In School

In late May, the best Reach for the Top teams in the country convened in the John and Margaret Withrow Hall (UTS Auditorium) to determine Canada’s fastest brains and buzzer-hands. The UTS team delivered an excellent effort on their home turf, capturing the national championship for the fifth time in the school’s history and the first since 2013.

As UTS prepared to move to its temporary location, students and staff addressed the challenge of making 30 Humbert Street feel more like home. Working with Charlie Pullen, department coordinator, visual arts, last year’s S5 (Grade 11) art students decided to create installations for the building in which they are now spending their final year at UTS. Utilizing a mix of media that included 3-D printing, laser-cutting and screen printing, our young artists created several pieces which add a distinctive UTS presence and personality to 30 Humbert. UTS students put themselves, and the school, at the forefront of efforts to increase opportunities for women in STEM fields by staging the inaugural Girls In Technology Conference (GITcon) in April. Organized by Katherine Gotovsky '18, Audrey Ho '18 and Mirjana Mijalkovic '18, current S6 (Grade 12) student Alice Vlasov and science teacher Jenny Pitt-Lainsbury, the event brought dozens of Grade 6-8 students from across the city to UTS to participate in workshops on robotics, coding, game design and more. Attendees were also inspired by a moving speech from Laura Money ’88, a successful technology executive at CIBC. GITcon was the first-ever student-run conference of its kind in Toronto and a sign of UTS students’ determination to break down gender barriers in STEM.

The Year-Long Project on Truth and Reconciliation provided F1 (Grade 7) students the opportunity to explore the history and culture of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, as well as their own roles in the ongoing Truth and Reconciliation process. Activities in the 2017-18 academic year included a blanket exercise, documentary film screenings and workshops hosted by the Indigenize Our Minds Education Outreach program. In June, the project culminated with remarkable spoken word and dance performances from students, as well as a pow wow hosted by the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.

UTS student-athletes turned in exceptional performances at Ontario Federation of Student Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships in several sports this spring. Of particular note were the results of Pau Illerbaig-Bajong (M3/Grade 9) and Sam Ford (S5/Grade 11) on the track. Pau won gold medals in both the 800m and 1500m races, while Sam collected a bronze medal in the 1500m and finished fourth in the 3000m event. The Class of 2018 joined families, friends and UTS staff at Desautels Hall in the Rotman School of Management for Graduation and Prize Giving in June. The celebration marked a pivotal moment in the school’s history; as the final cohort to graduate before the revitalization of the school building at 371 Bloor Street West, the Class of 2018 brought the curtain down on the first 108 years of UTS. A shared sentiment united the graduates and members of the broader UTS community: fond feelings about the time spent at 371 Bloor combined with excitement about the possibilities of the future.

For more UTS news and views, check out our blog, @371, at utschools.ca/blog.

L-R: Katherine Gotovsky '18, Audrey Ho '18, keynote speaker Haidee Thanda, Jenny Pitt-Lainsbury, Mirjana Mijalkovic '18 and S6 student Alice Vlasov at the Girls in Tech conference.

OF When the First Girls established their place at UTS, they initiated a cultural transformation that changed the school forever.

When UTS opened its doors to 325 boys in 1910, the University of Toronto had only been allowing women to register in classes for about 25 years. For a brief and awkward time beforehand, women had enrolled at U of T without being granted the right to attend classes or even hold the scholarships they earned – which existed to support attendance in classes. In this strange catch-22 world, women could be recognized for their intellectual prowess within a university setting yet be barred from exercising it in lectures and seminars. So it comes as no surprise that, while UTS was originally intended to offer coeducation, boys took precedence over girls when a shortfall of funding limited the scope of the school. It was a man’s world, after all, with women still seeking a room of their own.

