Premier applauds Charles H. Hulse program that links Muslims, Jews
Patrick Dare, Ottawa Citizen
Monday, February 05, 2007
Charles H. Hulse, on Alta Vista Drive, is the United Nations of Ottawa public schools, with students from 75 countries. Among the 500 students, 79 per cent speak English as a second language and many are Muslim. The latest newsletter includes articles in Arabic and Somali.
A couple of years ago, Grade 6 teacher Patrick Mascoe noticed some anti-Semitic remarks being made, so he brought in a Holocaust survivor, David Shentow, to speak about the power of hatred. Mr. Mascoe was impressed that “the kids were so respectful and so polite.”
Mr. Mascoe proposed a friendship program for Grade 6 students with the Ottawa Jewish school, Hillel Academy, beginning with e-mail exchanges between the students.
There was some apprehension, on the part of pupils and parents at Charles H. Hulse, says school principal Pino Buffone. But when the students met, worked and played together, the concerns vanished. Students worked together on painting tiles for the Hillel Lodge, a Jewish retirement residence.
When the Jewish students came to Charles H. Hulse for a day of team-building exercises and games, the parents who showed up to keep an eye on things were gone within half an hour, said Mr. Buffone.
Some students who were e-mail pen pals in Grade 6 have continued the friendships.
Mr. Mascoe says there’s a recognition that, even for people who might be enemies in the Middle East, there is a chance for a fresh start in Canada for the next generation.
“Part of being a good citizen is standing up against racism and standing up against intolerance. Our kids get that,” says Mr. Mascoe.
Rabbi Jeremiah Unterman, director of education at the Hillel Academy, says the exchange between Muslim and Jewish schools has worked very well.
“Once you get to know somebody, the prejudices just fall away,” says Rabbi Unterman.
It’s this kind of initiative that Mr. McGuinty wants to see repeated and expanded across the province as he pushes “character education” in Ontario schools. Monday Mr. McGuinty said the provincial government plans to hold 12 forums across the province, and spend $2 million, to get schools more active in encouraging good citizenship. It’s not enough, said Mr. McGuinty, to have the schools educating young people so they can step into jobs.
Talking with reporters, the premier said he wants to avoid the social strife that has surfaced in France, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands in recent years, stemming from cultural and religious differences.
He said a character-building initiative that emphasizes tolerance is important for a province where 27 per cent of the students were born outside the country.
Mr. McGuinty told some students assembled in the library at Charles H. Hulse Public that, regardless of cultural or religious affiliation, “Deep down, people are all the same. We all share the same values.”
He said those values include respect, responsibility, empathy, fairness, honesty, courage, caring and initiative, or resourcefulness. Getting those values instilled in students doesn’t have to involve rewriting the curriculum, says Mr. McGuinty. Rather, it can be built into things like physical education, where teamwork is instilled, or science, where respect for the environment is fostered.
Pupils at Charles H. Hulse presented Mr. McGuinty and Education Minister Kathleen Wynne with scarves made by students in the school sewing club, which are sold to raise money for drought-relief projects in Somalia.
The Alta Vista school is named after an Ottawa man who made significant contributions to the city’s well-being. The late Charles H. Hulse was co-founder of Hulse and Playfair Funeral Homes and served on the public school board for 31 years, eight as chairman.
He was founding president of the Ottawa branch of the Canadian Cancer Society, was named B’nai Brith Man of the Year and was a Kiwanis Club member for 62 years.
Source: Ottawa Citizen, Feb 05, 2007