Fall 2019 SCHS Newsletter

NEWSLETTER
Fall 2019
School of Community
and Health Studies

Fall 2019 Fall 2019
INSIDE
Message from the Dean
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Message
from the Dean
16-17 Awards
18-30
Celebration of
Achivements Forum
Fall is my favorite season! Between the start of
the fall semester in September, students who are
starting or continuing their educational journeys, and
thanksgiving celebrations and Halloween, the energy
and enthusiasm is palpable, and joyous. The fall colors,
sounds of leaves crunching underfoot, the cool, crisp
air… All of these things prompt me to give thanks for
the joys of life, and inspire me to take a deep breath,
reflect, and prepare for the cooler months ahead.
4-7
8-9
10-13
14-15
Spotlight on Research
SCHS Featured Alumnus
Welcome New Faculty,
Staff and Administrators
Recent Retirement
Many of you share my enthusiasm for fall. Indeed, the
School of Community and Health Studies has much to
celebrate! Recently, we held our first of two school-wide
sessions designed to seek additional feedback around
our collective strengths and future opportunities.
We sought input around five strategic themes which
emerged during our consultations last year: preparing
students for the future; innovations in teaching and collaborating our internal and external stakeholders
learning; increase research capacity; engagement with further over the next several months.
communities/partnerships; and, whole-school, oneschool
culture. SCHS is a tri-campus School, comprised In June of each, SCHS celebrates our collective
of over 6,000 full-time students, 130 full-time faculty achievements at a special event, just before the
members, 55+ full-time staff, 330-350 contract staff, summer break. In this edition of the SCHS Newsletter,
10 administrators and 32 full-time programs. We
31-36 Department Updates we highlight our 2019 awards recipients, welcome
operate three Lab Schools (child care centres), and new faculty and staff (and say “see you later” to
two clinics (massage therapy and esthetics). This
those who retired in 2019), profile a distinguished
fall, our new President, Dr. Craig Stephenson, has SCHS alumnus (Brandon Ramdial), and share Dr.
embarked on a listening tour, and shortly, Dr. Marilyn Hasan Mahbub’s research on “podcasting social
Health and Wellness Studies
33 Herie, Vice President Academic and Chief Learning work”. In 2019, we also introduced the SCHS Service
Officer, will commence planning in support of the next Recognition awards, honoring the faculty, staff and
iteration of the College’s Academic Plan. Our SCHS administrators who have been with SCHS for five years
strategic themes connect beautifully with, build upon, or longer. Here we pay further recognition to their
Child and Family Studies
and support the goals outlined in Centennial College’s sustained and excellent contributions.
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3rd Book of Commitments, and will be aligned and
integrated with the Academic Plan. This process
I hope that you enjoy this edition of our Newsletter.
has been very instructive, and we look forward to
Wishing you a happy and productive fall 2019!
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Community Studies
WIMTACH Fall 2019 News
Dr. Wendy Kubasik, PhD
Dean, School of Community and Health Studies
| @DeanCCSCHS | @CentennialSCHS
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Fall 2019
Fall 2019
Spotlight on Research
Podcasting Social Work: Committed to Innovate
and Revolutionize Teaching & Learning
Centennial College has a strong mandate for using
technology in teaching and learning in order to
educate students for career success. Dr. Hasan
Mahbub recently launched an innovative podcasting
project to do just that for his students in the Social
Service Worker program. Entitled “Podcast for
Effective Teaching and Learning”, Hasan initiated
this project as part of his new faculty orientation.
As an educator, Hasan is very passionate about using
technology in his teaching, and found that podcasting
has become an important learning and teaching tool,
especially in a higher education environment. Hasan
explained, “It’s an opportunity to learn something new
in the area of teaching and learning that will benefit
educators, learners, and the wider community”.
The project has been beneficial to both Hasan and
students, allowing Hasan to become more innovative
and to think out of the box, while students have
become familiar with the technological set-up, relevant
apps and editing skills.
When he began the eight-week project in January
2019, he established a podcast focused on issues,
social work practices, and teaching pedagogy with the
following objectives:
1. To develop knowledge about podcasts,
especially how to use various types of
podcasts for effective teaching and learning;
2. To develop moderation and technical skills
for creating a podcast;
3. To identify and utilize resources for creating
a podcast; and,
4. To create a 15- 20 minute podcast by
February 2019.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Hasan went beyond his initial goals and successfully
created five episodes during the pilot, focused on:
• Reflective Practice in Teaching;
• Youth Mental Health and Addiction;
• The importance of land-based treatment,
Civil Resistance and Social Work
Integration;
• Teamwork in Community Services; and,
• Social Policy and Role of Social Workers.
His podcasts have been incorporated into both the
Social Service Worker and Addictions and Mental Health
programs at Centennial. Additionally, they have been
embraced by Social Workers, Educators and Activists
across the globe who have tuned in to listen, and have
commented on their use of his podcast as a learning
and teaching tool. The episodes have been viewed
over 585 times in the last six months, by audiences
from Canada, the USA, Australia, Bangladesh, the UK
and Norway. The Podcasting Social Work series is now
widely available on nine broadcasting platform such
as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PocketCasts,
RadioPublic, and Anchor.
Hasan acknowledged that with any such project,
challenges would be encountered. With this project,
the main challenge was to identify the tools and the
technical set-up for recording and editing the podcast.
As more tools become available, he expects that the
podcast series will become even more user friendly
and accessible in the future. Hasan is very grateful
for the opportunity to bring this innovative project
to fruition, stating ‘We are so blessed to work at the
School of Community and Health Studies. Our Dean,
Dr. Wendy Kubasik and Chair, Community Services,
Jennifer Woodill and my colleagues are helpful and
encouraging. I have received tremendous support and
encouragement from the school’.
I strongly feel that a
strong relationship
among educators and
learners and a culture
of encouragement are
key to success for
students and for an
educational institution.
The benefits of this project have touched numerous
facets of Centennial College. For Hasan himself,
this project has provided him with an opportunity
to gain the required knowledge and skills to create
a podcast, and to use a podcast for effective
teaching and learning. Within the broader College
community, this project directly contributes to
Centennial’s Book of Commitments # 1 and # 5 as
it enables more innovative and engaged student
learning. The podcast series provides students
with increased schedule flexibility for learning,
while enhancing their digital literacy. On a broader
scale, this research project helps promote global
citizenship as well as human rights and social
justice in local and global levels by equipping
students with community knowledge and tools to
critically confront and disrupt systemic bias and
work towards improving social conditions.
On a personal note, Hasan shared that outside of education, his favorite figure in history is, “Mahatma Gandhi
who successfully utilized nonviolent civil resistance strategies for freedom and justice. As I strongly believe,
Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world”. I strongly feel that a strong relationship among
educators and learners and a culture of encouragement are key to success for students and for an educational
institution. My goals outside of education and research is to continue to build relationships with communities and
participate in humanitarian and social justice work across the globe”.
HASAN MAHBUB-
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Fall 2019
Fall 2019
SCHS Featured Alumnus
BRANDON RAMDIAL
“Always get involved no matter
how small or big!”
