Canada’s top principals include nine right here in the GTA
January 27, 2012
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Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
She helped fundraise and open an in-school pediatric clinic that now gives more than 900 students and children in the community quick access to medical care.
A new program has volunteers filling backpacks with food for families to take home each month.
Workshops for parents, free after-school tutoring for kids and a first-ever school hockey team — with equipment and ice time entirely donated.
It takes a village to raise a child, and that’s something Nancy Steinhauer, principal of George Webster Elementary School, believes — and lives, by bringing together staff, parents and community.
Steinhauer has just been named one of Canada’s outstanding principals by The Learning Partnership, an annual award given to dedicated educators.
“Her enthusiasm and passion for kids is second to none,” says Toronto District School Board superintendent Roula Anastasakos, who nominated her.
“Her positive attitude is contagious; she motivates everyone around to strive to make the lives of everyone easier.”
The school’s motto is “Everyone learns.” And they do: from teachers collaborating, to parents getting experience on how to use the computer alongside their children, to the “parent ambassadors” who speak some of the 39 languages at the school and are charged with reaching out to families.
“You walk into the building and you can feel it,” Anastasakos said. “The building is spotless; it’s warm and welcoming. Parents are there. She’s really taken the time to build their leadership (skills),” get them involved and “help them have a voice.”
“When she talks about ‘everyone learns,’ it’s more than words.”
The school, off Dawes Rd. near Victoria Park Ave., is among the Toronto District School Board’s model inner-city schools, which receive extra funds and resources to serve at-risk communities.
Parents Saleha Mahmud, Rukshana Sayyada, Shamima Afroz and Belinda MacLeod are regular volunteers and say Steinhauer has created a welcoming place for families.
Before Steinhauer arrived four years ago, Mahmud said, only a handful of parents came out to school council meetings. Now, up to 30 do.
“She’s very active,” she added. “If we have any idea, we can talk to her about it. She respects our ideas.”
“It’s my first year here, and my whole kitchen is papers stuck to cupboards, there’s so much going on,” said MacLeod, who has a child in kindergarten.
Steinhauer said her father, Paul, a psychiatrist renowned for his work with at-risk children and families, was a huge influence on her. The medical clinic at George Webster is named in his honour and has a strong focus on mental health.
“My dad’s philosophy was that he wanted all children to have the same opportunities his own children have,” she said. “I want that for all students.”
Top of the class
Principals in the Greater Toronto honoured as Canada’s best:
• Aiman Flahat, John Polanyi Collegiate Institute, Toronto
• Ann McGee, Adult and Continuing Education, Mississauga
• Louie Papthanasakis, Agincourt Collegiate Institute, Toronto
• Rhonda Polisuk, Blue Willow Public School, Woodbridge
• Giancarlo Schirripa, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School, Sharon
• John Shanahan, St. Patrick’s Catholic Secondary School, Toronto
• Mike St. John, Vimy Ridge Public School, Ajax
• Nancy Steinhauer, George Webster Elementary School, Toronto
• Amina Timol, Dublin Heights Elementary and Middle School, Toronto
Source: The Learning Partnership