Education and Early Childhood Development
June 16, 2015

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Derrick Dalley, Acting Minister of Education:

Minister Recognizes the Leadership of Teacher Marie Woodford

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this Honourable House to recognize and commend the outstanding leadership of Marie Woodford, a humanitarian and Grade 9 teacher at Crescent Collegiate. Under her direction, students at Crescent Collegiate, the community of Blaketown as well as numerous schools throughout the province helped to ensure that 105 orphans in Uganda have a new school.

In 2007, Ms. Woodford travelled to Africa and spent a semester teaching in Mombasa, Kenya. This experience opened her eyes and left her wanting to do more for children in Third World countries.

While teaching at Holy Trinity High School in the 2013-14 school year, Ms. Woodford’s class participated in a global initiative for children in an orphanage in Uganda. It was here she learned more about the orphanage and the need for them to have a school. Ms. Woodford then moved to Blaketown to teach at Crescent Collegiate and along with her class, put out a call-to-action to schools across the province.

Mr. Speaker, that call was answered. Students from Crescent Collegiate, Holy Trinity High School, Roncalli High, Amos Comenius Memorial High School, Holy Cross Elementary, Immaculate Conception, Goulds Elementary and pre-school students from the Little People’s Workshop made clothes, artwork, collected donations and school supplies, all in an effort to make this school a reality.

In March of this year, Ms. Woodford travelled to Uganda to help build the school and hand-deliver the items made by students in our province. The children in this small town in Uganda started a new semester in their new school just this past May.

Mr. Speaker, the students of this province under the leadership of Ms. Woodford have truly made a difference in the lives of these children in Uganda and have also experienced the impact of this outreach in their own lives. I ask all Honourable Members to join me in thanking Ms. Woodford for her leadership and dedication. She represents the true Newfoundland and Labrador spirit of giving and we are all very proud.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

2015 06 16                            1:45 p.m.