Downsview, for the week of October 24th, there are three deserving students who have earned the title of Student of the Week. All are in the twelfth grade and their names are: Kendra D., Royale L., and Farah N.
Kendra, Royale and Farah are all graduates of the Positive Peer Culture program and have received training in peer mediation. Their nomination comes from Ms de Jersey, their PPC teacher. On Saturday, September 24th, these young women gave their day to represent Downsview and Positive Peer Culture at the University of Toronto. Each year, the university runs a weekend conference for students in its Bachelor of Education program. The purpose of this conference is to highlight programs that promote peace and justice within our schools, and PPC is just such a program. The attendees are all potential teachers, and may be in classrooms in September, 2012. In essence, Kendra, Royale and Farah spent the day “teaching the teachers” about our excellent program.
While they share this award, it is worthwhile to spend a moment highlighting each of these young women and their successes. Kendra D. was a fantastic PPC student. Empathetic, creative in her reasoning, open-minded and utterly non-judgemental, she grew through this course. Currently, she is a co-op student, and Ms Frank reports that she is doing excellent work in another kind of classroom. This is no surprise. She has a deep well of social skills and I have seen her use them with her peers and in a conference setting. That she will take these into future work settings is a boon to future colleagues. Kendra is a force to be reckoned with.
Royale L. has a history at Downsview as a Student Leader. Just a few days ago, she helped out at Parents’ Night, ably and cheerfully assisting parents as they made their way around our school. Royale was also a key player in grade nine orientation activities. And, her success as a facilitator at the University Conference was preceded last Spring when she facilitated a similar presentation for the faculty at Eastern Commerce Collegiate. Royale is a keen listener, and an empathetic and passionate leader. Royale’s power is a quieter one, but do not be deceived, she is a leader.
Finally, we have Farah N. Deservingly, Farah won the PPC award at our Honours Assembly, and this win speaks volumes of her dedication, to the course and to its content. Farah was consistently respectful of others in her class, she eagerly soaked in new learning, and was an utterly engaged PPC member. She is a true optimist and she uses this sense of hope and opportunity to “light up” her peers. I have no doubt that Farah’s well-honed people-skills will serve her well in the future. Farah brings deep consideration and a strong moral conscience into all her personal interactions.
So, it seems clear that PPC is all about communication skills. These sound easy enough to understand, but when we think about it, communication is incredibly complex – just as complex as people are. These three young women have dissected these skills head-on, and best of all, they put forward their knowledge; their lessons had great impact on a future generation of teachers. Congratulations and thanks go out to you, Kendra, Royale and Farah, our Students of the Week.
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