WEST VANCOUVER TEACHER &
SQUAMISH NATION/WV POLICE WIN
UNITY IN DIVERSITY AWARDS
(West Vancouver, Nov. 8, 2006) - West Vancouver Secondary teacher, Meryl Stewart has been chosen as the recipient of the ninth Unity in Diversity Award.
Doris Paul of the Squamish Nation and Cpl. Fred Harding of West Vancouver Police Department also picked up awards for 'Caring for Our Youth', a collaborative initiative.
The winners received their awards at a ceremony and reception held at the West Vancouver Memorial Library on Wednesday, November 8. The Unity in Diversity Awards are granted annually by the Baha'i Community of West Vancouver to individuals or organizations who make significant contributions to promoting greater understanding, respect and unity between diverse groups.
Ms. Stewart was recognized for her outstanding contributions in promoting understanding and respect among students of diverse races, cultures, genders and social class.
Ms. Stewart, an ESL and transitional Social Studies teacher has been teaching since 1967. She has always gone beyond her job requirements and been a catalyst for bringing students together to perform significant humanitarian acts. According to her peers, it would be no exaggeration to say that because of Meryl, service, respect and tolerance have come to be embedded in the life of the school. Ms. Stewart has an on-going program called 'Cookies & Conversation', a lunch-time gathering of international students and their peers to practice English conversation. Among other activities, she has organized Diversity Multicultural Week and has been the sponsor teacher for clubs such as Amnesty International.
Doris Paul and Cpl. Fred Harding picked up their Honourable Mention Awards for their work in 'Caring for Our Youth'. Ms. Paul formed this grass roots committee in 2004 to deal with drug and alcohol misuse and abuse that was affecting the Squamish Nation youth. Since then the relationship between the WVPD and the Squamish Nation has improved drastically and many initiatives have resulted from the hard work of Ms. Paul and Cpl. Harding.
The judges were 2005 Award winners Douglas Macaulay and Phyllis Scott, and West Vancouver?s Citizen of the Year, Dolly Cartwright.
Previous winners of the Unity in Diversity Award have included Geoff Jopson, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development (now Superintendent) of West Vancouver School District for working to promote cross-cultural understanding and diversity issues in the schools; Harold Rosen, President of Multi-Faith Action Society for promoting better relations between diverse faiths and Harmony Arts Festival for bringing diverse members of the community together through the arts.
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Contact: Minoo Greenall
(604) 921-3334
