News Release
6/6/2018
Aurora, ON - York Region District School Board is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual Teacher of the Year Award. This year’s honours go to Jasdeep Khaira from Ross Doan Public School in Richmond Hill and George Christoforou from Sutton District High School in Sutton.
“Each year, the York Region District School Board honours teachers who exemplify the Board’s mission, vision and values,” said Chair of the Board, Corrie McBain. “The Teacher of the Year recipients are representative of the high calibre of teachers across our Board who work tirelessly to support student success.”
“Congratulations to Jasdeep and George on receiving this honour,” said Louise Sirisko, Director of Education for the York Region District School Board. “It is evident from their accomplishments that they have demonstrated genuine care for their students, colleagues and the broader community.”
Jasdeep Khaira
Ross Doan Public School (Richmond Hill)
Jasdeep is a Grade 1 and 2 Reading Recovery teacher at Ross Doan Public School. She is also on the Leadership Team, Literacy Team, and Equity and Inclusivity committee. She has taken the lead on various activities that promote equity and inclusivity such as preparing a display case in the front foyer that represents the multiple traditions and celebrations which the school community recognizes. Jasdeep’s class performed a Lion Dance for the school to celebrate the Lunar New Year. She has been instrumental in helping staff on equity issues, in collecting and analyzing equity driven data and helping to set the school equity goals for the year. Jasdeep has volunteered her time to organize the school Play Day, Autism Awareness Month and the Greater Good Club to name a few. She has helped all staff work collaboratively to set school goals for continuous student improvement using assessment data to drive instruction.
George Christoforou
Sutton District High School
George has been a hospitality teacher in the Technological Education Department at Sutton District High School since 2008. George and his students operate the school cafeteria. He arrives at school at 6:00 a.m. every day to begin his prep work and shopping duties for the day. George spends many hours each week ensuring he gets the best deals on food for the cafeteria without compromising on quality. He has been pivotal in applying for educational grants to ensure that healthy options like the fresh salad bar and sub/wraps are available to all students. George collaborates with the community classes to grow fresh produce in the school’s greenhouse which is used in the salad bar. This supports students’ understanding of curriculum expectations and engenders a sense of pride and accomplishment. George provides food at events like graduation, school council forum, semi-formal and the school’s annual turkey dinner for the community. This year, he worked with student volunteers to prepare and serve over 650 turkey dinners to members of the Sutton community.
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