L'avenir de Montréal-Nord - English Montreal School Board

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www.emsb.qc.ca
EMSB EXPRESS | vol. 11 | N o 2 | Spring 2009
EXPRESSLINE
APPOINTMENTS
The EMSB Council of Commis -
sioners has approved a number of
new in-school/centre adminis -
trative appointments. Recently
appointed principals are: Maria
Palmieri, Lester B. Pearson High
School (from principal at Edward
Murphy Elementary); Cynthia
Koomas, Marymount Adult Centre
(from principal at
St. Laurent Adult
Centre): Nancy
Richer, Edward
Murphy (from
vice-principal at
Nancy Richer
Vincent Massey
Collegiate); and
Caterina Bernucci, St. Laurent
Adult Centre (from vice-principal
at St. Pius X Adult Centre). New
vice-principals are: Anna Maria
Borsellino, Dunrae Gardens
Elementary in T.M.R. (from teaching
at John F. Kennedy High School in
St. Michel); Saverio Servello, St.
Pius X Adult Centre (from teaching
at Westmount High School); and
Angela Vaudry, Vincent Massey
Collegiate (from teaching at James
Lyng High School in Ville Émard).
RETIREMENTS
Nick Furfaro retired as principal of
Marymount Adult Centre in Côte
Saint-Luc...Micheline Pilon, the
longtime administration officer in
the Office of the EMSB Director
General, retired in January after 27
years of service in the public
school system. At her retirement
reception, tributes came from
present day Director General
Antonio Lacroce, former Director
General Angelo Komatsoulis and
two of her former colleagues from
Lachine High School – Gordie
Naismith, who was the principal
and Robert T. Mills, the then viceprincipal
and current director
general of the Lester B. Pearson
School Board…About 180 people
attended the annual retirees'
dinner, which took place on
Editor:
Copy Editor:
Translation:
EMSB
October 21 at the Omni Mont-Royal
Hotel in downtown Montreal. The
evening honoured 98 retiring
employees of the EMSB who
worked as educators, adminis -
trators, professionals and support
staff, and whose combined years
of service to the Board added up
to 2,795 years. EMSB Chair Angela
Mancini, along with the senior
administrators from each region,
Adult Education and Vocational
Services, Pedagogical Services,
Buildings & Grounds, Community
Services, Financial Services,
Human Resources and the General
Directorate, presented each retiree
with a special thank-you gift of a
Forestville desk clock from Mosel.
One of the longest serving
employees honoured that evening
was former Assistant Director of
Pedagogical Services Irene
Konecny, who retired after 41 years
of service to the board.
TOP PRINCIPAL
Thirty-one exceptional leaders in
education from across the country
have been chosen as Canada’s
Outstanding Principals for
2009. The Canada’s Outstanding
Principals (COP) program is in its
fifth year and these winners will
join the assembly of more than
120 previous recipients of this
prestigious honour, which is
an initiative of The Learning
Partnership, a national not-forprofit
organization that has
championed public education in
Canada since 1993. Maria Di
Perna, the principal of the EMSB’s
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English Montreal School Board
6000 Fielding Avenue, Montreal (Quebec) H3X 1T4
Phone: (514) 483-7200, ext. 7245
Fax: (514) 483-7213
E-mail: express@emsb.qc.ca
Web site: www.emsb.qc.ca
Michael J. Cohen
Communications & Marketing Specialist, EMSB
Stuart Nulman
Aline Zerounian
Layout & design: Ponctuation Grafix Inc.
www.ponctuation.com
Legal Deposit:
Commissioner Syd Wise and Chairman
Angela Mancini congratulate retiree
Felix Gelbart (middle)
Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec
National Library of Canada
ISSN 1488-416X
East Hill Elementary School, was
the only winner from the province
of Quebec.
“Children are our world’s truest
and greatest hope,” said Ms.
Di Perna. “I have been blessed to
have them in
my life. And if
the definition of
work is ‘when
you’d rather be
doing some -
Maria Di Perna
thing else,’ then
I haven’t worked
a day in the last 34 years! Public
recognition is nice and I am
honoured to receive this award
from The Learning Partnership.
What is most rewarding is when
those around us appreciate what
we do and support us in our
accomplishments. It really is
always about the team.”
Ms. Di Perna has worked in the
public education system since
1975. In addition to East Hill, where
she has been since 2006, she also
served as principal at St. Monica
and St. Ignatius of Loyola in N.D.G.,
Cedarcrest in St. Laurent and St.
Kevin in Côte des Neiges. She was
a vice-principal at St. John Bosco
in Ville Émard and assistant to the
principal at Michelangelo and
Leonardo Da Vinci Schools in RDP.
Ms. Di Perna also taught for nearly
20 years before becoming an inschool
administrator, focusing a
lot of her attention on special
education. She was the president
of the Canadian Association of
Principals, the Association of
Administrators of English Schools
of Quebec and the Association of
Catholic Principals of Montreal.
