For:Richard,Isabella,Mia and Matteo
I want to share a story that I believe symbolizes the vision that Bea had about culture and second language learning. For Bea it was always about the kids! Bea came to me one day to mention how we needed an event that promoted our cultural diversity and French language. She shared an idea that we agreed was perfect and called it Cafe Francais. That event became a perfect way for our students and school to celebrate not only French language and culture but all languages and culture.It became the yearly event we used to celebrate our Boards Education Week. We soon realized our students loved the featured croissant table the most. Bea would watch and laugh at how those tables were the first our students ran to. Those Cafe Francais days were emmensely successful thanks to Beas direction and ideas. But Beas vision didnt stop there! She came to me with this unwavering determination to get our Board to approve an excursion to Quebec. She wanted them to happen every March. Bea prepared the required information to make her proposal one that the Board would approve. I can still see Bea standing in my classroom so happy, so relieved and so excited about getting the approval she needed to plan an excursion that all students who travelled to, would come home with moments and memories they could keep in their hearts and minds forever. And that is what they truly did! Thank you Bea for your vision and for making me feel special. I was so humbled by how Bea saw me as friend that she would come to to share these successes. May God bless you and hold you in his arms with the love and affection you selfishly shared with so many of us. Your friend and colleague Rita Mannella
Posted by Rita Mannella
Wednesday January 10, 2018 at 10:30 pm