“Daryle has a solid reputation for bringing the educational experience to life and continues to find new ways to connect with the students through his innovative approach,” says Dr. Glenn Cockerline, Acting Dean of Education. “I am pleased to see that he is being recognized for his talents and his efforts.”

Over the past 25 years, Daryle has promoted active lifestyles and healthy communities in the Westman area. His belief that laughter and humour are good for the body and soul has put him in demand as a speaker, motivator, and presenter at community, provincial and national health initiatives. Perhaps nowhere is this belief more prevalent than in his classroom.

“I have had the opportunity to have been both a cooperating teacher and student teacher supervisor for many of Daryle’s students. It is through this that I have witnessed first hand the impression he has made on them,” said Daryle’s nominator and fellow educator Bruce Brinkworth. “Daryle leads through his example as a teacher and his guidance to have his students think outside of the box. This hands-on, practical approach to inspire creative thinking has helped to move his students away from the traditional to a more critical and imaginative way of delivering curriculum outcomes.”

During the 25 years Daryle has been with Brandon University he has held various positions including Athletic Director and Recreation Director. Daryle is currently Chair and Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education. His early experience included five years as a public school physical education teacher followed by five years as Program Director of Brandon YMCA.

“I am very honoured to be the recipient of the Award for 2012. I have seen and been around so many creative teachers and Physical Educators over the years, some of it must have rubbed off on me,” said Daryle. “No matter what lesson I may be teaching, I believe there is always a better and more interesting way of presenting the information. I am always looking for different ways of creating a learning environment where people (students) feel comfortable, and as often as possible, are encouraged to work together in an atmosphere of anticipation.”

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For more information, please contact:

Vicki Klassen
Associate Vice-President (External)
Brandon University
270-18th Street
Brandon, MB R7A 6A9
T: (204) 727-9689

“BU has some fabulous professors and great course selections. The Faculty of Education is full of amazing people and it prepares you for your own classroom one day!” said Darci, who is two years younger than Danielle.

While Danielle shared her sister’s feelings about their alma mater, she added a few comments.

“After completing my Education degree, I am so grateful for the small class sizes at BU, the relationships formed with professors and the lifelong friends I have made,” she said. “My field experiences were all very valuable and I learned from amazing teachers.”

Darci has had a bit of a head start in the “real world”, as she was hired this spring as a replacement in the Grade 3 and 4 class at the Waskada School. She will return there in the fall for a good portion of the school year.

“I am very lucky to be in such an amazing school. Waskada School is full of great staff and students,” said Darci. “It is probably the best feeling in the world. This is what I have been waiting for my entire life. Teaching is a very rewarding career and it holds a lot of responsibilities. It will take time and a lot of hard work to be the best that I can be as a teacher.”

Currently the Summer Services Coordinator for Children’s dis-ABILITY Services in Brandon, Danielle has also landed a position in her field of study. Like her sister, she will be teaching the Grade 3 and 4 class at Betty Gibson School in Brandon, where she had been an educational assistant during her studies at BU.
Though they are just embarking on their careers, both women had been nurturing the love of teaching for years: As children, they loved to “play school”.

“I have grown up wanting to be a teacher,” said Danielle. “I admired my early years teachers and wanted to be just like them.”

“I grew up around teaching and helping kids my entire life,” said Darci. “As little girls, my sister and I started out teaching our two little brothers, Kyle and Tanner.”

During their teen years, Danielle and Darci were very involved in their hometown’s recreation programs for kids. They both lifeguarded and instructed young swimmers. Danielle also taught piano, coached various sports, while Darci was a Can-Skate assistant with the Melita Figure Skating Club.

“They’re lovely, smart young ladies,” said Gloria Caldwell, the Antler River Recreation Director. “They’re very well thought of in their community. They’ve done a good job in their lifeguarding and running the pool. I’m sure they’ll do well in their careers. Both of them are very dedicated to their chosen career path and they’ll make excellent teachers.”

At Brandon University, Dr. Jacqueline Kirk taught both sisters during their education program.

“It was wonderful to work with them,” said Dr. Kirk. “They’re both really, really nice girls and both very professional about how they approached their studies. They really took responsibility for their learning, so I’m delighted that they have found work for the fall.”

Of spending time in the same program together, both Danielle and Darci have nothing but fond memories and are looking forward to pooling their resources as professionals.

“Being in the same classes as my sister was a good thing. It was nice to collaborate, to share ideas, to vent to each other and to learn from one another. I wouldn’t have changed a thing,” said Danielle.

