Darren Lentz, Kingsway Park/Hyde Park Public School Principal, has been named as one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals of 2017.

Darren is known for his dedication, professionalism, and enthusiasm. He is a Faculty of Education BEd and MEd alumnus, and has taught for the Faculty in several programs, including the BEd, NLIP, and AQ programs.

This prestigious award is well-deserved recognition for Darren's achievements.

For more information, visit https://www.lakeheadschools.ca/outstanding_principal/

Lakehead Orillia BEd students Dave Venneri and Ryan Pasquin have helped to develop an experiential-based learning model for Camp Couchiching’s Climbing Tree Experiential Tutoring program.

As reported in a news story, Climbing Tree Experiential Tutoring program helps students rebuild their relationship with learning through experiential teaching activities, including hands-on, active learning with props and resources, and outdoor learning. Each student’s learning style is first assessed, then the tutoring is tailored to them accordingly.

Dave Venneri notes: “This program is an amazing opportunity for students who might not excel in a traditional classroom setting to be exposed to a form of education that is more accommodating of the specific needs of students, while still fulfilling all of the Ministry of Education’s curriculum expectations.”

Dave and Ryan are completing an internship with the Camp Couchiching Community Initiative through Lakehead’s Education 4000 course.

Dr. Sonja Grover has published a new book with Routledge, entitled The Responsibility to Protect: Perspectives on the Concept’s Meaning, Proper Application and Value.

This edited book presents the views of various international law and human rights experts on the contested meaning, scope of application, value and viability of the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). R2P refers to the notion that the international community has a legal responsibility to protect civilians against the potential or ongoing occurrence of the mass atrocity crimes of genocide, large scale war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

For more information, visit Dr. Grover's website.

Dr. Sonja Grover is co-investigator on a three-year, $200,000 SSHRC Partnership Development Grant awarded to The International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP). ICCRP establishes a new multi-sectoral partnership, including ten NGO partners and seven academic research institutions in five countries.

The partnership is investigating the relationship between child participation in international and national child protection contexts and quality of child protection outcomes. Dr. Grover will be doing case analysis on child participation in the child refugee protection context. ICCRP will conduct case study research via fieldwork and document analysis in Canada, Brazil, China, and South Africa. 

Dr. Gerald Walton has received a Contribution to Teaching award for the 2016-2017 academic year. The Committee noted that Dr. Walton is highly respectful of students, establishes an excellent learning environment, is deeply committed to social justice, and encourages critical thinking.

Congratulations to Dr. Walton on this award!

PhD student Holly Tsun Haggarty has won a Graduate Student Award from the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (an association of Canadian Society for the Study of Education) for her Master’s thesis, entitled “Resisting Positivism: Unfolding The Epistemological Basis of Two Arts-Integrating Research Methodologies, Arts Based Research and A/r/tography.”

Holly’s thesis explores how an arts practice may be considered a research methodology and a way of knowing. Her research was supervised by Dr. Pauline Sameshima with committee member Dr. Don Kerr. Holly is continuing her research into the philosophical basis of arts-integrating methodologies in her current PhD studies.

One of the judges commented that Holly’s thesis inquiry "is excellently conceived and constructed - the level of scholarship and writing outstanding…[with] witty, reflexive poetry integrated throughout." Another noted that Holly “brings a balanced and powerful methodological synthesis to bear on this inquiry, which appropriately combines critical, creative and heuristic approaches.”

Congratulations, Holly, on this award!

Dr. Seth Agbo, who recently attended a Knowledge, Innovation and Enterprise conference in Berlin, received an award for the 2016 Best Paper in the conference, in the category of “Knowledge.”

His paper, entitled “Paradox of Internet and Tradition: Dialogical Integration of Technology and Indigenous Knowledge,” will be published in the 2016 conference journal, Research Papers in Knowledge, Innovation & Enterprise, Volume IV.

Congratulations, Dr. Agbo, on this award!

We are proud to announce the May issue of our Education Exchange Newsletter. This newsletter brings our current and former students as well as our educational partners together to share news, successes, and innovations.

To access our Education Exchange Newsletter, click the following link:

• Click to access Education Exchange Newsletter (May 2016)

Tamara Bernard, Masters student in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University, has been announced as one of 14 speakers at the upcoming TEDx Thunder Bay event.

The theme of the event is What are you waiting for? and Tamara will be speaking on violence and the vulnerability of native women.

This past winter term, Tamara has been spreading the word to the region's high school students about the importance of education and the need for good teachers on behalf of the Department of Aboriginal Education.

Tamara, along with the rest of the TEDx lineup, will be speaking at TEDx on Friday, June 10.

Bachelor of Education student Katrina Nedeljkovich has been awarded the Diane MacSavaney Scholarship Award from Ontario Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa.

 “I am beyond thankful to be receiving this scholarship,” Katrina says. “It is allowing me to carry on with my education and better myself as a future educator by pursuing further teaching qualifications.” 

According to their website, the Alpha Delta Kappa is an international honorary organization of women educators dedicated to educational excellence, altruism, and world understanding. The Diane MacSavaney scholarship is to be given to an individual who is committed to pursuing a career in education, who demonstrates the qualities of an educational leader, and who exemplifies the goals of Alpha Delta Kappa.

Katrina explains that her work with Superior Science over the past years has enabled her to work with youth and become a better educator.

“Superior Science is a not-for-profit science program that offers youth in Grades 1-8 the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering, and math in an interactive and hands-on environment. We provide opportunities to under-represented groups, like outreach workshops for Aboriginal youth and a girls-only weekend club that inspires females to explore the STEM fields. I am grateful to work for such an amazing program that inspires youth to accomplish something they may not have otherwise been able to pursue.”

Congratulations, Katrina, on winning this award!