Transitions

It's June! In the world of education, that means celebrations are in order with proms, awards, and graduation festivities! While the little'uns are making their transitions either from pre-school to Kindergarten, from elementary to secondary, or from secondary to college/university/apprenticeship, there's a forgotten group of 'graduates' that deserve a cyber pat on the back ... your retiring educators!

With the average education career being in or around 30 years, the generational mix is an ever present component of any school staff's demographics, meaning you can count on a handful of retirements each June to widen your smile and melt your heart. Every school staff has those that are focused on this portion or that of the system, but somewhat less prevalent are those that cross over into multiple sections, usually enamouring themselves to a wide assortment of individuals. Mix into that those that also choose to volunteer their time outside of school hours for extracurriculars, and you've a recipe for demi-god status, and deep connections with students.

Regardless of the school, there are members who's 'transition' will cause those remaining behind to deal with the inevitable changes that will befall the school, and while it rarely disappoints, there will be a 'changing of the guard' as others will choose to change their skill set to fill the void left. This past weekend, I was able to participate in a few celebrations, spread over three very different communities, each of which demonstrated the transformative superpowers that so many in education possess. 

Leading into the weekend, I was asked to cover a teacher at my little country school in Elmvale thanks to a family wedding, and it just so happened that the day was the final one for classes in 2023-24, so as is customary in so many schools, there was a final awards assembly whose intention was to tie up the loose ends of the school happenings. While I'm simply an adopted son, as it were, there are folks that I have come to know better than others, creating a deeper, more profound connection, so when the beloved Co-Op coordinator's retirement was announced to the kids, a collective swell of "What? NO!"'s murmured around the assembly at the speed of light, mirroring my own feelings. Bill Neily has been at EDHS for 24 years, and during a career that included history, music (guitars), and Co-Op, his positive, optimistic, charismatic influence made a difference to a lengthy list of youngsters. Quick with a smile, a joke, and a hearty handshake, Bill's impact on kids was readily apparent, a fact i witnessed first hand when observing the steady stream of students dropping by his office for a chat. Add the fact that he started high school hockey for EDHS, leading the troops for a number of seasons, the recipe for cheers 'n tears was well and truly perfect because, if I'm honest, he's really easy to like. 

Congratulations Bill Neily! Your fingerprint on EDHS will last quite a while!

Continuing the theme that Friday, I travelled to the Big Smoke of Barrie ... Okay, it's more of a medium smoke ... to join the celebrations of another educational outlier, this one a long standing component of the Barrie North family. Scott Laurin has been there, done that over an equally fantastic career, the bulk of which were in a leadership role for the Special Education department. Unlike my EDHS experience, I'm proud to have been friends with Scott for dozens of years, first as opponents as we coached a variety of teams, then as colleagues as I finished out my own career at BNC following the closure of my beloved Central. Quick witted, sharp minded, empathic beyond compare, Scott's famous dry sense of humour is infamous in SCDSB circles, enamouring him to 100's if not 1000's. As was the Laurin tradition, the annual BNC end-of-the-year BBQ was hosted in the Laurin palatial backyard playground, offering the welcomed opportunity to share stories from the war chest, an adult bevy (or two), and in this case, a congratulatory hug, handshake, and smile.

Very well done Scotty boy, and I'm very confident that you'll find yourself plenty to do!

Book-ending the weekend, the final celebration required a commute from the Beach down to our old stomping grounds of Guelph for the retirement of long time friend and good buddy, Bill Price, after he 'pulled the chute' on a 27 year career, the bulk of which were at John F Ross HS. Bill and I have been friends for so long that I cannot even recall where we first crossed paths, but suffice it to say, it has been decades. As kindred Hoopsters, we are never at a loss for stories to share about this player or that game, but in recent years we've both welcomed the bicycle into our daily habits, and IYKYK, cyclists are never without something to discuss. Much akin to Neily and Laurin, Bill is a beloved icon at JF Ross because of his  cutting sarcastic sense of humour, easy going nature, limitless compassion, and genuine love of youngsters and their development. We had a grand visit, shared some nibbles and beverage, reunited with some old common friends, and genuinely enjoyed the occasion.

In my best imitation of a Scottish baroque, "Tha'll doo Billy, tha'll doo."

There's a really good chance that there are many others that have pushed the Golden Button this June, but the news has escaped my ears, so if we know each other, even remotely, please accept my profound and heart-felt congratulations on your transition!

Oh, and welcome to the Club!