
Meanwhile, Georges Haligua and the
Virtus Group sponsored advertisements
which appeared on the back of
Montreal Transit Commission buses for
kindergarten registration week. Capital
Traiteur Catering, R.T. & Tony Electrique
and Dennis Kounadis of Kounadis
Perreault and Associates sponsored ads
in the TV Times and some other
publications. Domenic Fazioli, a
graduate of General Vanier Elementary
School in St. Léonard, visited his old
school to tape an EMSB promotional
announcement which aired on
Global TV.
The EMSB spearheaded the idea of
introducing a Public School Education
Week in January, with schools bringing
back notable grads from the past to talk
to students. This was an extraordinary
success and one which we hope to
repeat annually. We also participated in
a high profile Quebec English School
Boards (QESBA) advertising campaign
to promote public education.
We are doing everything possible to
market this board and maintain a high
profile so that the public knows about
the excellent education we offer. But
there are certain factors beyond our
control in terms of attracting new
students. I am referring to the declining
birthrate, families moving off the island
of Montreal and, of course, the
language laws.
– Antonio Lacroce
Fenwick will be interviewed and shown
working with students.
Please log on to the Parent Info
section of the EMSB website
(www.emsb.qc.ca) to review the list of
volunteers.
Page 8 EMSB Express Vol. 8 Nº 1 Fall 2006
w w w. e m s b. q c. c a
JOHN GRANT HIGH SCHOOL
Students express themselves through video
By Clarise Samuels
Special Education Correspondent
Tony Borioni, a native of Montreal,
started out as an artist who found that
making experimental videos put his art
across in an interestingly dynamic way.
As a teacher of film-making, he has
placed the video camera into the hands
of students and the results have been
dramatic.
Mr. Borioni is a specialist who
teaches video production at John Grant
High School, an EMSB special needs
school in Côte Saint-Luc. With the
assistance of two students, Denny
Kypriotis, 16, and Bhavik Patel,17, he
produced a video of last fall’s EMSB
Career Fair.
“I taught them their craft,” says Mr.
Borioni, “but they made the film
themselves.”
The fast-paced, well-edited video was
applauded by commissioners and other
school board officials. Mr. Borioni has
been teaching at John Grant for five
years, where he is greatly appreciated
not just by his students, but also by
Principal Michael Cristofaro and
guidance counselor Susan Freed, who
give him much praise and support. “It
gives teens a chance to speak out about
emotional issues,” Mr. Cristofaro
explains.
John Grant High originally hired
Mr.Borioni five years ago so that the
students could make videos and
participate in a CTV program called TV
101. News segments produced by Mr.
Borioni's students were broadcast on
the local CTV affiliate. The Career Fair
video represents only a fraction of the
success Mr. Borioni has experienced
with his students who outdid
themselves with their award-winning
video Second Hand Smoke, a public
service announcement on smoking that
won first place at the 2006 Hot Shots
Film Festival in Calgary. Their two
racism videos, Racism Hurts and Speak
Up, were shown at the “Racism. Stop
It!” National Competition in 2005 and
2006. Racism Hurts is a portrayal of a
real-life racist encounter experienced
by one of Mr. Borioni's students, who
wanted to capture
the episode on
film. In addition,
they have had
videos aired on
CTV Montreal,
including Does
Music Influence
Teens,
What's
Wrong with Fast
Food? and What
Are We Doing to the Left to right: EMSB Director General Antonio Lacroce, John Grant
guidance counselor Susan Freed, Principal Michael Cristofaro, student
Environment? They Denny Kypriotis, EMSB Chairman Dominic Spiridigliozzi, Tony Borioni,
have also shown student Bhavik Patel and Regional Director Mario Tirelli.
their work on ZED
TV, an arts program on CBC. “They're works with them for five to 10 hours a
using a medium that is a constant part week. The program provides all the
of their daily lives and that influences equipment, including video cameras,
them profoundly,” says Mr. Borioni. laptops, and microphones. Mr. Borioni
“They come up with their own ideas for is currently seeking to expand the
music videos and public service program to other high schools.
announcement.”
To see the Career Fair video, go
These works are all part of Mr. to www.emsb.qc.ca or Youtube and
Borioni's My View Video Project, a access Mr. Borioni’s website at
program that was started to give youth www.myviewproject.org. Schools wishing
a chance to express themselves. He to engaged Mr. Borioni’s services can
selects six to 10 students a year and contact him directly.
STUDENT QUIZ
Win DeGrassi merchandise, Jonas CDs
and Party in the Box
Students are encouraged to complete and cut out
the entry form below. Bring it to your school office
and request that it be sent directly via internal mail
to the Administration Building (Room 109). Those
who fill out the answers correctly will be eligible for
some fantastic prizes :
• Products from the popular CTV series DeGrassi :
The Next Generation, including a giant Roots duffel
bag, a t-shirt, a signed script, a signed postcard, a
watch and two signed graphic novels.
• Copies of the red hot JONAS Suite Life CD, featuring
rock star Jonas, who recently became an EMSB
Alumni Ambassador for the Mackay Centre School.
• For elementary age pupils, the Party in the Box
package. This was recently introduced by Cantor’s
Bakery vice-president Tony Medeiros, a former
student at Vincent Massey Collegiate and Pierre
Elliott Trudeau (née Francesca Cabrini). Party in
the Box provides youngsters with all of the
essentials they need to plan their birthday party.
STUDENT QUIZ
ENTRY FORM
1. When are the next school board elections ?
__________________________________________________________
2. What is the EMSB’s new slogan ?
__________________________________________________________
NAME :
3. How many commissioners does the EMSB have ?
__________________________________________________________
SCHOOL :
4. The Montreal Impact will play which team on EMSB Night June 15?
__________________________________________________________
_______________________
5. What was the name of the program rock star Jonas took part in at
the Mackay Centre ?
________________________________________________________
Bring your entry form to your school
office and request that it be sent directly
via internal mail to the Administration
Building (Room 109)
_______________________
_______________________
E-MAIL ADDRESS :
With each sale,
Medeiros is making
generous donations
to the Montreal
Children’s Hospital to
help another child
celebrate a birthday.
Congratulations go out
to Shai Spilberg of Marymount Academy in N.D.G.
and Santino Sevigny of Westmount High School, who
were the grand prize winners of the EMSB/Centrale
Audio Video Crossword Challenge, which was
featured in the Fall 2006 edition of the EMSB Express
newspaper. They each won MP3 players.
CLUE : The answers to these questions can be easily
found by looking through stories in this newspaper
and on the EMSB website (www.emsb.qc.ca).