WATERLOO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
WCDSB Announces Chair's Award, Community Partner Award and Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients

Each year, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board proudly announces the recipients of three major awards: Chair's Award, Community Partner Award and Distinguished Graduate Award.

This year's recipients of those respective awards are Jan Littlejohn (retired Speech-Language Pathologist), the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, and "St. Jerome's Boy" Dave Kurek.

The Chair's Award and Community Partner Award will be presented on Thursday, May 18, 2023, at the annual WCDSB Staff Recognition evening. Dave Kurek will receive the Distinguished Graduate Award at the Resurrection CSS graduation ceremony, per the tradition of the award.

Chair's Award:

Presented to a person or persons in the school system who has contributed significantly to Catholic Education. It is given annually in recognition of outstanding contributions made to the Catholic school system serving the students, staff, and greater community of Waterloo Region or to the betterment of Catholic Education in Ontario in general.

After 30 dedicated years of service at WCDSB, Jan Littlejohn retired from her role as a Speech-Language Pathologist in 2020. She was instrumental in establishing Speech-Language Pathology as a respected voice within the WCDSB's multidisciplinary team structure. Above all, she kept the students at the heart of everything she did each day advocating for those who are often the most vulnerable and supporting families along the way.

Community Partner Award:

Presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions made by a community partner or agency to the Catholic school system serving the students, staff, and greater community of Waterloo Region.

The Lyle S. Hallman Foundation is the 2022-23 recipient. The Foundation, founded by Lyle Hallman in 2003, continues his tradition of giving to areas that he believed were important. The foundation's philosophy is to invest more in prevention and early intervention than in tertiary approaches. Support goes to projects working upstream, before problems occur, rather than downstream.

Distinguished Graduate Award:

Presented to a graduate of more than 10 years from our school system who has demonstrated outstanding examples of the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations. Awarded at the graduation exercises of the recipient's Secondary School or other appropriate public venue.

Dave Kurek is a graduate of St. Paul CES and St. Jerome's High School (1977). In fact, Dave refers to himself to this day as "A St. Jerome's Boy" to anyone he meets.

Dave is a philanthropist in the truest sense of the word, always willing to support WCDSB schools particularly those who have higher socio-economic needs. He shows his care through helping others, anonymously, be it for a whole class activity, whole school activity, or even helping individual families (including personally help plan activities and events).

He never wants to be named for his donations; just to be recognized as a "St. Jerome's Boy".