Fast forward to April 2018, when UTS hosted the Girls in Tech conference (GITcon) conference for about one hundred Grade 6 through 8 students around the GTA. Organized by Katherine

Gotovsky ’18, Audrey Ho ’18 and Mirjana Mijalkovic ’18, and current S6 (Grade 12) student Alice Vlasov, under the guidance of Department Coordinator of Science and chemistry teacher Jenny Pitt-Lainsbury, the event provided an opportunity for girls to attend technology workshops and sharpen their programming skills. The existence of the conference tells us that girls are still fighting to achieve equality in the STEM fields, and particularly in computer science. Statistics Canada confirms that only 30% of graduates from university computer science programs are women. But the conference also illustrates the magnitude of change that UTS has undergone in its lifetime.

Between 1910 and 2018, the world experienced countless political and cultural upheavals. But at UTS, one transformation stands out above all others. The arrival of the First Girls in 1973 forever altered the nature of teaching and learning at the school and the character of the students who have attended it.

Former Principal Don Gutteridge, who ushered in the transition to co-education after teaching at UTS for 10 years, felt strongly about having both boys and girls in the school: “Classes change when you bring together different ways of thinking and points of view. They’re better. The discussions and debates are richer. To my mind, there just isn’t a good argument against diversity. UTS became a more sophisticated place with the arrival of the girls.”

Monica Biringer ’78 was one of those First Girls whose presence left an impact on the school. “When I arrived in 1973, I felt I had been granted full licence to pursue my intellectual curiosity. UTS is a place where excitement about learning is endorsed and encouraged. That was really freeing for me and for the other girls. Looking back, I know we brought a different, complementary approach to learning. We added another point of view to the dialogue. Every student was encouraged to contribute, and the girls used their voices. That allowed us to develop confidence that made us comfortable speaking up, later on, in other co-ed environments like university and our workplaces.”

Now a partner and Co-Chair of Osler’s National Tax Group, Monica describes her career as “a long story that started at UTS. In my last year, I took three English courses and three math courses. Not your typical course selection! But I was deeply interested in both, largely because of fantastic teachers in those subject areas. I then became an English major at Queen’s who took a lot of math courses. I attended law school and chose to pursue a career in tax law, which combines my interest in English language and math. Looking back, the foundation for my current practice was laid at UTS.”

Arriving a few years later, Laura Money ’81 was another First Girl who took a STEM-oriented career path. Now Senior Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives in the Retail and Business Banking branch of CIBC, as well as the UTS Alumni Association Vice President (and a featured speaker at the Girls in Tech conference), it never crossed Laura’s mind while in high school that girls were not good at math or science.

“We all had different interests when it came to subjects,” she explains. “But they were personal preferences, not gender differences. It wasn’t until I arrived at U of T to study engineering that I learned about a bias against women in some fields. In my first two years in engineering and science, 13% of students were women. Professors were not as respectful toward female students. They didn’t voice the message I heard at UTS, which was, ‘You can have any career you want.’ I believed it, which is how I ended up in engineering.”

Laura's daughter Kiara is currently an M3 (Grade 9) student at UTS. When the two compare their generational experiences, they see one big difference.

“I didn’t have female mentors in the courses I loved the most,” says Laura. “I had great female teachers, but only men in math and science. Those men made sure the girls were as engaged and supported as the boys, and I have wonderful memories of those classes. But Kiara has role models across the entire school in every subject. She honestly doesn’t experience any difference in the disciplines. And she can see the intellectual capacity and achievement of the women right in front of her. It’s a great advantage and an important development of the school.”

Along with the First Girls, the first female faculty arrived in 1973, teaching only English, Geography and Physical Education. Today, Jenny Pitt-Lainsbury is one of many female role

models in math and science that Kiara sees every day. Jenny has been an instructional leader, F1 (Grade 7) Science and AP Chemistry teacher, and Department Coordinator for Science. Now, beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year, she is Head of Student Support and Student Innovation. As such, Jenny tackles some of the big issues in education, such as the role of girls in STEM fields.