Reflecting on his overall experience as a student at
Centennial College, SCHS alumnus Brandon Ramdial
summed it up by saying: “I had a great experience both
academically and socially. Academically, I excelled
in my studies averaging with a 4.1 GPA!” It was an
excellent conclusion for the 2016 graduate from the
Community and Justice Service’s program.
As a student, Brandon enjoyed working closely with
both faculty and his fellow students. Socially, he was
the Campus Director from 2015-16, where he was
involved with various student events. Brandon also
worked on policies through the CCSAI that provided
him with an opportunity to gain knowledge and
experience: “Being part of the CCSAI has made me a
better student and I would encourage all students to
check it out.”
During his time as a student, Brandon landed a
placement opportunity with the Ministry of Community
Safety and Correctional Services in the Central Region
office for Community Services. A few months later,
he applied for an administrative position and shortly
thereafter, migrated to Ministry of Children and Youth
Services (Youth Justice Services Division) where he
worked in the Brampton Youth Probation office.
At convocation, Brandon was the proud recipient
of three awards including: The Ed Blazo Memorial
Scholarship in Community and Justice Services, the
Centennial Citizenship Award for supporting and
championing student leadership in various capacities,
and the School of Community and Health Studies’
“Rising Star” Award in the Leadership category.
After graduation, Brandon collaborated with the Office
of Development and Alumni Engagement to establish
his own scholarship, the Brandon Ramdial Building
Leaders Scholarship, a reflection of the leadership
opportunities he had as a student at Centennial.
The scholarship was established to support and
enhance a very deserving student experience. A year
later, he helped create a scholarship in memory of
the late Shelley Upshaw, Faculty, Community and
Justice Services program. Brandon explained, “I
had a deep desire to give back to Centennial and
to the students. A thank you for all that Centennial
has done for me.” Brandon subsequently went on to
establish the Afro-Indo-Caribbean Justice Scholarship
which will be awarded to a student in the 2019-2020
academic school year. The scholarship is a reflection
of Brandon’s Caribbean heritage and to students with
similar heritages aiming to work in the justice field.
Brandon credits much of his learning to Centennial’s
leadership programs, especially LeaderShape,
where he discovered the importance of being an
innovative and diverse leader. This led him to be more
appreciative of the opportunities he had as a student;
he believes that he became a better student because
he worked with other students. He also acknowledged
his parents who came from very humble beginnings,
and raised him to be grateful and appreciative, key
components of his success.
Brandon emphasized the importance of being
connected and being part of the institution in any
capacity. He credits Centennial College for an amazing
experience, and in helping him in becoming more
adept in the skills of active listening, and working in
groups. He is particularly thankful for the tremendous
support of faculty who supported him while maintaining
professional boundaries.
Post Centennial, Brandon is an active volunteer
member with the Law Society of Ontario’s ‘Feed the
Hungry Program”. He explained, “Being part of this
volunteer program gave me a new lens and perspective
on working with marginalized communities.” Brandon
offered his words of wisdom to current and future
students, encouraging them to “always get involved
no matter how small or big!”
Brandon, we are inspired and humbled by your
ambassadorship, enthusiasm, and success!
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Welcome New Faculty, Staff
and Administrators
Fall 2019
FAYE BLAKE
Clinical Placement Officer
Faye recently graduated from Centennial College with a Diploma from the Social
Services Worker program. Since 2017, Faye has worked in numerous part-time
support capacities within the School of Community and Health Studies. In addition,
Faye has worked in Real Estate, Human Resources and Marketing with external
organizations. Faye notes, “With a passion for Social Services, it’s only natural that
I would be invested in the achievements of our School of Community and Health
Studies students. I am pleased to support our Faculty and Success Advisors in
ensuring a prosperous outcome for all students. They are our future caretakers
after all!” Faye started in her new role in July 2019.
TRICIA COOPER
Professor, Social Service Worker Program
Tricia is a dedicated social worker who loves to share her passion for human
service work with others. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood
Education (Ryerson University) followed by a Master’s degree in Social Work
(University of Toronto) specializing in children and families. As a clinical therapist,
Tricia has worked in hospital settings supporting children, youth, and families
who have been diagnosed with mental illness. Tricia also helped to develop and
implement curriculum presented to high schools in the Durham District School
Board on mental wellness and the stigma of mental illness. Tricia has worked in a
wide variety of social work sectors to support several diverse populations including
new immigrant and homeless women, teen girls, parents with young children, and
black Caribbean families. As an educator, her hope is to inspire future human
service workers to believe in their power to change the world…one theory at a time!
DEBBIE GILLIS
Professor, Bridging to University Nursing Program
Debbie has a wealth of experience in teaching, cardiology, and critical care
medicine, and comes to us with management experience in clinical education,
simulation, and library services. A graduate of the Centennial College nursing
diploma program, she has been an RN since 1987. Debbie has worked in
cardiology and critical care medicine at Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto
East General) and worked for 10 years in the critical care nursing resource team
at Sunnybrook, where she moved between the CVICU, CRCU, Neuro trauma,
Ross Tilley Burn Centre and the Emergency Department. Debbie returned to
higher education several times to attain a Bachelor of Nursing degree (Athabasca
University), and a Master of Education (University of Toronto). Other leadership
roles included Clinical Resource Leader/ Educator in the Medical Intensive Care
Unit, Cardiology, ICU and later, Manager of Clinical Education, Simulation and
Library Services at Michael Garron Hospital. Resuscitation training, simulation,
and building high performing teams are passions for Debbie (who is also a trainer
in resuscitation programs, emotional intelligence and TeamSTEPPS). Debbie has
presented on numerous occasions on these topics and the use of simulation for
process improvement.
PATRICIA HUNT
Chair, Department of Child and Family Studies
Patricia joined the College in July of 2019. She possesses a Master of Arts in
Early Childhood Studies (Ryerson University), a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood
Education (Ryerson), and a certificate in Family Life Education (Ryerson). Patricia
is very familiar with the College sector having taught at Centennial College in the
ECE program, as well as at Ryerson University, Seneca College and Mothercraft.
Prior to joining SCHS, Patricia spent six years at the City of Toronto in the
Children’s Services division, served as the Executive Director of the Family Support
Institute Ontario, and spent fifteen years at South Riverdale Child Parent Centre.
Patricia is passionate about supporting families and children in their communities,
and she has a keen interest in the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in early
learning programs.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
TOMMY LEBLANC BEAUDOIN
Chair, Emergency Management and Public Safety Institute
Tommy joined Centennial College with over 16 years of experience in emergency
services, most recently with the Region of Peel Paramedic Services as Advisor,
Professional Standards. An Advanced Care Paramedic, Tommy recently served
as the Superintendent of Paramedic Operations, and Supervisor, Learning and
Performance Development. Tommy also taught at George Washington University
in the EMT Program. A performance-Driven leader and educator, Tommy’s
professional interests lie in connecting learning and performance through
purposeful instructional design and evaluation. Tommy has a Master’s degree in
Human Resource Development (George Washington University) and a Bachelor’s
degree in Health Services Management (Ryerson University). He is also a graduate
of Durham College’s Primary Care Paramedic program and Humber College’s
Advanced Care Paramedic and Pre-Service Firefighter programs.
