A4 your stories Thursday, June 19, 2014 THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL Lessons deeply rewarding With their graduation now com- pleted, the 2014 Leadership participants find themselves re- flecting on the lessons learned and achievements of the past 10 months. It has been, they agree, a deeply re- warding experience. Terra Lofts, a program manager at Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, explains the impact of the program from her point of view. “Leadership Thunder Bay has had a very positive impact on me. My understanding and definition of a leader has broadened, the impor- tance of relationships in moving is- sues forward have deepened and my own self-awareness has been PHOTO PROVIDED BY SANDI KRASOWSKI strengthened”, she says. Lofts decided to apply to Leader- The Thunder Bay Community Foundation recognized 26 graduating secondary school students from across the region for their academic ship Thunder Bay as she was in achievements this school year. Scholarships and bursaries worth a total of $80,000 were presented last week. Accepting awards were, from search of a way to become more en- left, McKenna Boeckner, Hammarskjold High School; Melissa Davidson, Superior CVI; Kelsey Franl, Sir Winston Churchill CVI; Carter gaged with the community as a Dumonski, Red Rock District High School; Shelby Rooney, St. Patrick High School; Jak Lorree-Spacek, Churchill; Bonnie Donaghy, whole and did not know where to Superior; Wilson Poulter, Churchill; Abbey-Rose Arnold, St. Patrick; Ankur Shahi, Churchill; Shelby Malakoff, High School; start. Matthew Jollineau, St. Patrick; Beatrice Kaiser, Marisa Curran and Ekora Oades, all from Hammarskjold; Hayley Krasowski, Alexis Penna, She wanted, she said, an opportu- Adrian Grebowicz, Montana Takalo and Nathan Ryan, all from St. Ignatius High School; Johnathan Kettle and Brock Borody, Superior; nity which would enable her to bet- Logan Turner, Churchill; and Reegan Bushby, Hammarskjold. ter understand issues impacting the community and more importantly provide her with the knowledge and skills necessary to evoke change. Foundation honours high school grads “Working in the field of children’s mental health, I understand all too There were smiles, tears and applause as 26 “This monetary assistance is extremely gener- Rooney, who received the Roy Seymour and Geral- well the injustices which can occur high school graduates from the Thunder Bay Dis- ous and will allow us to focus on pursuing our in- dine Ruth Rogers Scholarship, will be heading to when systems are not in place to ap- trict received a total of more than $80,000 in schol- tellectual passions, and exemplifies the value of southern . propriately support children and arships and bursaries at Thunder Bay Communi- investing in education,” said Beatrice Kaiser, win- Carter Dumonski from Nipigon Red Rock Dis- families within our city and region. ty Foundation reception held at the NorWester ner of a $5,000 Ross Wilson Scholarship. trict High School will be heading to Thunder Bay “I wanted a way to strengthen, de- Hotel. to study. The winners will be pursing their studies in velop and refine my own skills while “Each spring the TBCF brings together donors, The TBCF would like to thank all of the stu- Thunder Bay and throughout Canada. working towards building a better parents, teachers, friends, trustee alumni and the dents who applied for these awards and wish them community,” she said. board of trustees to celebrate the accomplish- Many of the students, such as Montana Takalo, all the best in the future. who received the Shirley H. & Meredith O. Nelson John Clack, a clinical manager at ments of our scholarship and bursary award win- St. Joseph’s Hospital, had similar ners,” said Lesley Bell, chair of the TBCF scholar- Heath Care Scholarship, will stay in Thunder Bay, — Submitted by Bonnie Moore, Thunder Bay while others like Matthew Jollineau and Shelby goals and expectations. ship and bursary committee. Community Foundation Clack said that he was primarily hoping to learn about how different leaders in the community apply their knowledge and leadership styles to various business sectors. Place Making enhances tourists’ visits That mission, he said, was accom- plished, not only because of the im- When Senator Bob McKay first pact that the community leaders had landed at dock, lo- on him but also because of his class- cated seven miles east of mates. on the , there “I feel that through my interac- was only a small hiking trail leading tions with our very diverse class I to the Porphyry Point Lighthouse. was able to learn and develop my Today, 53 years later, he is leading leadership abilities. I am now able to an expedition from the Canadian utilize these skills in my new posi- Lighthouses