“There are still barriers to women working in the maths and sciences,” she says. “Women are 50% of the population but about 25% of all the STEM fields combined. And the pipeline is problematic. When I came to UTS in 2004, there were no female physics or chemistry teachers. Girls were as capable in my chemistry classes as boys, but none had ever been on our Chemistry Olympiad team – or any Olympiad team. Now, we have more women than men in the science department and girls have been on Olympiad teams since 2009. Research tells us that it’s at about age 15 when girls are likely to buy into the STEM fields. Step one is seeing themselves represented in those areas in their immediate environment.”

“But there are many other steps,” Jenny adds. “We want more girls to participate in the Olympiads. We want girls to see themselves in every field. The Girls in Tech conference was a great step forward, but computer science continues to be very male-dominated. Girls need more mentorship, more female experts in their line of vision, more clubs where they feel they belong.”

Students and staff are taking up this challenge. UTS has hosted Hackergal hackathon events, and S5 (Grade 11) student Anjalee Narenthiren founded the female-focused TechExplore club with the help of staff member Vernon Kee, which has now expanded to include other GTA schools. Meanwhile, other students have enlisted Andrew Masse and other members of the IT team to support various intiatives. “As UTS continues to fulfill its strategic goals of equity and inclusion,” Jenny says, “girls will reach further and wider than ever before.”

With her son Jacob now in M3 (Grade 9) at UTS, Tina Bates ’88 agrees that equity and inclusion should be a priority in education. “By the time I arrived in the 1980s, UTS felt like a seamless environment to me, as if it had always been co-ed. The First Girls laid that foundation. It was also a much more diverse community than my grade school and a very accepting and integrated place. When Jacob came to UTS from a boys’ school, his eyes really opened. He now has friends from all over the city of different backgrounds. And, of course, he’s learning alongside girls. The fact that half his teachers are women doesn’t strike him as worth remarking. Math and science? Of course. It’s just natural. I know Jacob will feel as I did when he graduates: prepared and empowered to thrive in a co-ed world.”

Today, UTS is more diverse than it has ever been, and the arrival of the First Girls stands as a milestone on the path toward greater equity and inclusion. Monica Biringer, who is co-chair of the Building the Future campaign and a leader of the First Girls Initiative [see sidebar], sees the next step for UTS.

“This is how I think about it,” she says. “Phase one in the transformation of the school was the introduction of girls. Phase two was achieving a much more culturally and racially diverse student body. Phase three is underway now, with an ambitious building project. Throughout these phases, UTS has maintained a great bursary program to ensure socio-economic diversity. UTS started as a school where financial means was not a barrier, and it continues to believe in that ideal. Is there a better place to learn than a fully diverse and inclusive school with an exceptional commitment to learning and innovation? I don’t think so.” n

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: Laura Money '81 addresses Girls in Tech conference attendees. INSET: Laura Money '81 (top) and Monica Biringer '78 (bottom). BELOW: Monica Biringer '78 and Susy Opler '79 from the Twig yearbook.

FIRST GIRLS INITIATIVE

As First Girls who arrived at UTS in 1973, Building the Future

campaign co-chair Monica Biringer ’78 and former Alumni

Association and UTS board

member Susy Opler ’79 saw a

unique way for their pioneering cohort to support the school. “This school changed our lives,” says Monica. “And we both believe strongly in securing its current location in a renewed facility, which is the focus of the campaign.”

The two set out to enlist their fellow First Girls to become donors to the school in honour of both the historic moment they ushered in and an exciting future that is currently under construction.

“Our alumni mix is not yet 50/50 men and women,” adds Monica. “And there is still a gender divide when it comes to giving potential. But we know that our group of incredible alumnae can make a difference.”

To date, the First Girls Initiative has raised over $300,000 for the Building the Future campaign.

WithO

NOTE: for reasons of privacy and confidentiality, the names and details of the Syrian family in this story have been obscured.