MARIA SUSINI
Professor, Occupational Therapist Assistant and
Physiotherapist Assistant program (OTA & PTA)
Maria is a physiotherapist with over 29 years of clinical experience in
interprofessional settings. Maria’s professional credentials include a Master of
Science in Physical Therapy from Krannert School of Physical Therapy / University
of Indianapolis and Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Indianapolis.
Prior to joining the School of Community and Health Studies, she practiced at
Grandview Children’s Centre for over 27 years in the Lifespan program. Maria
has also been active in the sports field, including the role of Physiotherapist and
Athletic Trainer for the Oshawa Viking Rugby Team, and Past-President/founding
member of the Durham Alternative Ski Association. Maria has served on several
professional committees including the Informed Practice and Outcomes Committee
at Grandview. She also taught at Centennial for the past 7 years in the OTA &
PTA program, and has precepted students from numerous institutions. Maria’s
approach to teaching is learner-centered and engaging.
EMILENE REISDORFER
Professor, Collaborative Nursing and Bridging to University
Nursing Program
Emilene has over 16 years of experience working as a nurse and faculty member
both in Canada and abroad and has been teaching in the PN and PN-IEN programs
at Centennial College since 2017. Emilene has a Master’s degree in Public Health
and holds a PhD in Psychiatric Nursing (University of Sao Paulo). Additionally,
she completed a post doctorate in the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta.
Emilene has published over 30 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is
currently involved in research projects in Canada and internationally. As a nurse,
she has worked in primary healthcare, mental health, and long-term care settings,
demonstrating a passion for providing quality care to clients and families. As a
teacher and nurse, Emilene believes that knowledge should be built in a dialogical
relationship, where both student and faculty teach and learn from each other.
SARAH ZHU
Department Assistant, BScN and Bridging Programs
Sarah joined SCHS following a number of contract assignments at Centennial
College, including most recently as a Program Officer role with the Centre for
Part Time and Online Learning. Sarah was also a Program Success Officer at
The Business School. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Administration
and Leadership (Brock University) and a Bachelor of Arts in English Education
(Guizhou Normal University). Sarah has been in her new role since July 2019, and
commented on the support she has received from her peers, faculty, and Chair,
and feels very fortunate to be working with a great support system and team, “I
am still learning new things every day, but feel more confident at my work and
connected to the team!”
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Recent Retirement
LUZIA BIDWELL
Department Assistant, BScN and Bridging Programs
SCHS saw a few retirements in 2019... We bid a fond farewell and send
best wishes on their retirement to the following faculty and staff from the
School of Community and Health Studies.
Luzia served Centennial College for more than 25 years, including 15 years within the School of Community and
Health Studies as the Department Assistant, Collaborative, Bridging and Postgraduate Nursing. Her colleagues
described her as someone with a wealth of knowledge who could always be counted on for support, and they will
miss her.
PATRICIA LEE
Faculty, OTA & PTA
Patricia started teaching in the OTA & PTA program when the program commenced in 2008. She was pivotal in
developing the program curriculum, and establishing best practices. Her passion and compassion have created a
strong sense of community for students and faculty alike. Pat was described fondly as a leader, mentor, colleague,
friend and “family”. Although Pat has retired, she will continue to be an exceptional support and motivator for the
OTA & PTA team. We wish her all the best in her new adventures!
BONNIE JASPER
Chair, Health & Wellness Programs
Bonnie served Centennial College in various capacities for more than 25 years. Bonnie began as a faculty member,
transitioned to the Program Coordinator in the Nutrition and Food Services Management Program, and held roles as
both Chair in the Department of Health and Wellness as well as Acting Dean in the School of Community and Health
Studies for two years. Bonnie’s contributions to SCHS were numerous, and although we wish her well, she will be
sorely missed.
MARIA ROBERTS
Faculty, Early Childhood Education Programs
With over 35 years in Early Childhood Education and 25 years in Adult Education, Maria spent her entire career
working with children, mentoring and teaching ECE students. As a faculty member at the Ashtonbee campus for
12 years, two of which were spent as Program Coordinator, she taught in all areas of the ECE program. Maria was
also the co-author of the book, “Think! Communication Canada” (2013, Pearson). Maria has been described by
colleagues as always being a remarkable and supportive teacher and friend. She will be truly missed.
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The Learning-Centred College Awards
In 2013, President Buller launched the Learning-
Centred College Awards to recognize outstanding
projects, initiatives or best-practice models designed
by Centennial employees to support student or
employee learning. Recipients are nominated by
a Lead Nominator (a lead or participant in the
project, or an observer) and a Learner Nominator (a
participant who has benefited from the program in a
tangible and measurable way), and are selected by
the Executive Team.
On May 2, 2019 Centennial College hosted The
Learning-Centred College Awards and our very
own faculty member, Professor Jodie Adams,
Department of Child and Family Studies, Child and
Youth Care Program, was presented with this award.
Congratulations to Jodie on this prestigious award!
Awards
The President’s Spirit Awards
Recipients are nominated by their colleagues and are selected by the Executive Team. We are very pleased to
confirm the following individuals, who received Spirit Awards in 2019:
RACHEL LARABEE
Professor and Coordinator,
Community Development Work
Rachel is well known for her kind spirit and her
genuine care for students enrolled in the Community
Development Work program. She is always ready to
provide a listening ear and non-judgmental support
to those who may be facing challenges to success.
To promote environmental sustainability, Rachel
partnered with the CCSAI to establish the Ashtonbee
Community Garden, a forward-thinking initiative
that benefits staff and students that has also been
replicated at other campuses.
HOWARD PAGE
Professor, Police Foundations Program
Howie is a lifelong learner and mentor who helps to
build community and inspire students and peers. He
is dedicated to developing and co-developing leadingedge
experiential learning opportunities for students,
such as the Mock Trial, and the annual SCHS Mock
Disaster Simulation. Howie has also rewritten courses
to accommodate different learning styles, and coauthored
a textbook that has been used by Police
Foundations programs across Ontario.
In 2008, President Buller created the President’s Spirit Awards to honor members of the Centennial College
community whose actions reflect the intent of Gandhi’s words: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
These awards are presented annually to:
• Individuals who are innovative thinkers and creative problem solvers;
• Teams who exemplify how cross-departmental collaboration helps the College achieve its goals;
• “Extended Family” members who help to build community at the College and who work for
companies such as Aramark, Canadian Campus Communities, etc. and,
• Individuals and teams doing outstanding work to support students with disabilities.
MICHELLE WRAY
Department Assistant, Nursing Program
Michelle is a hardworking and conscientious employee
who is greatly admired by all of her colleagues. She
works closely with faculty in the nursing program
and ensures that they have the resources required
to provide students with the best possible learning
experiences. Michelle often exceeds expectations,
whether she is meeting deadlines well in advance
or securing a last minute faculty replacement. She
provides consistently warm, welcoming and friendly
service to all members of the College community, and
truly embodies Centennial’s mission, vision and values.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Celebration of Achievements Forum
On June 13, 2019, the School of Community & Health Studies convened the Annual SCHS Celebration of
Achievements event. There was much to celebrate, and share! The sessions were organized to share information
and celebrate achievements in research, innovations in teaching and learning, and preparing students for success.
