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2022-23 Award Recipients

Honorary life membership:

This year, the following recipients received Honorary Life Membership Awards, the Federation’s highest form of recognition: Janet Bigham, Adelina Cecchin, Sam Hammond, and Emily Noble. 


Awards:

The following ETFO Awards were presented this year:

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Janet Bigham, a retired Teacher and former President of the Simcoe County Teacher Local, with a 2023 Honorary Life Membership Award. Bigham retired in July 2021.

Honorary life memberships, the Federation’s highest form of recognition, are given to members from the education profession who have given outstanding service to the Federation at the provincial level or as a member of the provincial ETFO staff.

Bigham graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Education in 1990. She began her teaching experience that year with the Simcoe County District School Board, and spent her career teaching junior and intermediate students before transitioning to a role with her ETFO local.

Before becoming Simcoe County Teacher Local President in 2007, Bigham held various roles on the local executive. She ensured the local was involved in the greater labour movement in Simcoe County and worked closely with the Barrie and District Labour Council, where she was an active member for many years. In 2021, Simcoe County Teacher Local presented her with the Joan Thorne Memorial Award for labour activism in Simcoe County. As an advocate for social justice, Bigham also broadly supported community service groups and charities within Simcoe County.

Bigham served on ETFO’s provincial discipline and professional relations committees, as well as the Ontario Teacher Pension Plan’s Benefits Adjudication Committee. In 2017, she was presented with the ETFO President’s Award.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Manjit Deol, a member of the Peel Teacher Local, with its 2023 Anti-Bias Award. This award recognizes an active ETFO member or group of members who develop and
teach units and/or incorporate practices that work toward the elimination of bias.

Deol was hired to be a Learning Environment Itinerant Teacher in a central role with the Peel District School Board. She was determined to learn about equity, anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion, and so she took it upon herself to learn and disrupt biases—her own as well as those of her colleagues. Deol collaborated to create workshops, including: Understanding White Supremacy; Critical Race Theory; and Culturally Relevant and Responsive Teaching Practices. Sessions were offered for staff to explore their own social location and intersectionalities. She also led a school-wide inquiry on anti-oppressive assessment practices.

At the local level, Deol is a member of the Anti-Racism and Equity Committee. She is currently the chair of the Anti-Racism Education Standing Committee for ETFO provincial. She has been a delegate at the ETFO Annual Meeting, and was elected as a delegate to the Peel Regional Labour Council. Locally, she has served on the Constitution Committee and the Elementary Joint Staffing Committee (non-released).
 
Deol’s work in encouraging colleagues to develop their own critical consciousness has resulted in staff thinking more critically about pedagogy and resources that are being used in the classroom, as well as biases that impact student learning.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Sarah Fleming, a member of the Simcoe County Teacher Local, with the 2023 ETFO Anti-Poverty Award. This award recognizes an active ETFO member or group of members who have given outstanding service to supporting anti-poverty initiatives in their school and/or broader community.

Fleming is the Managing Director and Board Chair for Glowing Hearts Charity, a group that came together to preserve a local charitable organization that was on the verge of closure due to the pressures of COVID-19. The organization works to disrupt the cycle of poverty by empowering children and youth to realize their full potential. Programs fill gaps in services, and provide resources and opportunities that support youth’s growth, confidence, and self-determination. In 2022, Glowing Hearts Charity was recognized with the Barrie Business Award for Non-Profit or Charitable Organization.

Fleming is the driving force behind this organization, which has supported well over 2,300 children and youth in low-income households across Simcoe County since the summer of 2021. These include: funding for psychoeducational assessments and follow-up supports; free mental health counselling; a fresh produce food program; instrumental music programs; the Simcoe Youth Choir; hygiene kits; and a backpacks for youth program that supported 1,500 students last year.