ABOVE: A portrait of the family aided by the UTS-70 project. This past June, Ray Kinoshita ’70 spoke at a memorial service for his classmate and close friend, Doug Carter ’70, who had died a month earlier in a cycling accident. Reading from an email Doug sent him on September 8, 2015, Ray explained Doug’s catalytic role in a Class of 1970 45th reunion initiative, dubbed “UTS-70,” to sponsor a Syrian refugee family. As he did, Ray brought a remarkable two-and-a-half-year story to a close.

Five days before Doug’s email, photos of threeyear-old Alan Kurdi’s body lying on a Turkish beach became a flashpoint for public sentiment about Syrian refugees. The crisis would become a central issue in the Canadian federal election, which saw Justin Trudeau’s Liberals sweep to power in part on the strength of their commitment to resettle 25,000 refugees from Syria.

In his 2015 email, Doug harked back to a turning point in Canadian immigration policy marked by a dramatic shift in public sentiment and the unique private sponsorship provisions enacted by the first Trudeau Prime Minister: “I understand there are a number of institutional obstacles to even accepting/processing more refugees into Canada, but hopefully the more support there is (financial and otherwise) from the population, the more likely it is that a way can be found to overcome those obstacles (as in e.g. the Vietnamese “boat people” crisis of 1979–80).”

Doug’s reference was more than political.

“I think what really pushed Doug to join the Syrian effort was that his family had been very involved in 1979 with supporting a Vietnamese refugee family,” says Ray. “Throughout his life,

Open Arms

The remarkable story of a two-and-a-half year effort that brought together members of the Class of 1970 and the entire UTS student body to sponsor a Syrian family resettlement to Canada. by Warren Lang

Doug had a very close relationship with that family, and I think he took it for granted that this was the Canadian thing to do.”

Ray, who immediately agreed to help because “it’s the kind of thing we ought to do as citizens,” also had personal reasons. His grandparents had emigrated from Japan in 1921, his mother’s family had been interned during World War II, and his parents had moved to Toronto from the Okanagan Valley soon after they were married.

When Ray broadcast Doug’s suggestion, three people immediately offered to help: David Decker ’70, Heather Mackay, wife of Doug Mackay ’70, and Bruce Stodart ’70. Other classmates, many of whom were already involved in sponsoring refugees, offered financial support. The project was underway.

That this group was among the thousands of Canadians who stepped up was no surprise to David. “I think UTS tends to shape people who are disposed to get behind something like this,” he says. “We also came of age in the late ’60s, so there was a political awareness from the start.”

Through a referral from Shin Imai ’69, Ray connected UTS-70 with Humanity First, an NGO that facilitates refugee resettlement. Having raised $9,000, the group was well short of the $30,000-plus threshold required to sponsor a family, so Doug contacted UTS Executive Director, Advancement Martha Drake to explore a potential partnership with another class. The call came just as student-organizers of the 2016 UTS Charity Week (UCW) were choosing a cause to support.

Martha connected the UTS-70 group with the UCW student organizers, and a multigenerational, global initiative was born. The alumni-student partnership so fully reflected

INSET, L-R: UTS-70 organizers Bruce Stodart '70, Doug Carter '70 and Heather Mackay.

Doug Carter '70, Ray Kinoshita '70 and Heather Mackay, with members of the family they sponsored. UTS’ commitment to developing socially responsible global citizens that Principal Rosemary Evans glowingly shared her excitement in a student video promoting the event.

Held in mid-February 2016, UCW raised $6,000 through fundraising activities like a multicultural lunch, good-natured dares (Frosted tips! Clothing swaps!), and a silent auction. The event also featured an assembly at which Heather, Bruce, and Ray spoke. In his remarks, Bruce reminded the crowd about the evolution of Canadian immigration policy in the 20th century, congratulated the students for doing their part like the alumni before them, and noted: "This is the moment when your generation will be tested, your opportunity to define once again what it means to be Canadian."