Themes included innovative teaching methods, interprofessional education, and a round of “mini” tabletop
workshops on various subjects for faculty and support staff. The event included presentation of the Dean’s
Awards, and new this year, the SCHS Service Recognition Awards.
An abstract booklet was produced for the event; this document includes abstracts of the oral presentations and
tabletop workshops. It is our great pleasure to share information on the awards presentations:
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
The Dean’s Awards
This award recognizes the individual(s) who creates a school environment that inspires our students to strive and
achieve ever-greater personal and professional growth. The recipients are recognized for fostering a collaborative,
creative, solution-oriented school environment where the contributions of all students are recognized, valued,
and respected.
In the category of Courage
Betcy Chirapparathu Sunny, Community Development Work (CDW)
Betcy has been described as someone who exhibited great courage throughout her achievements in the Community
Development Work program. Coming to Canada in 2016 as an international student, Betcy quickly began the
challenging journey to adapt to Canadian life in the busy GTA, and within a Canadian post-secondary institution. It
was Betcy’s first time leaving her home of Kerala, India. She courageously left behind her husband and one-year-old
baby girl to pursue her dream for a better life for herself and family, and to serve others in community development
work.. Betcy has always brought a great attitude and enthusiasm into the classroom, and to all of the many group
assignments she participated in with her peers. Along her CDW journey at Centennial, Betcy was selected to
attend the 2018 CDW FLIP trip to the Dominican Republic where she engaged in regional Community Economic
Development efforts, alongside her classmates in this international learning arena.
In the category of Community Service and
or Community Engagement/Service
Adrian De Rushe, Community
Development Work
Adrian believes in the power of plants and is
enthusiastic about sharing his passion. As a student
in the community development work program, Adrian
did his first placement at the Evergreen brickworks
where he supported volunteers to contribute to a
revitalization effort at the Brickworks. He was very
involved in the community garden at Ashtonbee, where
he was instrumental in the care and maintenance of
the garden, and went one step further by applying for
a grant to build a greenhouse. Adrian leveraged the
skills and knowledge gained through his gardening
and community work when he went to the Dominican
Republic. In the Dominican Republic, Adrian worked
closely with community members in Nuevo Renacer,
a community struggling with food insecurity, and poor
environmental living conditions. His first goal was to
help them envision what a community garden could
look like. Once a concept was developed, he worked
together with the community members building a
garden out of found materials, painting a mural, and
involving the children in planting seeds. The garden
will continue to be cared for by the children in the
community, providing both food and beauty for all.
In the category of Global Citizenship
Gabriel Ramirez, Community
Development Work
Gabriel has been described as the ‘perfect fit for
the global citizenship award’. He is a journalist and
an international student from Mexico who has been
studying community development work at Centennial.
Gabriel is curious, observant, and engaged with the
world. In class he makes connections, and brings a
strong anti-oppressive and equity lens to discussions.
Gabriel completed a fourth semester international field
placement in the Dominican Republic, where he put
his CDW learning and journalism experience to use by
using footage obtained to create a documentary about
the strengths of the people of Puerto Plata. He also
conducted the first ever community census (with the
support of the community leader and fellow interns),
using strength based questions, to gather information
about Nuevo Renancer, a neighborhood that faces
multiple barriers such as flooding, poor housing,
and unemployment. Gabriel (along with the other
students) also researched and developed a report
about the state of youth in the rural communities
and the Community Based Tourism possibilities that
exist there. Several other students were inspired by
Gabriel’s video and work, following-up on initiatives
that had been started.
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The “Heart of SCHS” Recognition Certificate
Dean’s Recognition “Apple” Awards
This award is designed to recognize those who foster a culture of respect, gratitude and recognition. These
individuals build upon existing work to further the sense of community and common passion within the College,
including the recognition of excellence, the celebration of success, the importance of learning-for-all, and the
responsibility of all employees to work for the betterment of the College and the students we serve.
Congratulations to the following staff and faculty:
Scarlet Dreimanis, Program Officer
Scarlett is someone who establishes and maintains a client-centered approach when involved with students as
she empathetically assists and encourages them in her day-to-day interactions. Scarlett demonstrates initiative
and active involvement in school-wide activities.
The Dean’s Recognition “Apple” Award was established to recognize the individual(s) who
has helped create a work environment that inspires our employees and/or our students
to strive and achieve ever-greater professional and/or personal growth. This award may
also provide Centennial College employees with opportunities for sanctioned involvement
with community projects, giving recognition for such work. Recipients of this award are
known for fostering collaborative, creative, solutions-oriented work environment where the
contributions of all staff are recognized, valued and respected.
The awards fall within the following categories:
Lindsey Jones, Professor and Program Coordinator, Recreation and Leisure Services
Lindsey is known for her incredible enthusiasm, passion and commitment. Lindsey has been instrumental in
ensuring a smooth transition for all of our Recreation and Leisure Services students, onboarding and supporting a
new full-time Professor starting in January 2019, and developing plans for program enhancements. Lindsey always
faces challenges with a smile and a sense of humor.
Michael Thomas, Professor, Paramedicine Program
Inspired by his eight-year old son, Mike promoted and implemented a Book Drive designed to supply books for
the Peel Children’s Center. Over the past three years, over 15,000 books were donated to support children ages
0 - 13. Mike also gained the support of the Peel Paramedic Association to help his son collect their goal of 5,000
books this year. This action on Mike’s part is an example of his selfless nature and desire to make his community
a better place.
Ann Vasilopoulos, Program Information Officer
Nominated twice for the “Heart of SCHS” Recognition Certificate, Ann is a person who exemplifies the ideals set
out in Centennial College’s Book of Commitments #8, 2nd edition. Ann establishes an employee experience that
is distinctive and unparalleled. Ann supports employee engagement to meet the needs of a changing workforce,
and builds capacity within the organization, resulting in an enhanced experience for our employees, our students
and employers. Ann encourages laughter, builds character, and champions learning. She tackles challenges with
respect, and puts the needs of our community before herself.
Michael Wood, Coordinator, Pre-Service Fire
Mike Wood is someone who is an active volunteer and ensures that he communicates with our current students
and alumni regarding opportunities to participate philanthropically in our community. He networks and engages with
Local 3888 Toronto Professional Firefighters Association to provide volunteers for their events like the TOY Drive,
Food Drive, boot Drives for Muscular Dystrophy, cancer, and women’s runs. He also seeks out nonprofit groups such
as Fire Service Women Ontario, and TESS that are focused on equity and inclusion within the fire service. Mike uses
his networks within the Toronto Fire Service to provide the students with community-building opportunities, leading
to fantastic learning opportunities for our students.
