Chronicle 17-18 Issue 08

Campus chronicle.durhamcollege.ca March 6 - 12, 2018 The Chronicle 7
A friendly face at DC
Constantinou
feels at home
on campus
Heather Snowdon
The Chronicle
Day in and day out he’s at Durham
College (DC). A friendly face,
beaming at students as they enter
the school. He normally sits in The
Pit, surrounded by students, who
wave as they walk by. He is ambitious
and ready to take on the day
with a positive attitude. Micheal
Constantinou, 28, started working
for DC as a special events assistant
in Sept. 2017, when he realized DC
was the right place for him.
“I love my job,” he said with a
smile.
He works part-time at the college
and even when he’s not working
he’s still at the college.
“I just come and visit the school
to see how everyone is doing,” he
said.
Constantinou was born and
raised in Pickering. He has fond
memories of hanging out with
friends and meeting new people in
the area.
After studying culinary arts
in the Community Integration
through Co-operative Education
program at DC for two years, he
was compelled to stay on campus
and was determined to work at
Durham.
“The people at the school have
given me so much that I wanted to
give back,” he said.
He recalls the good times in
school and all the friends he has
made. The people at DC won him
over and this was the main reason
Constantinou was compelled to
stay.
“The school is like my second
home,” said Constantinou.
After graduating from DC in
2012, he wanted to further his
passion and took another culinary
arts program in Whitby at Liaison
College.
He graduated from there in 2013.
Photograph by Heather Snowdon
Micheal Constantinou, 28, has been working at Durham College since 2017 after graduating
from the school. He works as a special events assistant at DC and comes to visit even when he's
not working.
“I loved culinary so much,” he
said.
Constantinou, worked part-time
at Sunset Grill in 2015 for one year.
Then accepted a seasonal job at
Cosco, during the winter months in
2016.During the summer of 2017,
he considered taking a job in the
cafeteria at DC to practise what
he had been studying, but found
solace working in the sports sector
of the school.
Helping students be the best they
could be.
“I love motivating students, it
makes me feel better as a person,”
he said.
Constantinou attends sporting
events with students and does whatever
he can to show support and
rallies for his team by giving away
free T-shirts.
“I’d get them going…make some
noise I’d say,” said Constantinou.
“I give them motivation, which
is the most important thing.
They get my company and motivation
and I’m there as a friend
if they need it.”
Taylor Reddings, a part-time DC
student in 2016, met Constantinou
in The Pit.
“He walked over and introduced
himself to me, we talked for a short
while…after that every time we saw
each other we would stop and talk,”
said Reddings.
Students frequently stop to chat
with Constantinou.
“As soon as they mention Mikey
(Constantinou), they say they know
him,”said Reddings about how
Constantinou is well-liked and
known throughout the school.
“Mikey (Constantinou) has made
such a positive impact on me and I
always love to see him around campus,”
said Reddings.
Constantinou travels frequently,
visiting Cyprus, where his family
his from.
He enjoys his time there.
“I visit my family most of the
time when I’m down there,” he
said.
Constantinou plans to stay at DC
and further his career here, or as he
calls it, his “second home."
“It’s the people at Durham that
make the school what it is.”
No more street smart kids after safety village closure
Safety village
is closed
for repair
William McGinn
The Chroncile
As children leave the safety of their
homes and guardians a few hours
a day to go to school, they are at
an age where learning the ways of
safety in the streets is a must.
The Kids’ Safety Village of
Durham Region was built to do
just that.
The Kids’ Safety Village is located
in Whitby, sharing grounds
with Sir William Stephenson Public
School and is operated by the
Durham Region Police Service.
Activities include how to cross
the street and dialing 911, with
working traffic lights, yield signs
and park benches, but that is not
what the Village is limited to.
The village also includes battery-powered
miniature cars, bicycles,
and small buildings, one
with a working road barrier.
However, business is currently at
a standstill.
At the moment, the village is
under construction in order to
renovate its current main facility,
because it “is very outdated and
small,” said Corey Walsh, a Durham
Regional Police community
service officer.
Expansion
will have an
additional
classroom.
“The expansion will have an
additional classroom that will be
utilized to teach a fire safety program.”
The village has been closed since
November and its reopening date
is currently unknown.
When in operation, the village
is visited by about 15,000 students
annually. According to Jim Olson,
retired Durham District School
Board principal, all students from
all over Durham Region are welcome,
including as far away as
Beaverton, Port Perry and Uxbridge.
The village is, according to Olson,
funded by Durham Region,
the school board and the police,
and the only cost is students have to
pay three dollars each for bus fare.
Other than that, visits are free.
“Classes currently include bike,
road safety, pedestrian safety, Internet
and anti –bullying programs
as well,” says Walsh, adding it is for
kids from Grades 1-6.
The village used to teach vandalism
laws and legal graffiti but
the lesson was removed after Walsh
took over.
Commentary from children and
adults alike on the teachings and
experiences of the village have been
positive, according to Walsh.
“Kids always enjoy being able
to explore the village and get to
practice what they have learned in
class out in the village. We receive
a lot of positive feedback from both
parents, teachers and students.”
The village was built in 1995
through donations of $25,000 from
local businesses and citizens.