People

Student heads to the top of French literacy competition

BY JEFF WIMBUSH
May 15, 2008 03:51 PM Neria Aylward is the kind of 12-year-old that succeeds at everything she puts her mind to, according to Andree Gauthier, her Grade 6 teacher. So it was no big surprise when Neria recently qualified to represent southern Ontario in the... more

Joyce Public School teacher wins New Teacher of the Year award

BY CLARK KIM
May 13, 2008 03:12 PM Andrew Schmitt has been teaching for three years, but he's already made a significant positive impact on his students, parents and fellow staff.

The elementary school teacher at Joyce Public School near Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue was... more

Author's self-published debut wins prestigious Leacock humour award

Long-time resident and businessman scoops $10,000

BY NORM NELSON
May 13, 2008 11:31 AM The past winners list for the Stephen Leacock Award for humour is home to such Canadian literary giants as Mordecai Richler, W. O. Mitchell, W. P. Kinsella, Farley Mowat and Robertson Davies.

To that exclusive list you can now add local resident... more

Man goes to Extreme in fight against cancer

Gym program geared toward those dealing with lymphoma

BY JUSTIN SKINNER
April 10, 2008 11:29 AM Shocked by the dearth of programs designed to help those with cancer improve their overall health, Yorkville resident Martin Robertson decided to take matters into his own hands.

Robertson was diagnosed with lymphoma four years ago and though he... more

North Yorker has a 'hand' in NASA's Dextre

Engineer was in Florida as robot left for the International Space Station

BY FANNIE SUNSHINE
April 3, 2008 11:26 AM A North York resident recently received NASA's prestigious Space Flight Awareness Honoree Award for his work on Dextre.

Sean Dowling spent three years as the leading technical engineer in the hand re-design of the Special Purpose Dexterous... more

Photographer angles for wife's heart

BY LISA RAINFORD
February 13, 2008 03:30 PM Photographer David Allen brings new perspective to the song 'My Funny Valentine' made popular by legendary crooner Frank Sinatra.

There is no doubt he has been making his wife Larissa laugh each Valentine's Day for the past 37 years.

It... more

Charlotte Jefferis turns 105

BY TAMARA SHEPHARD
February 5, 2008 03:47 PM Charlotte Jefferis celebrated her 105th birthday in style Friday, singing tunes spanning the decades of her life.

"It's a long way to Tipperary," the mother of five sang into the microphone, harkening the popular 1912 anthem sung by... more

Model citizen takes flight with Halifax Bomber

Airplane model donated to aircraft association

BY FANNIE SUNSHINE
January 22, 2008 03:51 PM For more than a decade, Louis Weiss has dedicated himself to the craft of model making.

From St. Peter's Basilica to Ottawa's Parliament building, the Yonge Street and Finch Avenue resident spends months to years finishing a piece, making sure... more

David Tomlin makes an 'Outstanding principal'

BY TAMARA SHEPHARD
January 17, 2008 01:48 PM When David Tomlin ran in the Toronto Marathon last year, eight of his students ran with him.

That respect is one reason why the John English Junior Middle School principal is one of 33 chosen as Canada's Outstanding Principals for 2008, an... more

Etobicoke dancer takes stage in The Nutcracker

BY CYNTHIA REASON
December 11, 2007 02:49 PM Alyson McKenzie doesn't have too many gaps in her schedule these days, but what little time the newly-enrolled, full-time National Ballet School student does have is spent making up dance moves in the basement of her family's Etobicoke... more

Robert Bateman helps students get in touch with nature

Renowned artist launches program at Forest Hill P.S.

BY JUSTIN SKINNER
November 22, 2007 01:21 PM World-famous artist Robert Bateman enjoyed a homecoming of sorts when he dropped in to Forest Hill Public School last Friday to launch a program that introduces students to nature.

The renowned painter attended the school during his own... more

Eureka! Science teacher wins two awards

Dr. Danielle Gauci recognized for unique teaching methods

BY KATE WILSON
October 25, 2007 05:00 PM Local teacher Dr. Danielle Gauci has been doubly rewarded for her innovative teaching methods, which includes showing her high school students things they might otherwise see on a popular television crime scene drama.

"It hits home that it's... more

Top marks: student shows her smarts

Youngster will appear on 'Are You Smarter Than A Canadian Fifth Grader?'