Global Citizenship
Rachel Larabee, Professor and Coordinator,
Community Development Worker Program
Rachel not only teaches it, but also lives and
breathes global citizenship. She is committed to
social justice, and is able to illustrate to her students
and colleagues how the world is connected from
micro to macro. Rachel has developed and led
Community Development Work (CDW) FLIP (Faculty
Led International Program) to Puerto Plata, Dominican
Republic. For the past three years, CDW students
have the opportunity to go to Puerto Plata during
the winter reading break, to learn about and assess
the opportunity for eco-tourism. Rachel worked
to integrate this into our Community Economic
Development course curriculum, so students can
relate concepts they are learning in the course to
hands-on experiential learning in the DR.
Further, Rachel organized a ‘Globally-Networked
Classroom’ so that all of our students participated in
a debrief after the DR trip, and students presented
their learning to our community partners in the
Dominican Republic. This was a truly transformative
learning experience for our students, and inspiring to
continue the global dialogue from the classroom.
Please see this powerful video of Tim Hall, our
Community partner and his words to our students
after he heard their presentation:
https://youtu.be/Oac2atCaeTo
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Excellence in Teaching
Patricia Lee, Professor, OTA & PTA Program
Patricia was nominated for this award because of her
work in creating a stimulating and engaging learning
environment, and in building a strong sense of
community. Pat created many opportunities that focus
on giving back, paying forward, and working together
for the greater good. Under her leadership, Pat
developed new student orientation programming, and
led research dedicated to the Occupational Therapist
Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant profession.
She also demonstrated a strong presence in exploring
best practices related to student persistence and
success strategies. She sought out partnerships with
COLT to develop a student survey on retention and
success strategies, and later with Cooperate Planning
and Institutional Research (CPIR) to assist with analysis
of this data. Pat fosters a sense of community within,
as well as outside, the program. She has initiated,
inspired, and supported others in development of a
variety of Interprofessional Education sessions, not
only between other college programs, but also with
external university-based partners. Pat retired in 2019,
and we wish her well!
We would also like to extend our sincerest congratulation to the following nominees in the category of
Excellence in Teaching:
Marc Levine, Professor, Police Foundations Program
Marc’s keen interest in and passion for supporting our students was recently on display during an event that gave
students the chance to practice their job interviewing skills. He exceled at creating a positive, safe, inspiring, and
inclusive environment for students where they were put through a typical interview meeting. This was the first time
the Police Foundations and Community & Justice Services Programs joined together in preparing this event for
students. With the support of the faculty, Chairs and Program Coordinators, the event proved to be highly successful
for students and panel members alike.
Kira Machado, Professor and Program Coordinator, Developmental Service Worker
Kira is a fierce advocate for students with disabilities and a champion for UDL (Universal Design for Learning) in
our School. At the faculty level, Kira offers her expertise and passion for creating accessible teaching and learning
environments by sharing pedagogical approaches and teaching strategies both inside and outside the classroom.
She has generously shared her expertise, time, and enthusiasm with other faculty, furthering our commitment to
support all learners. Kira was the lead faculty in developing and facilitating the School-wide UDL training session
in October 2018. As well, she worked with GCEI to develop an online training module on UDL that will be launched
for the College community. Kira also led a UDL training session for the School of Advancement in February 2019.
Kira has worked one on one with numerous individual faculty within the School of Community and Health Studies to
support their work in UDL.
Nagina Murtuza, Professor, Police Foundations Program
Nagina is a creative and passionate educator dedicated to fostering a learner-centered environment based on
mutual respect and collaboration. Nagina delivers cross-cultural training presentations and workshops, utilizing
principles of inclusion, equity, and diversity to help increase awareness, understanding, and respect about other
cultures in an objective light. She is the creator of, organizes, and operationalizes, the Vision Board Presentation
Event that enables students to comprehend the critical role of community engagement and research in a policing
context. It highlights potential benefits such as reduced crime, reduced disorder, increased feeling of safety,
improved police-community relations, and recovered community perception. This assignment allowed students
to explore realistic and attainable concepts, strategies, and programs of community oriented policing, as well as
present sustainable partnerships between the local community and law enforcement as a model for community
service and reducing crime.
Looking Beyond the Traditional
Model ‘Outside the Box’
Julee Joseph, Professor, Pharmacy
Technician Program
Julee was nominated for this award because of
her innovative methods in applying a simulated
‘gaming environment’ into the Math components
of the program. Students within the Pharmacy
Technician program must achieve 100% in math
courses, as mandated by the Canadian Council for the
Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs. This means there
is zero tolerance for mathematical errors. Julee has
developed a new approach to teaching math utilizing
a series of games, and the results were outstanding.
Students understood how to apply their knowledge
by using the different resources provided in the Lab
environment, and were engaged in games between
different teams. They were encouraged to do well with
free points and prizes. Julee’s methods have garnered
significant interest from math educators, but also those
educators interested in using gaming to teach difficult
subjects and increase learner engagement.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Innovation & Scholarship and
Applied Research
Howard Page, Professor, Police
Foundations Program
Howie was nominated for this award because of
his work with introducing the ‘Serial’ Podcast to a
capstone course. In this course, students work online
both individually and within teams to incorporate
tactical decision making by the investigating detectives
involved in the real murder case of “Serial” for mock
trial purposes. This allows for the online podcasts
to enhance both the learning experience and the
outcomes of the capstone course and moot trials. A
recent graduating student of the Police Foundations
program had this to say, “I was more engaged in this
mock trial than any other assignment I’ve ever done in
my two years at Centennial College. We were guided
by everything we learned throughout the entire course
and could apply it here!”
Exceptional Support
Mary Jo Bryant, Field Placement Coordinator, Child and Youth Care Program
Mary Jo works tirelessly on behalf of the Child and Youth Care program, students, faculty and staff. She has diligently
created, maintained, and largely expanded field agency connections as well as secured placement spots across
the GTA to accommodate the increasing needs of students coming from different neighborhoods. For students with
challenges or who are in crisis, she always goes above and beyond to talk with faculty and agencies to problem solve
and to help the students in a calm and respectful way.
Exceptional Support
Mede Ovbiagele, Success Advisor
Mede has excelled at creating a work environment that inspires his peers and himself to achieve ever-greater
professional and personal growth. Mede fosters a collaborative, creative, solution-oriented work environment
especially when it comes to doing anything that is in the best interest of the students. Mede establishes and
maintains a client-centered approach in all of his interactions with students, advocating for them when appropriate.
Mede establishes a safe, respectful and effective environment that enables him to diffuse challenging situations,
and seeks opportunities to further define, expand and develop the Student Adviser support role. He works closely
with the Student Financial Aid office to ensure OSAP funding is available to eligible students in order to reduce
financial barriers to participating in these particularly intensive courses. He demonstrates exceptional support within
the college community, which is appreciated by students and faculty alike.
Leadership: A Community Leader
or Fostering Student Leadership
Cheryl McPherson, Professor and
Coordinator, Addiction and Mental
Health Worker Program
Cheryl is recognized for her leadership in decolonizing
and indigenizing curriculum in Community Services,
including developing a strong and sustainable
partnership with GWEK in Manitoulin Island. As a
Haudenosaunee (Mohawk) woman, Cheryl’s passion,
enthusiasm and Drive for this indigenizing work is
deeply personal and political. As Program Coordinator
for the Addiction and Mental Health Worker Program
(AMHW), Cheryl led the indigenization process with
the AMHW faculty team, ensuring that curriculum was
created and delivered that is inclusive of Indigenous
approaches and understanding. Cheryl passionately
teaches from an Anti-Colonial framework, critically
reflecting on self as practitioner, examining societal
power imbalances, and working towards social
justice for all.
