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Career educator retiring

BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW [email protected] In the fall of 1960, Gord Ewin stepped through the doors of the old College Street Public School. He was only 18, but he was a newly minted teacher. Gord Ewin, who retires Dec.
BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW

In the fall of 1960, Gord Ewin stepped through the doors of the old College Street Public School. He was only 18, but he was a newly minted teacher.

Gord Ewin, who retires Dec. 31, after 44 years with the English public school board said he took it one day at a time.
More than 44 years later, the lifetime educator has announced he?s stepping down and calling it a career Dec. 31.

His employer, the Rainbow District School Board, announced Monday it is renaming its education centre, the Gord Ewin Centre for Education.

?It?s a nice way to honour our retiring director, who dedicated his entire professional life to educating children,? said Dena Morrison, chair of the English public school board.

The centre, located at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, houses the offices of special education consultants, curriculum co-ordinators, a psychologist, an attendance counsellor, the principal of Special Education, the principal of Successful Pathways and several other professionals.

Ewin has enjoyed his time working for children, but he never expected to spend more than four decades in education.

?I just took it one day at a time,? said Ewin. ?From my first class on it was always great.?

For Ewin it was always about the children and watching them develop and become productive members of society.

Ewin began as a teacher, then progressed through the public education system serving in several capacities including, principal, superintendent and as director of education, a position he has held since 1995.

Ewin actually started his teaching career in the summer of 1960 when he took a job up in Rupert House, Que., on the southern part of James Bay. He taught aboriginal kids for the summer.

Ewin was a principal for 18 and a half years. In 1984 he became superintendent of the Sudbury Board of Education. After becoming director nine years ago, Ewin was responsible for helping guide the board through its amalgamation with the Espanola and Manitoulin school boards to form the Rainbow District School Board in 1998.

He also led the creation of the LEAP program for senior kindergarten students in 1999.

Ewin said the key to running a successful school board that adheres to the needs of children has always been getting the right people on board to run solid prorams.

?You have to be smart enough to hire smart people,? said Ewin. You need people who are creative and energetic.

You have to give them the necessary support so they can do their jobs effectively.?

Ewin has loved his job so much he couldn?t stay away?literally.

?One thing I am very proud of is the fact I went more than 40 years without taking one sick day,? said Ewin. ?I took one in October of 1962 and the next one was in February 2003. Over 40 years without a day off is
something. Some of the teachers used to joke I was too dumb to stay home.?

It wasn?t always good times for Ewin and the board. He faced some tough challenges over the years, including the constant changing of curriculum, new initiatives and government changes, but school closures were the stiffest challenges Ewin has ever stared down.

?Nobody ever wanted to see a community school close,? said Ewin. ?It wasn?t a good part of the job. Sometimes it wasn?t viable keeping a school open and trying to make parents understand that was tough.?

Ewin was a highly respected man throughout the region.

?He was one of the best in Ontario I tell you,? said Ernie Checkeris, a public school board trustee for 55 years. ?I know because I am on the board of governors for the Ontario College of Teachers and Sudbury has an excellent reputation. Many boards don?t have a person like Gord. Now, because of him, we have a strong Rainbow District School Board.?

Ewin is an avid hockey fan. He?s been a Sudbury Wolves season ticket holder since 1972, and is a former part owner of the franchise.

For the last 10 years, Ewin has been director of education with the Wolves. He will continue to do so after retiring from public education.

?I make sure the players are going to school and I check their marks,? said Ewin.

Ewin isn?t ruling out a return to the classroom. ?I am not just going to sit around. I may do some supply teaching
and make it a full circle.?

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