BY JUSTIN SKINNER
October 18, 2007 01:11 PM Davisville Village resident Taylor Lau is a pretty normal 10-year-old. She's cheerful, loves funny movies and dancing and, as television viewers will soon discover, is smarter than a lot of adults.

Lau will appear in five upcoming episodes of... more

Homeowner's Norway maple has great timing

Tree turns bright red every Sept. 21

BY TAMARA SHEPHARD
September 27, 2007 01:06 PM The towering Norway Maple in Mike Sabadash's front yard tells time.

"It must have an internal calendar," Sabadash marvelled this week. "Its leaves are dark green. Then on Sept. 21 every year it turns absolutely scarlet... more

Local actress does double duty at Toronto Film Festival

Kristin Booth stars in two films

BY JUSTIN SKINNER
August 30, 2007 11:36 AM Local actress Kristin Booth's latest project may garner headlines for its risque title, but the rising star feels it's only a matter of time before it turns heads for all the right reasons.

Booth will appear in two films in the upcoming Toronto... more

She's still a cougar

Former columnist on the prowl with TV series

BY CYNTHIA REASON
August 21, 2007 02:58 PM Three months since her departure from the Toronto Sun, Etobicoke's resident sexpert Valerie Gibson is still as colourful and controversial as ever - and just as busy, too.

The Dear Val columnist said she looks back at the "overpowering... more

Scarborough teen reaches Canadian Idol Top 10

Martha Joy credits her success to sheer dedication

BY JOANNA LAVOIE
July 17, 2007 10:47 AM Day by day is how 16-year-old Scarborough resident Martha Joy is treating her journey as Canadian Idol hopeful.

"When I auditioned, I never thought I'd make it this far," said the teen, who attends North York's Cardinal Carter Academy... more

Scarborough couple celebrates 65 years of marriage

Couple met while working at Simpson's department store

BY JOANNA LAVOIE
July 10, 2007 11:02 AM It all started in about 1940 when he worked as a stock boy at the Simpson's department store at Queen and Yonge streets.

Jim Russell was a handsome lad on a layover from the air force with a fancy for a lovely young lady named Dorothy, who also... more

Local residents in downtown jazz festival

Bass player releases critically acclaimed CD

BY NORM NELSON
June 28, 2007 11:22 AM If you missed Brenda Carol and ClaireVoyance's 11th annual four-night run at the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival you just might be able to catch it on CD.

The East York jazz singer said the four-night stand, which wrapped up Wednesday at the... more

Local pair creates book about former synagogue

BY FANNIE SUNSHINE
June 26, 2007 04:20 PM Fifty-three years ago, a small group of North York residents decided a Jewish congregation and school were needed in North York's west end.

In the summer of 1954, representatives of the Downsview and Winston Park communities got together and each... more

Local woman celebrates 100th birthday

Chana Szpilman Wallace survived two concentration camps

BY MIKE ADLER
June 19, 2007 03:00 PM Chana Szpilman Wallace has seen humanity at its very worst, suffered harrowing losses, been in places where a brutal death was virtually guaranteed.

But she refused to give up on life. Even in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and... more

Peppers still sweet on one another

Local couple celebrates 50 years of marriage

BY JUSTIN SKINNER
June 14, 2007 05:15 PM Bayview Village has undergone plenty of change over the past 50 years, but the bond shared by Harold and Lorine Pepper has remained constant.

The Peppers were among the first residents in what was then known as Bayview Gardens, moving there in the... more

Principal wins tops honours

Don MacLeod's work in and out of school earns notice

BY JUSTIN SKINNER
June 7, 2007 12:10 PM Staff and students at St. Jamestown's Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School know all about principal Don MacLeod's leadership skills. With a prestigious award now to his name, his peers are well aware of his talents as well.

MacLeod was recently... more

Agincourt Auto closes after 42 years

Owners of Markham and Milner business retiring

BY LISA QUEEN
June 6, 2007 04:18 PM For the last two decades, the garage of Agincourt Auto Electric and Marine Ltd. has been a familiar place for Liane Weyers and her family.

Over the years, she, her brother or their dad have brought lawn mowers and small engines in need of repair... more

Carving his niche in life at 96

Seniors fight to keep continuing education classes

BY TAMARA SHEPHARD
May 29, 2007 05:08 PM Honing a vision and executing it with a meticulous eye to detail describes not only George Boyd's craftsmanship, but his life.

First, he was production control manager for Sunderland British flying boat patrol bombers in the Second World War,... more