MARY JO BRYANT-
MEDE OVBLAGELE MEDE & MARY JO-
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
New: SCHS Service Recognition Awards
The School of Community and Health Studies is tremendously proud of the
sustained contributions of all of our faculty, staff, and administrators. The SCHS
Service Recognition Awards have been introduced to formally recognize, value,
and celebrate the long-standing contributions of these special individuals.
While we will work diligently to grow our culture of recognition and gratitude for
everyone, these service pins are a small way of recognizing those sustained
years of contribution. Congratulations to the following individuals!
35 Year Service Recognition Awards
Camuti-Cull, Pauline
15 Year Service Recognition Awards
Amar, Kimberly
Barnes, Karen
Bidwell, Luzia E.
Bishop, Michelle
Coombs, Greg
Cox, Christine
Crump, Christine
D’Addetta, Elizabeth
Dell’Elce, Christine
Felschow, Barb
Fox, Mark
Garcia, Fidela
Hann, Brenda
Herman, Kathryn
Horrigan, Trish
Ince, Shelley
James, Anika
Joseph, Julee
Leatherdale, Andrea L.
Kennedy, Jane G.
Locke, Dwayne
MacMullin, Eric W.
Matthews-Phinney, Deborah
Morales, Susan
Narine, Shawn
Nichols, Flora L.
Patterson, Harold
Pimento, Christopher
Quianzon, Jenny
Ramage, Linda
Reid-de-Jong, Victoria
Richards, Deidre
Ruiz, Shauna
Roumanis, Joy
Scott-Ash, Dawn
Stefopulos, Carol
Tavares, Walter
Vasilopoulos, Ann L.
Walker, Janice
Wang, Kyle
Wilcox, Debbie
30 Year Service Recognition Awards
Bishop, Jacqueline J.
Brown, Patricia M.
Cameron, Debbie
Ellis, Kathryn T.
25 Year Service Recognition Awards
Campbell, Karen K.
Ching, Sara
Connell, Michelle A.
Dickie, Christine
Franks, Judith M.
20 Year Service Recognition Awards
Barraclough, Wray
Bertazzon, Cecilia
Burchert, Janet
Cobham, Sonja
Cooke, Nancy
Copeland Abbate, Lori
Daley, Sharon J.
Freeman, Marcella P.
Haines, Lynn
Martens, Ann E.
McCulloch, Tara K.
Jasper, Bonnie
Kamps, Colleen
Kenmir, Audrey E.
Larcina, Theresa M.
Lister, Robin
Echavez, Marah G.
Fogarty, Delphina
Gilks, Lorraine
Gomez, Nubia
Hermann, Judy
Lilley, Cynthia
McBride, Lorea
O’Connell, Janet
Palmer, Cynthia G.
Scott, Linda M.
Simmonds, Bruna
Ng, Susan Y.
Nicholson, Amanda C.
Provo, Angela M.
Reynolds, Patricia M.
Tracey, Sonia B.
McCaie-Watters, Lisa
McCutcheon, Kim
Verkuyl, Margaret
von Boetticher, Sabine
Wilbee-Keys, Theresa
10 Year Service Recognition Awards
Adams, Jodie
Ahmed, Nesar
Altomare, Antonio
Antonopoulos, Patricia
Astrop, Marsha
Balakumaran, Jasmine S.
Balakumaran Mahathevan
Bartley, Gwenda
Bassidj, Sama
Bennett, Loris
Burstein, Merritt
Cabrias, Mirco J.
Chung, Nancy
Cuyugan, Bernadette
De Cicco, Helen
Deen, Cherryl
Deer, Natashia
Dew, Beverley
Dibari, Lisa R.
Downer, Natalie J.
Dreimanis, Scarlet
Duran, Milica
Echavez, Marah G.
Faught, Shawna
Galanis, Angelique
Gaudaur, Amy I.
Gobind, Chevita
Gottwald, Carol M.
Gray, Byron L.
Gross, Marketa
Halliday, Natasha A.
Harrinanan, Angela
Hughes, Michelle K.
Ishmael, Sherifa A.
Jackson, Daniel M.
Johnston, Ruby
Karam, Suzanne K.
Koseck, Karen
Kunihiro, Douglas R.
Lee, Patricia
Levine, Marc B.
MacLean, Carmela
Mahathevan, Balakumaran
Maraj, Alia A.
Mathers, Crystal A.
Mazzotta, Patricia
McCormack, Kathy
McGee, Nancy
McLellan, Carrie
Meating, Monica
Mendoza, Sheena S.
Montague, Janet J.
Montgomery, Tim
Moorcroft, Brian
Mouliakis, Donna
Nelson, Lorraine
Palter, Kelly
Parikh, Priti
Pasquariello-Bent, Lisa
Peiravi, Mozhgan
Pinilla Pereira, Marilyn
Ramsay, David J.
Roberts, Maria
Rocamora, Mark M.
Saint, Maureen
Semple, Philip
Schulz, Marge
Simpson, Donna
Stevens, Darren T.
Teng, Xinying C.
Torchia, Rosamaria
Wray, Michelle
Yates, Kenneth
Yeung-Wong, Iris Y.
Yilmaz, Rasiya
Zhang, Jie (Jenny)
Zielinski, Anne C.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
5 Year Service Recognition Awards
Abanil, Michael
Ahmed, Sayada S.
Alam, Farhana
Allen, Kendra
Alli, Nazool
Asselstine, Christa L.
Balan, Adam
Banasiak, Katarzyna
Barrios, Jonathan E.
Beasley, Patricia
Beckford, Merline I.
Bellussi, Nicole M.
Bhanwadia, Fizza
Biran-Pan, Charlene
Birgeneau, Marcelle
Bishop, Michelle
Bryant, Mary Jo
Burke, Karol E.
Cauch, Michele
Cayanan, Robert P.
Chen, Huasheng (Jimmy)
Chilas, Georgia
Chung, Nancy
Collins, Matthew
Cooper, Tricia V.
Culhane, Andrew J.
Del Carmen, Michelle E.
Delgado, Joshua
Dittmann, Tiffany H.
Dutt, Priscilla F.
Eappen, George
Ennis, Karlene
Galeotalanza, Michelle
Gardiner, Joel D.
Garner, Brian P.
Gasparotto, Michelle L.
Gatti, Aldo
German, Anna
Grant, Shauna
Gullo, Marianne
Gwyn, Randall J.
Haesler, Warren
Haghiri-Vijeh, Roya
Halsey, Denise C.
Harnum, Naomi
Hasan, Mahbub
Hinds, Donna M.
Humber, Erin A.
Hynes, Patricia M.
Iacolucci, Anthony J.
Impelido, Faith J.
Iskandar, Mirna
Jackson, Beatriz
Jackson, Judith
Johnson, Tanya H.
