Character Community Foundation of York Region honours Avis with the Character Champion Award
This year’s recipient of the Character Champion Award is Dr. Avis Glaze
Dr. Glaze has held a number of leadership positions in the education sector including Associate Director of Education with the York Region District School Board, Director of Education of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and recently she held the position of Ontario’s Education Commissioner & Senior Advisor to the Minister of Education. She led the literacy and numeracy strategy to improve Ontario schools academically. Before she retired in December, at the request of Premier McGuinty and Minister Wynne, she led the initiative to implement character development in all Ontario schools, based on the York Region model of community engagement. Most importantly Dr. Glaze has always been a strong believer in educating both the heart and minds of our children as we develop the citizenship qualities that will sustain our democracy and ensure that Canada continues to be one of the best places in the world in which to live.
While with the York Region District School Board, Dr. Glaze was the spark that lit the fire for character development in York Region, both in the schools and then through the creation of the York Region Character Community. Seven years ago the Character Community initiative was still in its infancy. It was a time as Dr. Glaze states when “schools were focused on academic standards but had no explicit remit to develop young people’s character or to guide them to become responsible citizens and effective contributors in society."
Not only did Dr. Glaze want to develop and improve character development in the schools she was a visionary who understood the importance of engaging the broader community in the process.
Dr. Glaze invited York Region leaders in business, religion, police, fire, education to consider what kind of a country they wanted, what kind of a school system and the qualities they would like to see in school-leavers.
Through these discussions and with the support of the local municipal and regional government leaders the Character Community initiative was founded.
Tonight the Character Community Foundation of York Region would like to thank Dr. Avis Glaze for her work in transforming education to explicitly educate not only the minds but also the hearts of children as well as for her passion and belief that it is important to engage the broader community in nurturing and demonstrating positive character attributes.
Character is not a lesson that stops at the school doors. It is through the daily demonstrations of character that we create the culture of the community in which we live, learn, work & play.
Thank you, Dr. Avis Glaze for initiating and being a strong voice and supporter in the creation of the Character Community initiative in York Region.
