Toronto, Ontario – March 16, 2011 – Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning has awarded the 2011 Greatest High School Teacher to:
• David Graham from Runnymede Collegiate in Toronto
Nominated by: Athar Khan, Humber Police Foundations student
• Michael Gentile from St. Joseph Secondary School in Mississauga
Nominated by: Michele Ramos, Humber General Arts & Science student
• Ralph Serravelle from Denis Morris Catholic High School in St. Catherines
*Mr. Serravelle is deceased. Award to be accepted by school principal, Tony Bozza
Nominated by: Trevor Speechly, Humber Public Relations student
To participate in the competition, Humber students are asked to write and submit an essay nominating a teacher who influenced them and made positive changes in their lives. A panel of judges selected the winning entries.
Graham, Gentile and Serravelle will be recognized in a ceremony at Humber. As part of the honour, the College will award tuition for one year to one student from each of Runnymede Collegiate, St. Joseph Secondary and Denis Morris High who attends Humber beginning in Fall 2011.
What: 2011 Greatest High School Teacher Awards
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time:
6:00 pm – Reception
6:30 pm – Dinner
Presentation: Approx 7:15 p.m.
Photo Opp: Winning Teachers: David Graham, Michael Gentile and Tony Bozza, on behalf of Ralph Serravelle
Nominating Students: Athar Khan, Michele Ramos and Trevor Speechly
Location: The Humber Room (Humber’s culinary student-run restaurant)
Humber College North Campus, 205 Humber College Blvd, Toronto
Quote from David Graham:
“It was a jaw-dropping moment, when my principal told me I had won the contest. I thought about making connections with students, getting them to understand where I’m coming from and for them to open up to let me reach them. Athar Khan’s positive disposition allowed him to respond well to the connection, which is a credit to his ability to be open and receptive.”
Quote from Michael Gentile:
“You don’t always realize the impact you have one a person. I didn’t realize that Michele was very moved until I read her submission. It’s an honour to see this. Even if you’re not aware of it at the time, you making an impact on someone. I’m inspired by trying to change things. I try to change the mindset of students in some way and get them to look at a different avenue.”
Quote from Tony Bozza:
“Mr. Serravelle raised students’ awareness of the individual’s role in the world. He was inspiring and caring and made students feel valued. With Trevor Speechly, Mr. Serravelle planted seeds that stayed with him throughout high school and into college. I was elated when I found out that Mr. Serravelle was chosen as a Greatest High School Teacher winner, and immediately thought how blessed he was that his inspiration was still alive in his former students.”
About Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Established in 1967, Humber is one of Canada’s leading postsecondary institutions. Committed to student success through excellence in teaching and learning, Humber serves more than 22,000 full-time students and 56,000 continuing education registrants. With an internationally recognized reputation for quality learning, Humber offers a wide-range of career-focused opportunities for students to personalize their educational path. Our 150 full-time programs include four-year bachelor’s degrees, two and three-year diplomas, one and two-year certificates, and apprenticeship training. As a founding member of Polytechnics Canada, Humber offers students the opportunity to participate in applied research projects that find solutions for issues confronting small and medium-sized enterprises. Humber is one of 12 Vanguard Learning Colleges as identified by the League for Innovation, and the League’s only Canadian board member. Humber finished first in its class in the highly regarded Community College Survey of Student Engagement in 2009 in each of four categories, including Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort, Academic Challenge and Student-Faculty Interaction. More than 85 per cent of Humber graduates are employed within six months of completing their studies. Visit humber.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Andrew Leopold/ Kevin Gonsalves
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Marketing and Communications
416.675.6622 ext. 4296/5778
Andrew cell: 416.518.8989
andrew.leopold@humber.ca / kevin.gonsalves@humber.ca