Joseph-Fiedtkou, Michelle
Jude, Liliana
Justin, Paula
Karr, Coleen D.
Kaushal, Shalini
Jones, Alicia
Kamstra-Cooper, Krista I.
Khan, Abdul S.
King, Birgit
Kobilkovsky-Teplitsky, Anna
Kolisnyk, Olesya
Kwok, Winnie W.
Labricciosa, Antonietta
Lagmay, Grace E.
Lanois, Louise L.
Larabee, Rachel
Le Clair, David M.
Le, Audrey
Lee, Michelle
Lehmann, Leona D.
Lenzo, Meh Jabeen
Lepoutre, Carly R.
Lewis, Justin G.
Lucas, Steven
Machado, Kira F.
Mack, Kimberley J.
Majda, Agnieszka
Makund, Lolita R.
Manalaysay, Katherine
Mansley, Jennifer L.
Marlatt, Julie E.
Martindale-Coke, Nicole
McBride, Patricia
Milosevski, Victoria
Morgan, Jonathan P.
Murtuza, Nagina T.
Moroni, Stephanie L.
Muffty, Stacey N.
Nakhuda, Aaishah
Neadles, William
Neilson, Stacey M.
O’Doherty, Frank R.
Ohata, Lisa
Oppong, Grace
Owens-Homuth, Victoria
Page, Howie
Panchal, Rupal
Pere, Katalin
Pesek, Zdenek
Rafique, Laila Rajroop
Rankin, Joyce
Ogilvie, Amy D.
Salas, Arjay
Santiago, Marcia
Purdy, Megan L.
Schmidinger, Patricia M.
Sewlal Burgos, Susana J.
Shanmugalingam, Sajeeban
Simpas, Janelle J.
Simpson, Leigh A.
Smart, Kristin E.
Smith Rowe, Novellette
Smith, Jennifer L.
So, Leslye Aikayla S.
Sommer, Daniel
Stachiw, David
Sures, Kiruththiga
Susini, Maria
Takla, Fabiola Y.
Tavares, Caitlin E.
Thomas, Michael D.
Trovato, Frank
Tsui, Joyce Chung Ki
Virani, Salima
Varghese, Jobin
Wagner, Lesley A.
Washington, Kerian E.
Webbe, Ann M.
Westbridge, Lysanne A.
Wilson, Christine S.
Wood, Michael
Woodill, Jennifer
Wymer, Rachael
Reid, Dawn E.
Zucker, Linda
Departmental Updates
Emergency Management
and Public Safety Institute
The National Peace Officer’s Memorial Run
September 26, 2019
The National Peace Officer’s Memorial Run was started
in 2005 by the Peel Regional Police running team
to commemorate peace officers who have fallen in
the line of duty. Participants run from Queen’s Park,
Toronto to the Memorial in Ottawa. They run in teams
with support vehicles covering 460 km in 3 days.
The Run is designed to create public awareness for
the officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice by
giving their lives in the line of duty. Relatives, friends,
and colleagues gain strength from each other as they
join in this show of respect and solidarity. Centennial
College has integrated participation in this event into
the Police Foundations curriculum. The fitness classes,
and any students not in regular class, are encouraged
to participate in the kick off that saw runners leave
Queen’s Park in the rain and run to the Toronto Police
No 51 Division police station. This year we had over
100 students in attendance.
Once at No 51 Division the Unit Commander, Supt.
Peter Moreira, gave a personal address to our students
and then facilitated a tour of his station. Our students
were able to speak with the Superintendent and frontline
officers directly. There is an academic component
to our participation in this event as our students are
given directed questions to ask participants about
their motivations for running and opinions on various
aspects of their work. The students then submit a
written reflection on their experiences.
We would like to thank Supt. Moreira for his time
and consideration of our students. We would also
like to thank Chris Stewart of CASSI for providing us
with T-shirts for all our students. The shirts make our
students stand out in the crowd and serve to show
Centennial College’s support of this initiative to the
public, the media and each other.
Centennial College Pre-service
Firefighting Inaugural “FireFit Team”
2019 Season
The students and instructors in Pre-service Firefighting
developed and coached what is known as a FireFit
team. FireFit is a competition where firefighters from
all over the world compete against one another, and
against the clock, in a series of fitness and skills
challenges. The competition has often been referred
to as the toughest few minutes in sports.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Firefighters descended on Oshawa September
11 to 15th, to compete in the Scott FireFit World
Championships. The teams and individuals that
qualified during the regular season competitions were
able to vie for a world’s title. Of note, the competition
includes both professional firefighters and students.
Centennial College’s Pre-service Fire team had
an amazing first year. The Season Competitions
occurred from May to September and resulted in
our team earning 6 medals in total at the following
regional competitions.
Quinte West:
Bronze for the 4 Member Team Relay and Silver
for the 3 Member Team Technical Relay, (X3’s)
Port Elgin:
Silver - Team Relay, Bronze - X3’s
World Nationals, Oshawa:
Bronze - Team Relay, Bronze - X3’s
In addition, they qualified for the Worlds, which is a
major accomplishment for any team. Team Members
who competed are: Wing Leung Tse, Emily Leung,
Krista Flanigan, Brad Bresolin, Michael Yau Loo,
Manuel Espiritu, Alexandra Gatzis, Bryan Downie, Holly
Lalonde, Jared Walker
One of the major strengths of the FireFit competitors is
the extension of the team approach. While individuals
do compete, there is a true family atmosphere among
all competitors who support one another. A number of
veteran competitors who are active or retired members
of the fire service took our team under their wing
and provided valuable guidance. The SCOTT FireFit
organization was so impressed by our teams’
decorum and spirit the organization donated
equipment to our team.
This is a wonderful example of grassroots success
and we have a goal to continue this as a regular
annual event with the support and involvement of
our dedicated alumni and instructors and students.
The team worked together to build props and practice
weekly during the year and The Office of Development
and Alumni Engagement ensured we remained
organized and our industry partners were assured
of being recognized for their contribution. The team
would not have been able to have such a successful
year without the support of many of our industry
partners who generously sponsored the team to cover
the costs associated with competitions, equipment
etc. Special thanks to our Partners who assisted us to
achieve this success:
Rescue - 7 Inc., A.J. Stone, Starfield Lion, Firehouse
Clothing, Jerusalem Restaurant, The Goose and Firkin
Pub, Gyoshi Martial Arts, Cosmaroma
If you would like to help support our FireFit team, the
members are selling team hats, pictures below, for
$30. Help support the team and we invite everyone out
to watch a competition.
For more information on FireFit, visit
https://www.firefit.com/
Department of Health
and Wellness
The Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist
Assistant program has been very busy this past spring.
We presented collaboratively at Centennial Learns on
several topics. Together with Corporate Planning and
Institutional Research, we presented “Going Beyond
Model Route for Retention”. Through an ARIF-funded
project, student research assistants helped present
on “Interprofessional Pain Simulation with BScN, OTA
& PTA, PSW Programs”. Based upon project work at
a new innovative OT placement model in long-term
care, OTA&PTA student, Lili Patrman helped present on
“Virtual Reality for Healthcare: Future Applications”.
