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Ernie Checkeris, an appointed member of the College Council since 1999, has
been named Chancellor of Thorneloe University, a church-related affiliate of
Laurentian University, based in Sudbury and serving Northern Ontario.
Checkeris, who was a school trustee for 55 years and recently retired as
chair of the Rainbow District School Board in Sudbury, says he was
"taken aback" at his appointment but welcomed the challenge.
"We are the smallest of the colleges and universities that make up the
Laurentian group," he says, "but we have a very good humanities
program and I hope to be able to strengthen it and promote it as a place of
understanding and peace."
Checkeris is a lifetime member of the Ontario Public School Boards’
Association and was awarded the Order of Ontario in December 2000.
Study Underway
of Use of Canadian Literature in Schools
The Writers’ Trust of Canada
wants to know what Canadian literature is being used in Canadian schools,
especially high schools.
A major part of the research project was a survey sent to all Canadian high
school English departments in the fall. The survey asks recipients to name
the primary works they use in class, as well as the secondary works and
textbooks and the amount of Canadian content the secondary works contain.
The survey will also try to discover the barriers teachers encounter —
lack of support material or training, for example — in using Canadian
materials and what resources or conditions would encourage the study of
Canadian literature.
The project is being funded by Canada Council, which will receive a report
from the Writers’ Trust containing recommendations to address any concerns
raised by teachers responding to the survey.
Jean Baird of the Writers’ Trust, who is responsible for the project, says
that teachers who complete the survey are given the option of follow-up
discussions about their concerns via telephone.
To obtain copies of the survey, you can contact Jean Baird at Writers’
Trust by telephone at 416-504-8222, ext. 246 or via email at
at jbaird@writerstrust.com.
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