Irene Cooke named 2006 Educator of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Irene Cooke, Centre Hastings SS, named 2006 Educator of the Year
Award to be presented at the Education Week Breakfast on Monday, May 1st

26 April 2006, Belleville, Ontario—Congratulations to Irene Cooke, teacher at Centre Hastings Secondary School, who has been named 2006 Educator of the Year!

The award is presented each year at the kick-off celebration for Education Week (see below), an annual event celebrated by school boards and schools across Ontario. It is a time for students, educators, support staff and parents/guardians to celebrate teaching excellence and student achievement. The theme for this year’s Education Week is Making Every Student Count.

Cooke has spent 30 years teaching with the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board. Students, teachers, support staff and the broader community have all benefitted from her dedicated service. Her devotion to students and teaching is demonstrated in her active involvement in the CHSS community. She has served as the teacher-advisor for the student council for the past 16 years; coached at least one team every year since the late 1970s; and organized monthly bingos which have raised thousands of dollars for sports equipment and school supplies. From early on, Cooke led fundraising initiatives for the Red Cross, Snowsuits for Kids, various relief funds and food drives; she has hosted six 30-hour Famine events with $35,000 donated to World Vision; has organized the school’s athletic banquet; and, for the past 16 years, has organized school picture and graduation picture days, and year-end assemblies.

“On behalf of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, I offer congratulations to Irene Cooke on being selected as the 2006 Educator of the Year,” remarks Judy Edgar, Chair of the Board. “This is a very special honour that is held in high-regard in the education community. Over the years, thousands of HPEDSB students have had the good fortune to be taught by someone so caring and devoted to the teaching profession,” she adds.

Another of Cooke’s significant contributions to education is being part of the founding group of The Friends of Centre Hastings. This unique, non-profit community organization runs the cafeteria at CHSS. Cooke has been the organization’s treasurer from the beginning and her leadership and commitment have contributed to its success and the many benefits it brings to the community.

Outside of teaching, Cooke and her husband Rob are billet parents for Belleville Bulls hockey players. She is also involved with the Belleville Bulldogs Rugby Club and has coached Belleville Minor Soccer for many years.

“What a surprise and what an honour! To be recognized for this award by my peers and many students has left me very emotional,” exclaims Cooke. “Teaching is an amazing profession in that you touch the lives of so many individuals and usually in a very positive way. In fact, over the past 31 years, the number well exceeds 5,000 individuals, including students, staff, custodians and secretaries. It is all of these people who have made my job so enjoyable.”

Cooke’s positive influence on students resonates through the nominations of support. One student wrote, Mrs. Cooke is living proof that passion takes precedence over virtue, while another said, Mrs. Cooke deserves this award because she has been the voice among silence. She has come to work everyday, for 30 years, and has been the student voice.

In early March, members of the educational community and general public were invited to submit nominations for any person who has made a valuable contribution to education in Hastings and Prince Edward counties. The nominee must have been active in education during the current school year.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA ARE INVITED TO INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPH MRS. COOKE AT THE EDUCATION WEEK KICK-OFF BREAKFAST ON MONDAY, MAY 1st, 7:30 a.m. AT LOYALIST COLLEGE.

Anyone wishing to attend the breakfast should contact Julie Kezar, Administrative Assistant, 966-1170, ext. 2237 to purchase a $7 ticket.

History of the Sir Mackenzie Bowell Award
This year marks the 39th anniversary of the Sir Mackenzie Bowell Award. Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1823–1917) was a strong supporter of education and an active promoter of Hastings County. An outstanding Canadian, he was primarily a self-taught man who earned a teaching certificate. In 1854, he was elected to the Belleville Board of Education and served as chairperson of that board from 1856 to 1867. He was also a successful businessman who served as editor and proprietor of The Intelligencer for many years, and helped form the Belleville Board of Trade (now Chamber of Commerce) in 1865. In his editorials, he stressed education as a key to development and championed the growth of Belleville and Hastings County as a whole.

In addition, Sir Mackenzie Bowell was a man of steadfast character, courage and integrity, placing principle before political party. He held the highest positions in the Orange Lodge and served “on the frontier” with the militia when Irish-Americans threatened invasion in the 1860s. Politically, he distinguished himself as a federal cabinet minister, a senator, and Canada’s fifth prime minister (1894–1896).

For more information, contact:
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, ((613) 966-1170, ext. 2354, or 1 800 267-4350, ext. 2354
• For tickets to the Education Week breakfast: Julie Kezar, Administrative Assistant, 966-1170, ext. 2237. Tickets are $7.