“As my sister and I go our different paths, we will still connect to share ideas and stories,” said Darci. “It will be very different to not have her by my side. It is sad to think our education days at Brandon University are over, (but) Danielle and I are very fortunate to teach the same grades next year, so together we can plan an amazing school year!”
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Honorary Doctorate Recipients

• Annette Thorimbert Osted: A dedicated psychiatric nurse, Mrs. Osted also held the position of Executive Director/Registrar of the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba (CRPNM) for more than 30 years. Throughout her career, she also devoted time to volunteer, gravitating to organizations that help those afflicted by a mental illness.

• Anton Kuerti: An Officer of the Order of Canada, Mr. Kuerti is acclaimed for his performances of Beethoven’s music and has appeared with many of the world’s top orchestras. With more than 25 discs to his credit, he is also avid chamber musician has collaborated with other remarkable instrumentalists, the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and the Tokyo String Quartet.

Distinguished Teacher Award Recipients

• Dolores Hardy: Born in Rossburn, Manitoba and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Ms. Hardy is a Brandon University alumna. She spent her first year teaching in Alexander, followed by 21 years at King George School in Brandon.

• Brigit Lavallee: Raised in Winnipeg, MB, Brigit graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1994. She taught for 10 years in Roblin, MB and is now teaching History and English in Rossburn Collegiate.

• Sherryl Maglione: Born and raised in Alberta, Miss Maglione is currently working on her MEd at Brandon University, with a focus on indigenizing the high school English Language Arts curriculum. She has been teaching for 15 years, and in the past five, her focus as been senior English Language Arts at the Sioux Valley High School.

Board of Governors Community Service Award Recipient

• Patrick Johanneson: Patrick, who was born and raised in Ste. Rose du Lac, writes science fiction and fantasy, and has been published in On Spec, Tesseracts 14 and Daily Science Fiction. In 1997, he started taking judo lessons. In 2009, he received his shodan (or first degree black belt) and he currently runs the Brandon Judokan club, which practices in the Brandon University gym. Patrick also volunteers at the Evans Theatre.

Brandon University Alumni Association’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• Rochelle Rands: Rochelle, who grew up in MacGregor, graduated with a B.Ed. from Brandon University in 1998. She first taught in Portage la Prairie at Yellowquill School. During this time, she completed a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Education and a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Education from the University of Manitoba. In 2008, she completed the Masters Program in Special Education at Brandon University and became the Assistant Superintendent/Student Services Coordinator for the Pine Creek School Division. In 2009, she transitioned back to Portage la Prairie, where she is in her third year as the Administrator of Student Services.

Brandon University Alumni Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award

• Dr Wendy McCallum: Dr. McCallum holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a Bachelor of Education degree from Brandon University and completed a Master of Music at the University of North Dakota. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas. As a faculty member at Brandon University, she conducts the Symphonic Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting courses, as well as instrumental music methods. She is well respected for her knowledge and conducting skills and has been invited to conduct numerous junior high and high school, among other honours.

Valedictorians

• Jennifer Shead: Born and raised in Winnipeg, Jennifer moved to Brandon to pursue her studies in Music Education after high school. During her time at Brandon University, she performed as a member of the National Youth Band of Canada (NYB) in 2010, worked as a Student Ambassador for Recruitment & Retention, and served as President of the Brandon University Student Music Educators Association (BUSMEA). A multi-scholarship winner, she has been accepted into the flute masterclass program at the Orford Arts Centre in Orford, Quebec for the summer of 2012. She hopes to teach instrumental music in the public school system in Manitoba in the fall.

• Kelsey Grindey: With a lifelong desire to teach, Kelsey left her small rural hometown just outside of Winnipeg and enrolled at Brandon University. During summer breaks, she moved back home to work with Aboriginal youth in Winnipeg’s inner city. She is very proud to be First Nations and is looking forward to starting her career as a Senior Years teacher.

• Natasha Vandamme Born and raised near Baldur, Natasha began her studies at Brandon University in 2008 and is now graduating with a Bachelor of Science (4-Year), with a major in Chemistry and a double minor in Mathematics and Zoology. While at BU, she served several terms as a lab assistant in the Chemistry department as well as was an Academic Residence Advisor. In her third year, she received the Chemical Institute of Canada Silver Medal and she is currently working on an NSERC grant with Dr. Lemaire.

All four ceremonies — at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on both June 1 and 2 — can viewed via live streaming at:

http://www.brandonu.ca/convocation/video
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“I remember studying John’s recordings and compositions when I was a student at Eastman a long time ago,” said Gatien. “He’s not as well known as he should be, having chosen to settle in Wisconsin, but he is a truly remarkable musician. Hearing him play is going directly to the source. Getting to hear him live, getting to play his compositions here in Brandon is a remarkable opportunity.”

