In education, during the month of March there are many signs of the changing seasons - we are solidly in term 3 of the school year, March break has come and gone, and St. Patrick’s Day has blown by - literally this year because the parade was held during what we hope is a final blast of winter. Yet there are other signs around us that this is an important season of transition, a time for growth, and a moment to reflect on events of cultural and historical significance.

I will begin with one of the most obvious markers in March - the St. Patrick’s Day parade - which took place on Sunday, March 22nd. This was the 201st edition of the parade in Montreal, and the Lester B. Pearson School Board was again invited to help celebrate an event that has become as much about inclusion as Irish history. This year, students from St. John Fisher Sr. took to our float and impressed the crowd with their musical stylings. The St. Thomas High School drumline also marched in this year’s parade. Despite the snow and cold temperatures, a grand time was had by all. A tip of the hat to all those who helped to make this annual Lester B. Pearson tradition a success again this year.

Upon our return from March break, I attended a forum put together by the Community Empowerment Literacy Initiative which was a full day conference that focused on community vitality in action. As Anglophones, we need to better understand the realities of our minority language communities across the province and find ways to increase literacy and employability. This can be done by strengthening collaboration across all sectors including education, health and social services, community groups, and employment. We are fortunate to have a robust education system with high quality services in both English and French, but we still face significant challenges related to illiteracy, underemployment, and linguistic bureaucracy. This forum was a good reminder that we all have a role to play in strengthening our community’s vitality and long-term sustainability.

Attending this conference also caused me to reflect on the fact that March is Women’s History month. To mark International Women’s Day on March 8th, our communications department seized an opportunity to spotlight the achievements and contributions of a few women across our system. We featured Eliza Tagg from the Central Students’ Committee and one of our student commissioners, Wusua Mitchell, Principal of LCCHS, Cheryl Lamarche, one of our school support staff, and Jennifer Hayden, an elementary music teacher.

Thank you to all the incredible women throughout our community who work to make a positive difference in the lives of others and serve as role models for our students. Words of appreciation are also owed to all the women who came before us and served as brave pioneers who broke barriers for subsequent generations. We should remember that there was a time in Canada when women did not have the right to an education, to own property, to vote or run for office. I am grateful to such trailblazers as Maude Elizabeth Abbott, Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain, and Marie-Josephine Gérin-Lajoie. If those names are not familiar to you, I invite you to look them up and learn how they paved the way for women in Quebec society.

Sadly, in our current times, I cannot conclude remarks about women’s history month without my thoughts turning specifically to gender-based violence and the need to address violence and

March 23-27 was the 2^nd edition of Bullying and Violence Prevention in Schools week. This week was designated by the Ministry of Education as a time to highlight prevention efforts to address violence in Quebec schools. We know that aggression takes on many forms and happens in all spheres of society, but those working in education have prioritized social-emotional wellbeing and focused on the role we can play in combatting all forms of violence and bullying.

To mark this week, Lester B. Pearson School Board organized a number of activities. March 23^rd was a board wide professional learning day that was dedicated to anti-bullying and anti-violence training. On this day, several thousand Lester B. Pearson employees came together in their schools and centres to participate in this training that was organized by our Student Services Department and supported by our Educational Services Department. Staff watched video capsules and engaged in discussions about how we can continue to improve our efforts in the areas of violence promotion, prevention and intervention. Later that same week, we also shared resources with parents and invited everyone to join us in our efforts to reduce bullying and violence, not only at school but in the larger community as well. We do this important work all year long, but March remains a special moment in time when we can stop and reflect on the collective responsibility we bear to create welcoming, safe and caring learning spaces for all.