Two West Island schools given top spots

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental .ca

Two West Island elementary school’s have made Today’s Parent magazine’s Top 25 Schools list this year. The list, published in the September 2007 issue of the magazine, includes elementary and middle schools from across Canada, and splits the winners up into 10 categories.

Westpark Elementary School in Dollard des Ormeaux made the list under the “Respectful Environment” category, thanks to its Friendship Club, where students of all ages get together at lunchtime to talk about true friendship and many other topics. Westpark also has a spiritual community animator who teaches at the school two times a week, helping students to develop their own selves and their interpersonal skills.

Teacher Pierrette Houde also helped St. Edmund Elementary School in Beaconsfield receive a top spot in the “Terrific Teachers” category. Describing Houde’s enthusiasm, St. Edmund’s principal Susan Greenberg is quoted in the article as saying: “It’s like her first year teaching every year.”