GROUP
BAT MITZVAH
MEETING
Families interested in learning
more about the Group Bat
Mitzvah Program organized by the
YM-YWHA Ben Weider Jewish
Community Centre and the EMSB
are invited to attend an information
meeting on Tuesday, April 28
(7 p.m.). It will take place in room
J3 of the Ben Weider Jewish
Community Centre (5400 Westbury
Avenue) in Snowdon. This year
marks the first time such a program
is being offered in the West End for
girls between the ages of 11 and 13
not attending Jewish day schools.
The eight girls enrolled have been
attending classes since September,
with the actual ceremony and
reception to be held in the spring
at Beth Zion Congregation in
Côte Saint-Luc. There will be a
full report in the fall edition of
the Express. A bat mitzvah is a
coming-of-age ceremony marking
a Jewish girl's acceptance of
responsibility for carrying out the
commandments of the Torah. For
those seeking additional infor -
mation please call Susan at
(514) 737-6551 ext. 320 or Mike
at (514) 483-7200 ext. 7243 or via
email at: sapter@ymywha.com or
mcohen@emsb.qc.ca.
MARTIN SHEEN AND THE EMSB
Martin Sheen is pictured here (second from the left) with LBPHS
student Anthony Perrozzi, teacher Michael Sweet and
Carly McRae-Pétrin of James Lyng High School.
Emmy award-winning actor Martin Sheen has endorsed Lester B.
Pearson High School’s Learning for a Cause Project and has agreed
to write the foreword to the project’s 2009 anthology Raising
Humanity. While unable to attend the book’s launch last spring at
the Montreal North school, Mr. Sheen met with the project’s founder,
teacher Michael Sweet while on a recent visit to Montreal when
he spoke at the Power Within conference. This year’s anthology,
Raising Humanity, will explore the theme of “being human” through
poetry, fiction, drama and art. The anthology is accepting
submissions from any high school student throughout the board
and details on how to submit work can be found on the website at
www.LearningforaCause.org.
LEONARDO
DA VINCI GETS
RECOGNIZED
Leonardo Da Vinci Elementary
School in Rivière des Prairies
has officially became part of the
École Verte Brundtland (EVB). This
marked the second time an English
elementary school in Quebec
has become a member of the
Brundtland Environmental Group,
which has as its mandate to
promote pacifism, democracy,
solidarity and the environment.
This worldwide initiative was
established by Dr Gro Harlem
Brundtland, pioneer of sustainable
development and Director-General
of the World Health Organization.
A Brundtland Commission was
established by the United Nations
as an independent body to examine
the world's environmental and
development problems and propose
solutions. The EMSB’s Marymount
Academy in N.D.G. became an
EVB in 2007 while Willingdon
Elementary School, also in N.D.G.,
were accepted last year.
TÉLÉTHON
DES ÉTOILES
L’école primaire John Caboto a
participé pour la 29 e année au
Téléthon des Étoiles et a recueilli
5 122 $ pour la recherche sur
les maladies infantiles. Ils ont
présenté officiellement ces fonds
le 7 décembre lors d’une émission
de CTV. Cette tradition de l'école
ne peut avoir lieu sans l’aide des
parents, des enseignant(e)s et des
« amis de John Caboto ». Les fonds
ont été levés par le biais de dons,
de loteries et de ventes de gâteaux.
L’enseignante Mary Diano a de
nouveau été l’organisatrice en chef
de l’évènement. Les élèves, les
parents, les enseignant(e)s, le
personnel des services de garde
et les voisins de l’école primaire
Leonardo Da Vinci ont tous
participé à la levée de fonds pour
la Fondation du Téléthon des
étoiles. Après deux journées de
tenue décontractée où les élèves
de 6 e année ont vendu des
napperons, un groupe de parents
et d’élèves, mené par la directrice
Phyllis D’Amato, a parcouru les
rues autour de l’école et frappé aux
portes des maisons pour recueillir
plus de fonds pour le Téléthon du
samedi soir. Un montant de 2 500 $
a été remis à la Fondation.
OPRAH COMES
CALLING
David Marino, a 10 year old student
at Leonardo Da Vinci Elementary
School in R.D.P.,
took his talents
as a young jazz
singer/performer
to new levels
recently when a
David Marino
video clip of him
singing “New
York, New York” appeared on
Oprah Winfrey’s “Search for The
World’s Most Talented Kids” show.
THE AMAZING
MOLO
Romolo (Molo) Finelli, the physical
education teacher at Merton
Elementary School in Côte Saint-
Luc, was honoured by staff,
students and members of his family
recently for receiving the National
Excellence Award for Teachers
(NEAT) by the Heritage Education
Foundation. This award was
established in 2004 to recognize the
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