At the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Annual conference, a couple of posters were presented
on “A National Occupational Therapist Assistant
Student Fieldwork Evaluation Form” and “Transforming
Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist Assistant
Student Performance-Based Evaluations”.
In May, we had our Accreditation on-site visit. The
Peer Review Team commented on our strengths in
faculty, students and student support services. We
are eagerly awaiting the official results and report in
November 2019.
Scholarly Activities in SCHS
Faculty Michelle Bishop (Nutrition and Food Services
Management) and Faculty Jennifer Innis (Nursing) had
an article published in the Community College Journal
of Research and Practice, entitled “Food insecurity
and community college students.” The article was coauthored
by Steve Boloudakis, Chair of Biotechnology
(in SETAS). Michelle also presented this spring at the
Canadian Public Health Association Conference in
Ottawa (April 30-May 2, 2019).
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Department of Child
and Family Studies
Child and Youth Care Program, CCSAI Club:
Council for Change
The Council for Change (CFC) is a club through the
CCSAI that consists of student representatives from
all three years of the CYC program. Over the years,
this club has been responsible for the Random Act
of Kindness events held at Progress, as well as other
meaningful and supportive initiatives that impact the
Centennial College students. In the 2018-2019 school
year, the CFC worked hard on creating program specific
newsletters to support all of the CYC students to
connect, learn about specific resources at the college,
and promote supportive strategies such as interview
skills and helping those students who were getting
ready for field placement interviews.
Department of Community Studies
Social Service Worker and Addiction and
Mental Health Worker Programs Partner
with WE WRAP:
Through a wonderful partnership with the non-profit
organization Health Out Loud, twelve of our Social
Service Worker and Addiction and Mental Health
Worker students attended a 2 day WE WRAP Retreat
focused on self-care, wellness and personal recovery
and empowerment. Our students gave testimonials
about their learning in this program, sharing
comments such as:
“I enjoyed the sharing! The classroom and
participants are all very interactive, and I liked that
the facilitators are peers and very welcoming.”
“I liked how inclusive and interactive the retreat
was! It was a safe space to open up and get to
know new individuals.”
“I loved the activities. I like the fact that it was
a very diverse environment.”
“I loved hearing others share their stories, and
it helped me to open up as well.”
“Learning about different strategies about
mental health, triggers, and crisis planning was
useful for myself.”
Now that they have graduated from the WE WRAP
Program, these students are eligible to become WE
WRAP Facilitators.
The CFC meetings continue to be held once a month:
this dedicated group holds their meetings on the
second Saturday of every month for three hours, and
the turnout is always high. At the end of the fall 2018
semester, the CFC celebrated their hard work by
hosting a potluck lunch after their December meeting.
The club has continued to work hard, and they hosted
a Random Act of Kindness (RAOK) event, where they
“rolled” around the campus giving students breakfast
items during the winter 2019 semester.
The CFC has a strategic plan for the 2019-2020 school
year and they are already starting recruitment of our
new first year students, and following through on the
tasks they have set out to accomplish. These students
are integral to the CYC program, as well as the college
community at large.
Suzhou College in China
On October 2nd and 3rd Centennial College hosted its partners from Suzhou College in China.
At these meetings, a number of Schools hosted sessions with the visiting faculty and administrators and
discussed program design, content and pathways. Our Early Childhood Education coordinators, Pauline Camutti-
Cull from Progress Campus and Tiffany Dittman, from Ashtonbee Campus met with Zhang Xinli, Department Head
from Suzhou College. The coordinators exchanged information with our counterpart about the model route for
ECE, as well as our Ontario Standards document and other items as requested by Suzhou College. The discussion
was focused on a shift in workforce needs in local regions of China and the increased need for both Nursery
Programs (infant and Toddler) as well as Kindergarten Programs (Preschool) and the need to provide well trained
staff to run these programs. The second day of meetings included a more detailed discussion about our courses
and the learning outcomes related to the course outlines and a tour of our Progress Lab School at the end of our
meeting. I want to thank the two coordinators, Tiffany Dittmann and Pauline Camuti-Cull, for showcasing our ECE
program as a true partnership with our colleagues in Suzhou, China.
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Fall 2019 Fall 2019
Department of Nursing Programs
WIMTACH Fall 2019 News
Mittens and a Movie, hosted by
the Department of Nursing, Practical
Nursing Program
September 26, 2019
The “Mittens and a
Movie” night hosted by
faculty in the Practical
Nursing Program for
the PNUR103 students
was a success! Over
30 students attended
and we now have a box of over 30 mittens (with a scarf
and one hat too!) to donate! Donations will be given to
the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (at
Markham and Lawrence) for their clothing bank.
The Latest News:
WIMTACH and McCray Optical:
Collaborators in Success
“WIMTACH was awarded 15 vouchers, each worth
$10,000, and the ability to choose its collaborators.
With a proven commitment to the applied research
discipline and growth of the local economy, WIMTACH
chose companies that represented that and innovation
at the highest level.
Strengthening industry partnerships and collaborations
is key to WIMTACH’s success with multidisciplinary
applied research projects. With McCray Optical, it was
no different.”
Read this story:
https://wimtach.centennialcollege.ca/
wimtach-and-mccray-optical-collaboratorsin-success/
Collaborative BScN, Bridging & Post Graduate Programs
Scholarly Activities in SCHS
Faculty Roya Haghiri-Vijeh, Collaborative Nursing, presented her work on “Hetero-homo-cis-normativity in Nursing
Research that Attempts to be Inclusive” at the 2019 STTI International Nursing Research Congress in Calgary (July
2019). Roya was also one of the sixty fortunate people (out of +1,300 attendees) to attend the first Hackathon
sponsored by Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Participants were randomly placed in groups to work on innovationrelated
challenges. Roya’s group won 1st place and were awarded three hours with John Hopkins innovators to
develop their ideas further. The team consisted of nurses in various roles across Canada and USA, working together
to make a difference in multiple-resistance medication delivery with the use of drones in developing countries.
Serious Play Conference Awards, July 10-12 2019
Faculty Margaret Verkuyl NP PHC MN, together with peers from Ryerson University, won Silver at the July 2019
International Serious Play Awards in Montreal. The award recognized the development of a virtual gaming simulation
on labor and delivery nursing care for use in healthcare education. The virtual gaming simulation is a branching
scenario game that allows learners to practice their clinical reasoning skills related to labor and delivery nursing
care, within a safe learning environment.
A Word from Our Network:
I think setting those [realistic] [project]
expectations is very important to companies
like mine. If we presume that you can
solve any problem, we will be let down
very quickly. But through the experience
we had, you [WIMTACH] managed the expectations
very well and you were always
able to bring in expertise to answer questions
if something felt outside the
group expertise. I would say to other
companies to definitely connect.
— Jim Sheehan
Northline Canada, WIMTACH Industry Partner
Read this story:
https://wimtach.centennialcollege.
ca/wimtach-impacts-northline-canadamultidisciplinary-expertise-services/
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Follow @CentWIMTACH
https://twitter.com/CentWIMTACH
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