of tion and often find myself drawing (CLLS) on an interpretive tour down on this knowledge as I encounter a road he helped construct. new situations,” he said. Tourists are looking for an experi- Lakehead Public Schools student ence which makes the place they vis- success co-ordinator Paul Tsekouras it come alive; Place Making is what said that he found the structure of it’s called. the program highly conducive to Making the place you are visiting learning. relevant and fulfilling is more than “You learn so much at each seeking out another pretty view. It Learning Day and the entire pro- goes deeper than that. gram is really a process instead of a Buried in the loamy soil along the series of event-based professional road for example, McKay points to- development sessions. It’s the real ward the woods, to a rather non-de- deal,’’ he said. script place where four graves lay. Lofts said that she will take away He delves into the macabre story of many vivid memories of the pro- each individual’s demise. gram especially the leadership Arriving at the lightstation, first Learning Days. established in 1873, McKay shares “My favourite part was the Learn- the historic layout atop the 90-foot ing Days. steel tower erected in 1960s. “What an incredible opportunity The site of the original lighthouse to have eight separate days dedicat- fog alarm building can be seen, ed to leadership covering the majori- along with a mirror image of the ty of sectors and issues impacting . Thunder Bay and the region. This CLLS members are preparing for program has an excellent curricu- a site cleanup this week to begin a lum and an outstanding repertoire journey that the tourists and the of speakers eager to engage emerg- general public will soon be able to PHOTO PROVIDED BY PAUL MORRALEE ing leaders,” she said. enjoy. For those thinking of applying to Clearing the yard and road of Wilderness North flies members of Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior to Porphyry Island. From the Leadership Thunder Bay pro- deadfall and brush, and securing the left, Paul Morralee, Alan Cheeseman, Susan Visser, Senator Bob McKay and Darrell Makin take part in a gram, Lofts says simply, “Apply! building will be the main goals. trip. “You have no idea as to the excel- With the addition of “place mak- lent journey you are about to em- ing,”a legacy of lighthouse lore can ders, who share their knowledge and on our future opportunities. charm of Porphyry Point Light- bark on.” continue, thanks in part to our el- experiences, while enlightening us Resurrecting the past, holding on- house Station for years to come. Clack said that it’s also a chance to the treads of our history, and to try something new and different. weaving a mosaic of stories will help — Submitted by Paul Morralee “It is a great opportunity to get future generations appreciate the out of your comfort zone and see what great things are happening in The Chronicle-Journal welcomes stories from our read- our city. ers. Tell us about recent gatherings, projects and meet- “I think that we all get caught up ings. Try to keep stories to 300 words or less and include in leading within our own work- captions if you’re sending pictures. Visit your.chronicle- places and never get the opportunity N THE NEWSPAPER

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journal.com to share Your Stories. S OF THE NORTHWEST to learn from other sectors. “Leadership Thunder Bay is an excellent opportunity to see how else ‘When I you can lead, and learn by working alongside the best,” he said. heard that Tsekouras sums it up: “Jump in the vehicle with both feet. had been “You will get more out of this rebuilt and than you expect and the relation- was on ships you will make will be lasting. display at the You’ll also learn about so many museum . . . I amazing initiatives and leaders in our community.” was eager to Leadership Thunder Bay is com- check it out.’ prised of a 10-month curriculum based on community issues for emerging leaders. What’s This program is designed to help participants acquire both a broader Your understanding of the critical issues affecting our community and the Story? leadership skills necessary to re- solve them. It helps prepare participants for The Chronicle-Journal the challenges of their own life-long always welcomes stories and photos leadership journeys, shows how to showing what's happened build skills and develops awareness in our region. Go to for the rich opportunities for leader- your.chroniclejournal.com ship in Thunder Bay. to find our user-friendly The program is now accepting online form. candidates for the 2015 program. Go to www.leadershiptb.com for your more information. .chroniclejournal — Submitted by Pat Forrest, Lead- .com ership Thunder Bay