A student of the late, world-famous jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, Harmon co-founded Matrix, a jazz nonet. With that group, he contributed to five recordings and countless live performances. Since the early 1980s, the pianist has also been focused on music education. He has been the Director of Jazz Studies at his alma mater, Lawrence University. For almost two decades, he was the music director of the Fox Jazzfest.

Nicknamed ‘Wisconsin’s Gentle Poet of Jazz’, Harmon’s work underlines his concern for the environment and his interest in Native American culture. He has received many awards for his musical achievements. These include an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (Lawrence University); fellowships from the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters and Culver Military Academy (IN); Distinguished Service Awards from both the International Association of Jazz Educators and Wisconsin State Music Association; the Jazziz Award, and many others.

Harmon will join the Brandon University musicians on Wednesday, May 30, at 8 p.m., in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall. Admission to this performance is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
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“I am very pleased that we have negotiated an agreement that will facilitate Mount Royal University music students who wish to continue with Music degree opportunities at Brandon University. When universities partner for the benefit of students, both institutions benefit,” said Dr. Deborah Poff, Brandon University’s President and Vice-Chancellor.

“The School of Music is greatly honored to have forged this alliance with Mount Royal University’s Music Diploma Program,” said Dr. Michael Kim, the Dean of the School of Music at Brandon University. “This collaborative venture will be of great and mutual benefit to both our music programs, and we look forward to welcoming the very talented young musicians from this program in the near future.”

This new agreement between Brandon University’s School of Music and Mount Royal University’s Faculty of Communications Studies was preceded by similar transfer agreements between the Calgary-based University and other Albertan universities. This arrangement will be advantageous for Brandon University, Mount Royal University and the students involved.

“With the signing of this articulation agreement, Mount Royal University will be able to provide its Music Diploma students with a remarkable opportunity to complete a four-year degree at Brandon University in a most prestigious Music School,” said Mount Royal University’s President Docherty.
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“The National Youth Band of Canada allows youths aged 16 to 21 to join together for a week of rehearsals and performances that include excellent leadership, challenging repertoire, and meaningful rehearsal,” said Dr. Wendy McCallum, a faculty member in the BU School of Music and the current President of the Canadian Band Association (CBA). “This experience provides opportunities for individuals to extend musical skills, while developing relationships with musicians from across the nation. The National Youth Band is a significant program in the Canadian Band Association’s mandate to represent and support bands and band music across Canada.”

The BU students who auditioned and were chosen for the NYB are second-year alto saxophonist Lauren Dobko, second-year baritone saxophonist Madeline Lowe, first-year tuba player Tyler Lischynski and fourth-year percussionist Melissa Ballard. As well, this year’s Music Director Dr. Colleen Richardson, who is the University of Western Ontario’s Coordinator of Bands, the Wind Ensemble Director and an Assistant Professor, graduated from the BU School of Music in 1987.

In recent past NYB ensembles, there have been numerous BU students involved, including Corah and Suzu Enns, Jennifer Shead, Kena Olson, Julia Howe, Mikaela Oldenkamp, Wendy Stenger, Taryn Jackson, Joelle Nielsen, Sean Pullen, Derek Thorsteinsson as well as soon-to-be-graduates Holly Bryan, Ryan Premack and Chelsey Hiebert. Meanwhile BU School of Music alumnus and current Master of Music (Performance and Literature) candidate, clarinetist Chris Byman spent the 2007 to 2010 sessions with the NYB. He was able to travel to Prince Edward Island, Southern Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, thanks to this ensemble.

“NYB is a fantastic experience for young musicians in Canada. As the CBA holds the program in different cities around the country each year, it gives re-participating musicians (like me) a chance to not only travel the country, but interact with talented peers and world-class conductors,” said Byman. “The fact that Brandon is hosting a portion of NYB this year is exciting as it shows our city is making yet another national footprint in the arts community.”

The National Youth Band will give two concerts — at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. — Thursday, May 10, in the Western Centennial Auditorium. There are still some tickets left for both performances and will be available at the door.
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Between January 1949 and March 1950, several young musicians recorded an album of music composed for an unusual ensemble of trumpet, alto sax, baritone sax, trombone, French horn, tuba, piano, bass and drums. The compositions were strikingly original, blending jazz harmonies and rhythms with classically inspired counterpoint. Several of the player/composers went on to become household names among jazz followers, including Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan and Gil Evans. The album, called The Complete Birth of the Cool, was released in 1957, and the title reflects the consensus that these recordings marked the beginning of the post-bebop trend in jazz that prevailed through the 1950’s, known as the “Cool School”.