As a vision resource teacher, Fleming is the lead on the vision team, and has presented workshops on visual impairment and cortical visual impairment.
Adelina Cecchin, a retired Teacher, and former President of the Greater Essex County Teacher Local, has been presented with a 2023 Honorary Life Membership Award. Cecchin retired in June 2020.

Honorary life memberships, the Federation’s highest form of recognition, are given to members from the education profession who have given outstanding service to the Federation at the provincial level or as a member of the provincial ETFO staff.

Cecchin began her teaching career in 1991 with the Windsor Board of Education. She served as Greater Essex Teacher Local Vice-President from 2006 to 2008, and as President from 2008 to 2020. Her roles have included being a member of the bargaining team and numerous committees at the local level.

At the provincial level, Cecchin was a member of ETFO’s provincial Executive between 2009 and 2020. She also represented ETFO as a member of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation’s (OTF) status of women and awards committees. She was also an OTF Governor and represented ETFO on teh Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board Benefits Adjudication Commitee.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented former ETFO President and former President of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) Sam Hammond with a 2023 Honorary Life Membership Award. 

Honorary life memberships, the Federation’s highest form of recognition, are given to members from the education profession who have given outstanding service to the Federation at the provincial level or as a member of the provincial ETFO staff.

Hammond was first elected to the ETFO provincial Executive in 2003, serving as Vice-President and First Vice-President before becoming President in 2009. Hammond served as a President-Designate and Vice-President on the CTF Executive Committee, and chaired CTF’s finance, and constitution and bylaws committees, as well as the Advisory Committee on the Teaching Profession. 

Hammond’s commitment to supporting ETFO members and his colleagues, and his strong advocacy on behalf of students and education workers led to positive changes in Ontario’s publicly funded education system. His optimism, collaborative spirit and dedication have had a profound impact on those he has served for more than two decades.

Hammond served as President of ETFO from 2009 to 2021. In his role as CTF President, he continued to defend educators and other education workers, and to advocate for high-quality public education across Canada.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Erika Mark, a teacher with the Kawartha Pine Ridge (KPR) Teacher Local, with a 2023 Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award. This award recognizes an ETFO member or group of members for their active involvement in anti-racist and equity activism in the classroom or community.

In the 2021-2022 school year, Mark began a new extracurricular club at her school, Kaawaate East City Public School, in Peterborough called Young Women in Action. The group was open to grades 4 to 6 students who identify as girls.

To nurture confidence, leadership, and self-esteem, Mark brings in monthly guest speakers, including community members, educational leaders, and healthcare workers to inspire students on a number of topics, including leadership skills, healthy relationships, women in technology, and the importance of looking after one’s physical and mental health. She also works to integrate Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ education in her classroom and throughout the school.

Mark’s advocacy for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and equity extends beyond her club and school. She is regularly seen at rallies for numerous issues around her community. As the Vice-President - Female of the KPR Teacher Local, she leads the local’s Status of Women Committee, and is involved in other local and provincial ETFO events, programs, and activities.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Emily Noble, a retired Teacher and former President of the Algoma Teacher Local, with a 2023 Honorary Life Membership Award. Noble retired in August 2009.

Honorary life memberships, the Federation’s highest form of recognition, are given to members from the education profession who have given outstanding service to the Federation at the provincial level or as a member of the provincial ETFO staff.

When ETFO was founded in 1998, by the merger of the Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation, Noble was elected ETFO Vice-President – Female and remained in the position until 2000, when she was elected ETFO First Vice-President. Noble was elected ETFO President in 2002, a role she held until 2007. She was also a Governor with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation between 1998 and 2007.

Noble was a Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) Director during her time as ETFO President, and in 2007, after leaving ETFO, she served as CTF President for two years until 2009. From 2008 to 2015, while an Occasional Teacher with the Algoma District School Board, Noble was also an Education International Executive Board Member with CTF, serving as a North American English Canadian Representative.

