I am a student of ms halls from her years at northview height secondary school
I am honour to be standing here today and thank the organisers for this opportunity
I can forsee this being a teary ride...so bear with me
i could not have foreseen this moment 20 years ago
when as a bright eyed and way over confident 15 year old i strolled into the drama room at northview hts secondary school to meet the 'new' drama teacher
and stake my territory
the drama room...was a place i had become very familiar with in my grade nine year...perhaps too familiar
now i was faced with a regime change i needed to let the new 'person' know who i was
beyond that i dont remember much of that first class
other than i quickly and quietly took a seat on that worn and stained grey carpet that lined the black walled space...room 128...northview heights drama central
eagerly awaiting the new drama teacher to entre stage right
that was a moment that changed my life forever
little did i realize that the person who was about to enter that room would be such an empowering inspiration during my high school years and beyond
oh those years high school years
the ones of so much uncertainty and angst
she was petit and quiet and had a clear idea of what she wanted
and i think she figured me out pretty quickly
ms hall
teacher, director, mentor, SUPERSTAR!
in that first year ms hall brought broadway theatre back to northview in west side story
in doing so she also brought together a group of students in art and performance that...
builds a school community
builds student confidence
builds relationships and friendship I have till this day
she opened a door for me personally of self discovery and acceptance
she created a safe space
she inspired students with her confidence in them
she lead and directed from a place of artistic insight
she made it look easy
i know it wasnt
she gave us room to be
she opened her space for us to hang out
she allowed me to change the name of the drama club...to the drama society
above all that she taught us how to get along, communicate and trust
the year after west side story that the school show was guys and dolls
mr gomez...northview’s librarian extrotiaire and my inside scoop to all things broadway...told me that the role of nicely nicely johnson was made for me
only one problem... in the words of kristine from 'a chourus line'
See, I really couldn't sing
I could never really sing
What I couldn't do was sing
now i dont know much of the back story
but what i do know is that they auditioned ever big boy in the school
and there i was trying to keep up...vocally
so the day comes for the cast to be posted
i make the walk down the hall to find
richard scott - nicely nicely johnson
wow...she believed in me
in the end i did not sing the big song
it didnt matter
ms hall and i spent 5 years together
in my last yearbook, ms hall wrote
‘i cant begin to tell you how much i am going to miss you'
i didnt even have any idea how much she had allowed me to change
i missed her too...but sometime in this life you meet people who stay with you even though they are far away...ms hall is one of those people for me
we...and i truly mean WE...it was a team effort...i am sure ms hall in the end did way more than I could ever known in bringing drama into the spotlight at northview
ms hall and her belief in us has stayed with me
once i was hired by the TDSB i wrote her a letter, which i understand she received...expressing my gratitude and appreciation
actions speak louder than words
this is what a fine teacher does
in my 1990 yearbook that year ms hall wrote...
'i could always count on you'
what i didnt realize till much later is that i could always count on her too
in my 1989 year book...ms hall wrote
'we agree to disagree, BUT that is part of our artistic temperament'
how very true...more like ms hall agrees to be patient with me and my stubbornness
ms hall gave me the room to fly
perhaps a little too much room
but room none the less
i figure i had earned that room by then
she trusted me
she encouraged me
and she taught me
i was happy to do my best for her, to honour her and recognise her trust in me
that is the greatest gift i believe a teacher can gave
today i teach
not drama
outdoor education with the toronto district school board
BUT trust me...i bring the drama and performance to what I do everyday
i thank you ms hall for giving so much of your self to me and the students in all your glorious years as a teacher
i hope like me, each one of them knows how lucky they where to have had such a giving and talented educator
a caring and kind friend
a thoughtful and encouraging force
allowing students the opportunity to dream big
and in the refrain of nicely nicely johnson
ms hall never asked me to sit down because i was rockin the boat
in fact she encouraged me to stand up and captain that boat
as she stood on stage left and blew winds into the sails
congratulations on your boat ride ms hall
may you have nothing but open skies and calm waters for the many wonderful years ahead
in has been a honour to have the opportunity to reflect and revisit the feelings and moments that we had together
i stand here today and applaud your giving spirit and years of dedication
never one to step into the spotlight and take the applause away from her students
i ask you to join with me now...
in a standing ovation in recognised of an awesome woman