In spite of the vast influence of this recording, the ensemble itself, with its marvelous colours and possibilities, was extremely short lived (aside from the recording sessions, they only performed one two-night stand at a club in New York) and rarely duplicated. This tragic neglect has now been rectified by “The Complete Rebirth of the Cool” project.

“Miles Davis’s “Birth of the Cool” recording is one of the classics in the history of jazz music—a marker of a new style and approach to jazz-ensemble playing. Every member of this project, as a musician and educator, has been inspired in some way by Miles and this recording,” said Platz. “This project serves as both a tribute to the music of those legendary recording sessions and as a catalyst for new creative works by members of the ensemble.”

Under the direction of Winnipeg trombonist and composer, Jeff Presslaff, “The Complete Rebirth of the Cool” recreates many of the conditions of that original burst of creativity: A team of probing musical thinkers and the means to compose and perform their new ideas.

The music reflects to a large degree the sensibilities of the original recording, but the goal is emphatically to make new pieces that reflect the musicians’ personal experiences, as well as the changes in the musical landscape over the past 60 years. There is a greater variety of grooves and much influence from modern composition techniques and the music of other cultures.

“In performance, the repertoire of this project will include a few arrangements of music from the original “Birth of the Cool” recording along with compositions written specifically for this project by some of Western Canada’s leading contemporary jazz composers,” Platz said. “It’s an exciting combination of old and new, traditional and contemporary, that I don’t think you get to hear presented all that often in jazz.”

Presslaff has a strong track record of successfully coordinating collaborative composition projects, including the Jazz Composers Ensemble, All Winds, Papa Mambo and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra.

This newly formed ensemble will be drawing on the formidable instrumental abilities of both the composers and highly regarded players from the region. Presslaff will be joined by some of the leading lights of Western Canada’s creative jazz community, including the already eminent Dean McNeil on trumpet (Saskatoon) and Ken Gold on baritone sax (Winnipeg), as well as composers Will Bonness (also on piano), Jonathan Stevens, Chuck McClelland and Danielle Baert. Also in the lineup will be Irene Sas on French horn (Winnipeg) and Steve Oberheu on tuba (Winnipeg).

“Personally, the reward of being involved in this project is the chance to make a connection to an important part of the jazz tradition in the context of a contemporary community of modern improviser/composers. For me, music making is about community—expressing and strengthening community,” said Platz.

This concert will take place Saturday, May 5 at 8 p.m., at The Music Studio, 940 Rosser Avenue. Admission is $10 for students and seniors and $15 for adults.

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“The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadians with housing needs and people seeking to break free from the cycle of homelessness and poverty,” said Merv Tweed, Member of Parliament for Brandon–Souris, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. “We are pleased to partner with Brandon University in its effort to improve homelessness prevention by expanding our knowledge of its causes.”

Dr. Rempel’s research, valued at $72,108, will explore the factors that contribute to youth at-risk mobility in rural and northern Manitoba communities.
Dr. Robinson will receive $31,056 for research entitled “Housing and Support in the Community of Choice: Addressing Factors that Contribute to Migration and Homelessness”.

In her project, Dr. Robinson will describe “the extent to which migration from rural areas contributes to homelessness in a medium-sized regional centre, and identify factors that contribute to migration and settlement difficulties. The project will also investigate reasons for return to rural communities and supports that would enable people to effectively settle in their community of choice.”

“Migration between rural and urban areas is a well-established pattern with consequences for both home and receiving communities,” said Dr. Robinson, who is partnering with Brent White, the Manager of Residential and Support Services with the Brandon Regional Health Authority for this study. “Housing and homelessness are of considerable concern to service planners in Brandon.”

Dr. Rempel’s project is aimed at “youth between the ages of 15 and 30 living outside of the City of Winnipeg, who are at-risk because they are chronically unemployed or lack steady employment; have a lack of educational achievement; and/or require social supports and program interventions. The initial phase of the project resulted in more than 1,700 completed surveys from youth at-risk, 500 completed surveys from employers and 12 community and regional plans to address the needs of youth at-risk at the community or regional level.”

“I am very excited about this research project for our Faculty of Education,” said Dr. Rempel. “This analysis will help us gain a better understanding of the factors and circumstances that contribute to youth-at-risk mobility. Most importantly, this information will be useful to school divisions, communities and government agencies who are trying to address the needs of youth at-risk.”
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