John MacKie, from The Vancouver Sun recently wrote an article about Byrne Creek called The United Nations of Burnaby, December 17, 2011, as a part of their ongoing Vancouver Children’s Fund campaign to raise money and provide opportunities for schools within BC that have a high proportion of students that live in poverty. You will find the article if you click here.
Connecting for the Future
I recently received a gift from Byrne Creek’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Chair Janet Reid. It is a gorgeous First Nations art piece that I love! It is called, The Parent Voice: Connecting for the Future.
I went to put the artwork up in my office the other day and noticed the artist’s interpretation of the painting. It was a moment where I realized that the painting is a perfect fit for the path that we have charted in developing our community school model here at Byrne Creek:
“The Parent Voice: Connecting for the Future design encapsulates the elements of sharing, connection, growth and leadership which also run parallel to the mutual understanding and desire to sustain and brace a well balanced and healthy future.
The Man and Woman symbolize the sharing of their words, wisdom and cultural teachings with love and respect. The Eagles symbolize power of Great Spirit, courage, freedom and the capacity of bridging worlds. The Salmon symbolize the power of instinct, determination, intuition and the ability to follow your vision. The Bears symbolize the power of strength, sweetness of truth, deliberation, conservation and healing.
When creating this design I wanted each animal to have a partner to represent how we should never stand alone. The practice of partnership is a leading model of personal and professional success. I hope the viewers of this design feel its meaning within themselves as it comes from a place of welcoming, love, respect, understanding and unity. May we continuously thank and honor our Parents, Elders, Role Models, and Caregivers for their wisdom and guidance as we continue our journey in a sustainable and well balanced future.
Jamin Zuroski is the artist of this treasure and the author of this narrative. On his bio Jamin is described as a person of First Nations, Polish, and Ukrainian descent.”
Gifts to Share
David Starr, principal of Edmonds Community School in Burnaby (one of Byrne Creek Secondary School’s feeder Elementary Schools) wrote a book, released a few weeks ago, called From Bombs to Books. Starr’s love of his school community is evident as he shares the difficult journeys of so many of our communities Refugee families. It is [...]
I’ve been tuning into Byrne Creeks abundance. It’s a beautiful thing!
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” Wayne Dyer
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday October 6, 2011, Byrne Creek’s Leo’s (A Lions Club of Canada sponsored youth leadership club) hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for 300 newly arrived immigrant, refugee and international students and their families in our school’s atrium. The Leo’s gave an explanation of the origins and basics of what Thanksgiving was all about and we ate [...]
A quick introduction to Byrne Creek Secondary School
September 9, 2011 City TV’s Breakfast Television’s camera crews were on location at Byrne Creek Secondary for their “Back to School” series. Segments aired all morning showcasing the school’s dance and athletic programs, and video conferencing at the Centre for Dialogue. It was fun showing off our school to the Province! To view, click here.
Hello world!
Welcome to the Community Room! My name is Iha Farquhar and I am Byrne Creek Secondary’s Community School Coordinator. I will be the lead writer for this Blog. Although from time to time, guest bloggers will join me. If you are interested in guest blogging please let me know. I’ll start my first Blog with a super [...]
