RMEF Awards 2021
The Ridge Meadows Education Foundation would like to showcase three awards granted this year.
1. The Justice Scholarship
Jim Longridge, a retired principal in our District, has been an advocate for justice for one of his former students who was murdered by family members for marrying without approval or consent. He set up this Justice Scholarship to honour her life. Its intention is to provide seed money for an annual scholarship for a worthy student and this year was the first time it was awarded. Many educators contributed to the fund and RMEF is pleased that their generosity will allow for the scholarship to be awarded for years to come.
The first recipient of the Justice Scholarship is Rini Liu. She is eagerly pursuing a Degree in Political Science at Simon Fraser University. Her goal is to become a lawyer to better understand, improve and support the judicial system in our country. Congratulations, Rini!
2. Wesley Dean DURKSEN Award
Wesley Dean Durksen was a keen and dedicated educator in Maple Ridge. He taught in several schools and eventually became a school administrator. He was one of those amazing principals who knew every student by name. He loved to learn and he loved to teach. He was an inspiration to everyone and this year the Award named in his honour was proudly granted to a SD 42 graduate named Jenna.
Jenna is excited about starting her studies at the University of British Columbia, and is working towards a degree in speech language pathology. Her goal is to work with children to help them overcome speech challenges. This award will help Jenna start that journey and we wish her all the best.
3. Ridge Meadows Education Fund Grant
The Ridge Meadows Education Foundation receives, generates and distributes resources to enhance the quality of education in School District #42 (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows). The goal of the RMEF is to support the types of programs that encourage our youth to stay in school and experience a fuller, richer and more rounded education.
An example of the types of programs that RMEF supports is one of this year’s grant recipients the Out of Bounds Outdoor Program.
The Program led by Gillian Campbell, Support Teacher at Highland Park Elementary, will use the money to buy sit pads, gardening supplies, magnifying glasses and other tools and supplies to help a group of about 40 students at the school explore the outdoors on a weekly basis.
The students look forward to their outdoor time, to connect with each other and the outdoors, and to be physically active. Their experiences highlight creativity, caring and a sense of calm only the outdoors can bring.
Congratulations to everyone and thank you for the important work you are doing.