Noble graduated from Laurentian University with a bachelor of arts in 1970, and began her teaching career with the Sault Ste. Marie District School Board. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a master of education in 1988.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Sezgin Nalsok, a member of the Halton Teacher Local, with the 2023 ETFO Anti-Racist and Equity Award. This award recognizes an active ETFO member or group of members’ active involvement in anti-racist and equity activism in the classroom or community.

Nalsok runs a Wolfpack Leaders Club that focuses on anti-racism, equity, and leadership in the school community. Starting with 15 students and one staff member, the club has more than doubled in participation. The club meets weekly to engage in anti-racist and equity initiatives, including advocacy sections in the school paper, assisting with unlearning, and raising awareness of dates of significance, e.g., Black History Month, Islamic Heritage Month, and Orange Shirt Day.

The club’s activism continues to grow as they advocate for the voices that are unheard and learn about the commitment to making unbiased choices and being anti-racist in all aspects of life.

Nalsok has been an elected member of the Halton Executive for two years. She has served as a local steward and alternate steward, and is a member of the local Social Justice Committee and the Early Years Committee. She is a contributor to the bi-weekly local newsletter and is the voice for her members on anti-racism and racial inequities. She is also a learning resource teacher, responsible for running reading intervention in Kindergarten to Grade 6 throughout the school board.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Shannon Greene, a member of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT), with an Anti-Racist and Equity Award. This award is granted to an active ETFO woman member to recognize active involvement in antiracist and equity activism in the classroom or community.

As one of the founding teachers of The Grove Community School, Shannon has been co-creating anti-racist and equity activism curriculum with students, families, staff and community members for the last 12 years. She has collaborated on many different projects that integrate justice and the Arts, both in the school and in the local community.

Projects Greene has worked with or developed include the Black Futures/Black History project, which works with Black Lives Matter Toronto and Freedom Schools to implement curriculum and events addressing anti-Black racism, and centring Black excellence, joy, and pride. In response to antisemitic graffiti in her schoolyard and local community, Greene reached out to families and staff to address the increasing incidents of hate crimes and developed curriculum that supports Holocaust Education. She has also worked in collaboration with Indigenous and First Nations families on community events in support of reconciliation and justice.

As a Health and Physical Education educator, Shannon has organized many events to support well-being. She has developed lesson plans for the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association that support active and inclusive participation in physical activities, and advocating for mixed-gender track and field events to be more inclusive.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Jenn Wallage, founding president of the Waterloo Region Designated Early Childhood Educator (DECE) Local, with its 2023 Arts and Culture Award.

This award recognizes an active ETFO member or group of members for involvement in arts and cultural activities for children in either the classroom or community. Wallage is being recognized for her 29 years as a leader with Girl Guides of Canada.

For 42 years, Wallage has been an active member of Girl Guides of Canada, Canada’s largest women’s organization. She has worked with all ages of youth in the organization, from its youngest members, Sparks (ages 5 and 6), to Rangers (ages 15 to 18). In addition to being a Unit Guider, she has been the Trip Unit Guider for two trips.

Through her work with Girl Guides of Canada, working to make learning experiences accessible to all, Wallage supports ETFO’s priority to “promote social justice in the areas of peace, anti-poverty, non-violence, and equity.”

Wallage’s work with ETFO includes assisting in the organizing of the WRDECE Local. She is a Mentor Coach, serves on the Labour Standing Committee, the Collective Bargaining Advisory Committee, and the Employee Life and Health Trust Advisory Committee. Notably, in 2013-2014, she was the first DECE on the ETFO provincial Budget Committee.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Stephanie Duff, a member of the Peel Teacher Local, with its 2023 Children’s Literature Award for the book Me and My Hair.

This award is presented to an active ETFO member, or to an individual or group of individuals who do not hold ETFO membership, who writes a specific piece of published children's literature appropriate for elementary school-age children. This award is intended to recognize quality children’s literature that is in keeping with ETFO’s positions on social justice and equity.

