Story
I grew up in the community of Norwood - one of Edmonton's central, more complex neighbourhoods. I remember my parents doing "needle-checks" in the backyard and in the playground down the street before we could go out and play. I was the first person in our family to attend university straight out of high school, and the first to earn a graduate degree. A person’s history is most often complex, and in too many instances, this complexity places insurmountable barriers. I am so grateful for those around me who made my complexities into strengths; one of these people, was my grade 1 and 2 teacher while I attended one of Edmonton’s public schools.
One of the most impactful people in my life, to this day, is Mrs. Barber, from Spruce Avenue School - a central, socially complex school. She was more than an educator. She created opportunities. She empowered six-year-olds. She made an impact on my life that I cannot ever fully explain or repay. She taught me how to reverse a sewing stitch from my potato-sack puppet when I accidentally sewed it to the leg of my purple sweatpants. To this day, I can feel the tall, grey stool with the wooden seat that I was sitting on while I sewed, and the disappointment as I stood up with my finished puppet....and it stuck to me. Mrs. Barber is an artist who brought art into everything we did. Our classroom smelled of paints and wet paint brushes, Elmer's glue and books. The light through the windows, and the reading nook in the back of the classroom. I remember it all, like it was yesterday.
In my profile photo, I am in front of a gift that I was given when my art was selected by Hook Billboards to display on a HUUUUUGE billboard, as part of a partnership with EPSB to encourage students from socially-complex schools. While it was only guaranteed to be up for a year, it was there for far longer....right on the corner of 111 Avenue and 101 Street. You can't see it, but under that mini-billboard, there's a letter from the Division's then-Superintendent, with a photo of him in front of my art (it's a painting of a dinosaur), framed and hanging in his office. I have an entire portfolio of art projects that were initiated and encouraged by Mrs. Barber. My art was turned into the Christmas card sent by our Division's trustees one year, and this portfolio includes the original art, the card, and even some design notes from the team who made this happen. Just a few months ago, I had one of the saved pieces framed at my favourite local shop, the Prints and the Paper. We don't yet have it hung, but still - every single time I see it, I feel proud.
Through my work at the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, I believe that I am helping teachers to make a difference. Through the Foundation, in partnership with generous donors, we are giving teachers the chance to breathe a bit deeper, take a bit more time with that student, invest a bit more of themselves into the kiddos. While I am not in the classroom, I am, I hope, giving teachers a tiny bit more capacity to be creative and to connect with their students, like Mrs. Barber did.
Access to education changes lives. I know it did for me.
One of the most impactful people in my life, to this day, is Mrs. Barber, from Spruce Avenue School - a central, socially complex school. She was more than an educator. She created opportunities. She empowered six-year-olds. She made an impact on my life that I cannot ever fully explain or repay. She taught me how to reverse a sewing stitch from my potato-sack puppet when I accidentally sewed it to the leg of my purple sweatpants. To this day, I can feel the tall, grey stool with the wooden seat that I was sitting on while I sewed, and the disappointment as I stood up with my finished puppet....and it stuck to me. Mrs. Barber is an artist who brought art into everything we did. Our classroom smelled of paints and wet paint brushes, Elmer's glue and books. The light through the windows, and the reading nook in the back of the classroom. I remember it all, like it was yesterday.
In my profile photo, I am in front of a gift that I was given when my art was selected by Hook Billboards to display on a HUUUUUGE billboard, as part of a partnership with EPSB to encourage students from socially-complex schools. While it was only guaranteed to be up for a year, it was there for far longer....right on the corner of 111 Avenue and 101 Street. You can't see it, but under that mini-billboard, there's a letter from the Division's then-Superintendent, with a photo of him in front of my art (it's a painting of a dinosaur), framed and hanging in his office. I have an entire portfolio of art projects that were initiated and encouraged by Mrs. Barber. My art was turned into the Christmas card sent by our Division's trustees one year, and this portfolio includes the original art, the card, and even some design notes from the team who made this happen. Just a few months ago, I had one of the saved pieces framed at my favourite local shop, the Prints and the Paper. We don't yet have it hung, but still - every single time I see it, I feel proud.
Through my work at the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, I believe that I am helping teachers to make a difference. Through the Foundation, in partnership with generous donors, we are giving teachers the chance to breathe a bit deeper, take a bit more time with that student, invest a bit more of themselves into the kiddos. While I am not in the classroom, I am, I hope, giving teachers a tiny bit more capacity to be creative and to connect with their students, like Mrs. Barber did.
Access to education changes lives. I know it did for me.