On Saturday, November 7, teacher Daniel Pupulin and Grade 12 student Joy M. from Madonna represented the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) at the Alpha Education Gala at the Toronto Botanical Gardens.
Alpha Education works in several TCDSB schools to educate students about the atrocities of the Second World War (WWII) in Asia and work towards creating peace in the world. One of its programs, History+Art=Peace (HAP), features a series of workshops facilitated in schools by subject experts and culminates in a visit to the impactful Asia Pacific Peace Museum. To consolidate their learning, students create an art piece that represents their vision for a more peaceful world.
As two participants in HAP, Daniel and Joy participated in a discussion panel moderated by Alpha Education's Genling Chan, where they shared their experiences in the program with more than 200 guests. The audience included representatives from the York Region District School Board (YRDSB), the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the TCDSB; former Ontario Premier and Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae; Toronto and York Region city councillors and trustees; and current Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
Joy and Daniel spoke about the impact of the program, the importance of critical thinking and art in educating students about the impact of conflict in Asia during WWII, and how education can continue to evolve to ensure students are able to learn about multiple historical perspectives to achieve a more peaceful world.