The book tells the story of a young Black girl named Rayne who initially loves her hair until students at a new school tease her about it. After she talks with her family and community, she learns to love her hair again. Rayne’s story is not unique; many Black girls and women face discrimination in places of learning, places of work, sports, and so forth. Some Black women have been told that their hair does not look professional and have lost or forfeited positions as a result.

Me and My Hair brings the reader on a journey of self-acceptance and empowerment, encouraging Black girls everywhere to embrace their own identity, while teaching other communities about Black hair. The story supports ETFO’s commitment to equity and social justice as it works to dismantle belief systems about beauty and individuality.

Duff received her master of education from the University of Toronto. She desires to help children reach their full potential by promoting a healthy sense of self.
Cindy Zappacosta, a teacher with the Algoma Teacher Local, has been presented with ETFO’s 2023 International Humanitarian Award for an ETFO member.

Zappacosta is active in her community and beyond. She and her husband, Anthony, have taken part in six mission trips with Shareword Global, to countries including Zambia, Peru, and Uganda. She hopes to inspire students by providing opportunities to devote time and energy focused on others.

She has developed a partnership with a Ugandan teacher and his school. During the 2022-2023 school year, her class corresponded by mail with students at Mirembe Junior School in Kampala. The effort to develop global citizenship and foster cooperation and collaboration grew across the school, with each of the school’s 200 students signing a Canadian flag to send to students in Uganda.

In addition to her partnership with Mirembe Junior School, she led a class project in support of “Sole Hope,” a Ugandan charity that works to equip the vulnerable with education, empowerment, and medical relief from jiggers, an insect that burrows into bare feet of children who do not have shoes. Specifically, the Grade 7/8 class worked on a shoe project aimed at preventing and treating harm done by jiggers by collecting denim, which the class cut into shoe patterns. Funds were also raised to treat health complications due to jiggers.

Zappacosta’s work also led to students taking an active role in the community locally. Some examples include the Grade 7/8 class launching a food drive in the school and community, canvassing for food donations, making holiday cards for residents of a local long term care home, and acting as weekly buddies with Kindergarten students.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented the Peel Occasional Teachers’ Local (PEOT) with its 2023 Member Service and Engagement Award. The award recognizes the excellence of ETFO locals in engaging and involving members, providing outstanding service, and employing innovative strategies to communicate with and involve members in the Federation.

Since 2016, PEOT has developed and run a mentorship program for members of the local, with the goal of providing PEOT members with an opportunity to be mentored by principals and vice-principals in the Peel District School Board. This professional development opportunity helps members tap into the rich experiences and expertise of mentor administrators. Some administrators have participated in the program, which runs from October to May, more than once.

A total of 23 administrators have mentored more than 500 occasional teachers since the program’s inception. Administrators familiarize mentees with school board procedures and policies; and help them discover their strengths and boost their confidence by obtaining skills and strategies.

Led by President Rod Marijan, PEOT also runs workshops and offers shadow teaching sessions where occasional teachers observe experienced teachers during class time to obtain more practical experience. In addition, the local runs an awards banquet to recognize members for their years of service, participation, and engagement. 

PEOT also sends out a monthly newsletter called Plug-in, has a website, maintains a member database, uses a dedicated WhatsApp group chat, and uses Facebook and Instagram to support its outreach to members.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Jen Deck, President of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Occasional Teacher (KPR OT) Local, with its 2023 Outstanding Role Model for Women Award. This award recognizes an active ETFO woman member who has been an outstanding role model for women at the local level during the previous school year.

As KPR OT Local President, Deck contributes in a multitude of ways to her local. She both chairs and sits on local committees, presents workshops and professional learning for members, and encourages members to take on active roles in their union. From staffing workshops with resumé help to being available whenever a member needs support, Deck epitomizes the importance of a union supporting its members. Her goal is to bring out the best in members and allow them to shine.