As a retired teacher, Bruce noticed an evident culture of empowerment in the school. “I got the sense there was a commitment to social justice being inculcated in the students,” he says. “There was a democratic feeling to how the event was run, and the project seemed to flow from a shared moral compass.”

In the months that followed, Humanity First helped the UTS-70 team reach the financial threshold by combining resources with a group called Polo for Syria. At that point, it was just a question of whether they could commit the time and energy required. Typically, groups have 20 or more members who share the load. UTS-70 had five members, Polo for Syria had two, and Doug was living in British Columbia.

Undaunted, they forged ahead.

In late 2016, news came that they would be sponsoring a husband and wife with four daughters under the age of 10 and a baby on the way. The family had been living in a UN refugee camp in Jordan for four years since fleeing Syria after the children’s paternal grandfather was kidnapped and killed. The conditions were a challenge: they lived in a canvas tent, they were not allowed to work and, as Ahmadiyya Muslims, they were often treated badly.

In March of 2017, Doug and Ray travelled to Pearson International Airport with a group to greet the family. Despite the complications of travel, immigration, and language differences, the first meeting was full of smiles, handshakes, and emotional significance.

“I have always thought about what it took for my grandparents to come to Canada with $100 in their pockets and not speaking the language,” says Ray. “So it was quite something to meet this entire family and try to imagine what they had been through.”

From that night onward, the UTS-70 group stayed actively involved. At first, they contributed furniture to a Mississauga apartment that had been rented for the family. Then, with Heather and Bruce leading the way, the group helped with everything from doctor’s appointments to haircuts, shopping, government forms, and various personal needs.

Communicating almost always through Google Translate, the group developed a lasting bond with the family. “It has been extraordinarily rewarding,” says Bruce. “They are really terrific people. They want the same thing for their kids that all immigrants coming to Canada do. We are all quite fond of them.”

When the family’s lease in Mississauga ran out, a close friend, who had arrived from Syria a year earlier, encouraged them to move to the small southwestern Ontario town where he lived. The friend’s former sponsor, an insurance executive, was downsizing and willing to rent his home to

the family for a nominal amount. Once more, the UTS-70 group pitched in with moving, establishing the girls in school, finding resources like a doctor who spoke Arabic, and helping the father pursue job opportunities.

In mid-May of 2018, with the family increasingly self-sufficient, Doug arranged to visit. Formerly based in Vancouver, he was now living in Ontario and taking the last of the sponsorship funds to the family. Before he left, he emailed the group to say that, in essence, they were now transitioning from sponsorship to friendship. The project was complete.

Two weeks later, Doug was out with a new cycling group in Burlington when a rider at the front of the pack went down. Unable to avoid the cascade of collisions, Doug went headfirst over the handlebars, dying soon after as a result of his injuries.

As Ray read from Doug’s original email at the memorial, with Heather, Bruce, and David in the audience, he tied the final threads in the tapestry of UTS-70, which had woven the past, present, and future of UTS together with several personal, political, and cultural narratives.

It’s not hard to imagine that many UTS students who attended that UCW assembly will someday offer to help as these alumni did. Nor is it hard to believe that some among them will work to create a more humane, tolerant, and open world. And it’s equally exciting to wonder if a child or grandchild of the refugee family will attend a good school, maybe even UTS, on the way to making their own contribution. n

LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE

In the aftermath of the Danforth shootings on July 22, the phrase “Love for All, Hatred for None” was seen on placards, hoardings and social media. It is the motto of Ahmadiyya Muslims, a group often persecuted in various regions of the world.

The Syrian family sponsored by members of the Class of 1970 and proceeds from UTS Charity Week 2016 are Ahmadis. This summer, using Google Translate, the father of the family shared a few details of their previous life, journey to Canada, and what it has meant to resettle here.

