It is with great excitement that we announce our guest for the 2013 Speaker Series, Rick Hansen. After being in a truck accident at the age of 15 that paralyzed him from the waist down, Hansen dedicated his life first to sports (he was a Paralympian) and then for the awareness of spinal cord injuries. Parents will remember his “Man In Motion” tour when he travelled under his own power by wheelchair around the world to raise funds for spinal cord research.

All of our Grade 8 to 12 students and faculty will get the chance to hear Hansen on November 21st and we invite everyone in the Mentor/TEAM community to come join us. Parents, relatives and friends are invited and tickets will be available from your campus office starting next week. Tickets are free but you will be asked to make a donation to a charity of Mr. Hansen’s choice.

Hansen is the latest in a long line of outstanding Canadians that our students have had the privilege to hear over the years. Stephen Lewis, Romeo Dallaire, Roberta Bondar, Craig Kielburger, Peter Mansbridge, Michaëlle Jean, David Suzuki…pretty soon we will be out of famous Canadians! I continue to be impressed by the calibre of the speakers; I know that it is not matched by any other school and even rivals the events that most universities put on every year. Kudos go to Mr. Cowle for putting together such a great series (and to Mr. Philbrook for making this ongoing investment in our students).

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School