Deck is committed to professional learning as a leader, organizer, and advocate for women. She attends ETFO’s Annual Meeting each year, bringing first-time attendees with her. She encourages delegates to speak and stands alongside them if they are nervous. Her support is felt by all who encounter her. Deck exemplifies the qualities a strong woman leader should possess. She inspires women her to become involved, stay informed, and take action with confidence. 

Deck also works closely with her local Labour Council and sister affiliates. She actively supports: Camp fYrefly (a camp for 2SLGBTQ+ youth); Cornerstone Women’s Shelter; local food banks and is an avid blood donor.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Heidi Irion, a teacher with the Simcoe County Teacher Local, with its 2023 Political Activist Award for her union activism and public mobilization on education and other issues.

The award is presented to an ETFO member to recognize outstanding commitment to and involvement in union activism, active contribution to the broader labour movement, and political activism that has positively impacted local and provincial ETFO members.

Irion contributes to the labour movement as an activist, organizer, and unionist by participating in monthly labour council meetings in her community. Leading up to the last municipal election, she worked alongside other labour union locals to develop a list of potential candidates to endorse for trustee positions in Simcoe County. Where possible, Irion phoned and interviewed each trustee candidate and summarized their positions on topics pertinent to education. The summaries were provided to local members.

Irion reaches out regularly to local members of provincial parliament to request meetings to discuss education. She was on the line daily prior to her workday to support sister unions with their political protests, and currently leads Simcoe County Teacher Local’s Political Action Committee. She also looks for partnerships in the community and for ways to engage members in union activities.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Ramandeep Sarai with the 2023 Professional Learning and Curriculum Development Award for her work in developing Sikh-Canadian Heritage Resources. This award recognizes an active ETFO member or a group of members to recognize a curriculum unit, resource, etc. that they have developed.

Sarai has been a member of the ETFO Library Standing Committee for four years, and this year was elected chair of the committee. She is a member of the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Sikh Heritage Committee and a member of the Ontario Library Association for which the main Sikh-Canadian Heritage Resource was created.

As a member of the TDSB Sikh Heritage Committee, Sarai used her experience as a Teacher-Librarian to develop an elementary and two secondary Sikh Heritage Kits. As a member of the Ontario Elementary Social Studies Teachers’ Association, she wrote lessons connecting Sikh culture and identity with the Ontario curriculum.

Sarai’s work producing key resources around Sikh heritage, culture, and identity support curriculum to include voices and perspectives that may not always be heard. This provides an important tool for all educators to use.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Shawna Rothgeb, a teacher with the Ottawa-Carleton Teacher Local (OCETFO), with its 2023 Rainbow Visions Award for her leadership on two 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives: a Pride Book Drive and OCETFO’s Equity Library. The award is presented to members or non-members of ETFO who develop materials and/or incorporate practices that work toward the inclusion of two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning realities.

In its inaugural year, the Hilson Avenue Public School Pride Club ran a fundraiser to purchase books with 2SLGBTQIA+ representation for the school library. The fundraiser successfully raised over $1,600 and several dozen books were donated outright. The book drive showed students that they are supported, seen, and valued by the school community.

The OCETFO Equity Library was created to ensure teachers have access to inclusive and intersectional books across the school board. As library coordinator, Rothgeb is responsible for storing books at her school and managing the digital catalogue and request form. These books touch on a wide variety of equity issues such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and ableism. In the next year or so, the hope is to build a collection of lesson plans and activities educators can access along with books.

Rothgeb is an active ETFO member who has served on a number of local committees: 2SLGBTQIA+; budget; elementary staffing; collective bargaining; status of women; and new teacher. Provincially, she is a current member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Standing Committee and a former member of the New Member Standing Committee. Rothgeb has also been an Annual Meeting Delegate since 2014, and has taken Social Justice Chair Training.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Nicole Netherway, a teacher with the Niagara Teacher Local, with the 2023 Women Who Develop Special Projects in Science and Technology Award.