Here are some extracts: • The conditions in the refugee camp were horrible. We were not allowed to work and had no money. • The journey to Jordan took two days. The mercenaries of Bashar Assad’s criminal regime filled the main and side streets as we made our way towards the border. When we arrived in Daraa, a city just before the border, the Nasserite Front was trying to take control of the city from the Syrian forces. A lot of fighting took place and many people had been killed or wounded. It was a horrible sight and a very dangerous time for me and my family. • My father was kidnapped and killed because of his beliefs. I was threatened because I am an

Ahmadiyya Muslim. We do not differentiate between religious sects because all are human beings like us. They have a right to their beliefs and we respect their humanity. But all of this does not spare us from the conflicting parties. Many of my friends were killed because of this. • The biggest difference between Canada and Syria is the weather. Last winter I thought the snow would never stop. But the schools and the education system are very good. The teachers take an interest in the students. It is very important that my children get a good education. • Although I was born in Syria, I do not think of returning there. My country is now Canada. I and my children owe her all our love, appreciation, and respect. Canada has treated us as a mother would.

This is a country where people have a legitimate right to live together in peace. We pray to God that peace prevails throughout the world.

A FORGOTTEN UTS HERO

An archival error put EDWIN WILLIAMSON STORER II’s name on two UTS war memorials. It’s time to honour the fascinating true story of this Canadian veteran.

◆ BY DR. PAUL MOORE

Remembrance Day has been a solemn and significant tradition at UTS for nearly a century, befitting a school that, from its earliest days, saw hundreds of students and alumni serve and sacrifice in major military conflicts. E ach year, the UTS community gathers for an assembly honouring those who stood, and those who fell, in defence of our nation and its values. Many attendees have taken this opportunity to scan the memorial plaques in the school foyer, which honour the soldiers who studied at UTS and served in the First and Second World Wars.

Those who look closely will see one name twice.

Edwin Williamson Storer II is listed on plaques for both wars. On the nearly 400-name plaque honouring UTS veterans who served in the First World War, he is listed as Lt. E.W. Storer. On the memorial to the 78 UTS-affiliated soldiers who died in the Second World War, he appears as Major Edwin Williamson Storer. However, Storer did not fight in both conflicts, nor d id he share a name with another UTS veteran. His inclusion on the latter plaque — and the inaccurate description of his rank — are both the result of archival errors.

Yet the real story of Lt. Edwin Williamson Storer, shared by his grandson Edwin William Storer IV of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, is a remarkable one, revealing a man of exceptional courage and character.

Born on September 13, 1896 in Philadelphia, Storer moved with his family to Toronto and lived in the city’s west end. He entered UTS in its inaugural year, in September 1910, at the age of 14. He later became a cadet in the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (a Reserve regiment of the Canadian Militia), which was part of the 109th Regiment. He then signed up as a Lieutenant with the 84th Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on December 26, 1915. The lanky, 6-foot-4-inch Storer sailed from Halifax on the RMS Empress of Britain on June 18, 1916. Shortly after arriving in Europe, he transferred to the 50th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, which was part of the 4th Canadian Division.

Less than a year later, Storer would play a role in one of the most important moments in Canadian history. Beginning April 9, 1917, he fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, his battalion attacking the highest point on the ridge, Hill 145, where the Vimy Memorial now stands. On the second day of fighting, Storer leapt into a German trench and was wounded in his right thigh by the bayonet of an enemy soldier. Only bravery and the prompt deployment of his service pistol preserved his life.

Storer was admitted a few days later to a hospital in England, where he spent several weeks recovering. His injury was a factor in denying him the promotion to Captain that he had earned in the field of battle. In addition to the bayonet wound, Storer had also been the victim of a gas attack just weeks before the Battle of Vimy Ridge, an incident he did not report. While the wound healed, Storer would face complications from the gas attack for the rest of his life.