This award recognizes ETFO women members who have produced innovative educational materials for children and/or educators related to science and technology.

Netherway, who has been a teacher for 21 years, develops projects that integrate a number of subjects. Each is designed to appeal to students who learn better through experiential learning opportunities. She believes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) activities allow students at all levels to explore, connect, and grow as they learn the curriculum and develop their skills.

Through the STEAM projects she develops, Netherway looks for ways to connect to the curriculum. Examples include using Morse Code machine links with coding in Mathematics and Language, and sewing animal-shaped pillows, which she connects to procedural writing, measurement in Mathematics, and the Habitats unit in Science. She has also linked paper circuits with LEDs to enhance holiday cards as a Science project. All of these projects are also used to practice and integrate communication skills in both English and French.
Abarna Selvarajah, a Toronto resident, is the recipient of the 2023 ETFO Women Working in Social Activism on Behalf of Women and Children Award. This award recognizes the contribution of women (non-ETFO members) for their outstanding social activism on behalf of women and children in the local or global community.

Selvarajah is a PhD student (Social Justice Education), researcher, facilitator, and activist whose community-based work examines the intersections of gender, immigration and displacement. She is a graduate assistant on a project examining “Adult Education, Multilingualism and Immigrant Justice,” and is a doctoral fellow with the “Race, Ethics and Power Project” at the University of Toronto Centre for Ethics. Her academic projects are grounded in advocating for just and equitable futures for women and children.

In tandem with her academic pursuits, Selvarajah advocates on behalf of women and children through community organizing and programming. Last year, she successfully implemented the first iteration of the Flourish Mentorship Program at the South Asian and Tamil Women’s Collective, a community-based organization focused on curating spaces for intergenerational connection, growth, and learning. Selvarajah is also an advocate for Tamil heritage and genocide education in school boards across the Greater Toronto Area.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Rahel Tesfaledet, a member of the York Region Occasional Teacher Local, with the 2023 ETFO Writer’s Award – Women’s Program. This award recognizes an active ETFO woman member or a group of women members for their published or unpublished works.

Tesfaledet’s book Kinza’s World Magical Travel Adventures - Part 1: Kinza Goes to Asia follows the journey of the main character, Kinza, an inquisitive African Canadian girl, as she visits countries across Asia. She achieves her dreams by travelling the world, making new friends, and learning about different cultures, languages, history, and geography.

Over the course of Kinza’s adventures, she helps children overcome challenges like bullying. Through this uplifting and inspiring book, children learn to use their imagination, self-empowerment, and kindness while they learn about diversity and inclusion. Sequels are planned that feature further magical adventures with Kinza visiting other places around the world.

Kinza’s World Magical Travel Adventures has been featured in media publications and author podcasts. The book supports the principle of inclusive schools for the York Region District School Board on school and community initiatives. Tesfaledet has delivered author talks for schools in the region.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented James Steeves, a teacher with the Peel Teacher Local, with its 2023 Writer’s Award for his work on the picture book Lester Paints the Sky. The unpublished picture book retells the early influences and current successes of Lester Coloma, an award-winning Filipino mural artist in Hamilton, Ontario. The story was co-written with the artist.

Steeves is an ETFO member and a teacher-librarian in the Peel District School Board. He is a member of the ETFO Library Standing Committee and a long-standing member of various Forest of Reading steering committees. He has worked with several curriculum writing teams, including one for ETFO (for the Social Studies, History, and Geography AQ Course, Part One), Ministry of Education, Ontario Elementary Social Studies Teachers' Association, and City of Toronto Museums.

His short stories, “Bessie,” “The Woman from the Plaque,” and “Why I Write Ghost Stories,” were published in the online journal, Forget Me Not Press (2021-2022). Lester Paints the Sky was shortlisted for the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers Writing for Children Competition (2022).

Coloma is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators. He has won international awards for his mural art and has presented public lectures for local institutions including the Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science, and Art.