Declared unfit for further service at the front, Storer returned to Canada on the hospital ship HMHS Araguaya on June 11, 1917, arriving in Halifax on June 23. He then moved on to outpatient treatment in Toronto, where he was declared fit for home service. He was discharged on December 31, 1918, the upper portion of both of his lungs gone as a result of the gas attack and battling pulmonary tuberculosis, with which he had been diagnosed in 1916.

After leaving the Army, Storer joined his parents and younger sister in the Chicago area, where they had relocated during the war (his older brother and one of his sisters remained in Canada). He took up a career in the insurance business in Oak Park, Illinois, where he died in 1974. The gas attack he suffered in the First World War was a contributing cause of his death.

Why does Storer appear on both the First and Second World War memorial plaques in the UTS foyer? The error began with the UTS archival records — “War Records of U.T.S. Old Boys” — assembled in preparation for producing the Second World War plaque. The UTS records, erroneously, list him as having served in the United States Engineer Corps in the Second World War. These records also incorrectly list the cause of his death as “Killed accidentally in motor accident in California.”

Thankfully, Storer ensured that his story could be corrected by passing it down through the generations of his own family. His grandson shared the true details about Lt. Storer’s time before, during and after his military service, information that is confirmed in the elder Storer’s personnel file from Library and Archives Canada.

Every year at UTS, we honour those who have fought and fallen for our freedom. In the case of Lt. Edwin Williamson Storer II, we pay particular tribute, shining the spotlight on his remarkable — and true — story. n

Clockwise from top right: Edwin Williamson Storer II's service pistol and holster; Storer in uniform; Storer's dog tag and shoulder epaulet; the bayonet with which Storer was wounded.

PAUL MOORE is Teacher Emeritus at UTS and has undertaken a research project about the military contributions of UTS alumni.

AN INSPIRATIONAL COLLEAGUE

Former UTS Vice Principal Philip Marsh (L) with teacher Jennifer Howell.

BY JENNIFER HOWELL

This past June brought the retirement of Philip Marsh, an inspirational vice principal and mentor at UTS. Our community will miss him dearly.

I personally owe my success as a teacher to Mr. Marsh, because he is the person who taught me how to be a teacher. In addition to his busy schedule — meeting with students and teachers, working with the UTS Parents’ Association, and attending UTS events — Mr. Marsh also was an instructor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). And he was my chemistry instructor, who introduced me to inquiry models, graphic organizers, and POGILs (if you have ever been my student, you know how much I love POGILs!). I will always remember when Mr. Marsh came to observe my classes as a student teacher: in a 75-minute period he wrote six pages of notes about what I was doing well, and how to push my students to achieve more.

As my instructor, Mr. Marsh was incredibly generous with his time. We used to have Friday afternoon classes that would run until 5:30 pm in Room 320. Students would often stick around after class to pick his brain, and listen to stories about his teaching experiences. We learned so much from Mr. Marsh in only one short year.

About this time five years ago, I graduated teachers college. Mr. Marsh gave me career advice, he acted as my reference, and he helped me secure my first-ever teaching job. Less than one year later, a position opened up at UTS, and I jumped at the opportunity to work alongside Mr. Marsh.

I thought I had learned a lot as Mr. Marsh’s student! As a new teacher at UTS, Mr. Marsh’s office door was always open to discuss my lesson plans and to advise on challenges that I faced. He always knew exactly what to say, and had so much insight to share. Mr. Marsh is amazingly well-read in educational research and techniques. For the past four years, I have received an email from him almost every week with an article or resource to support my teaching. I cannot express how thankful I am for all he has done to shape me into the teacher I am today.

Mr. Marsh may be retiring, but his influence will live on as I put into practice all he has taught me on a daily basis. And I am not the only teacher that he has influenced—so many staff members and students have their own stories to share. We are all so sad to see him leave because we haven’t stopped learning from him yet. However, we know that he will be busy travelling and enjoying his next adventures, which he has definitely earned. We wish Mr. Marsh the absolute best in his next chapter of life! n