Sandy MacDonald has always believed it takes a village to raise a child and, for the past four years, she’s put that into practice at Wilberforce Elementary School.
Secretary at the rural school, MacDonald was recognized with a Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) director’s award in April for her role bringing several beneficial programs to life.
TLDSB’s Wes Hahn credited her for helping launch hot breakfast and lunch programs for students, developing partnerships with various community groups to bolster extracurricular offerings and putting together recurring events, such as free barbecues and health and wellness fairs.
“Sandy has a remarkable ability to identify emerging needs within the school community and take initiative to address them in meaningful and lasting ways,” Hahn said. “Her efforts have had a direct and lasting impact on students and families.”
Nominated for the award by principal Mike Gervais, MacDonald said it was a huge surprise.
She joined the school in 2022 following stints working in Peterborough, Bracebridge and Port Sydney. While she’s always tried to expand social programs at her previous schools, MacDonald said the community response in Wilberforce has been particularly special.
“I’ve always tried to get the community more involved everywhere I’ve been, but in Wilberforce especially it seems like people actually want to be a part of the school and have a positive impact on kids. It’s a beautiful community,” she said.
Partnerships have been struck with the local legions, Wilberforce FUNraisers, the Wilberforce Walkers, Breakfast Clubs of Canada and several businesses, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Todd’s Independent Grocer, Rexall and Timber Mart.
Individual residents also regularly chip in. Angelo and Brandi Bortolazzo, organizers of the Benoir Lake Radar Run, have been longtime supporters of the schools’ nutrition programs and, on May 25, put on a free BBQ for students and families that attended the spring health fair in Wilberforce.
Speaking to other donations she’s seen recently, the Bortolazzos donated a washing machine and dryer to Cardiff Elementary School, for the kindergarten class; a lady bought a pair of flip-flops for every student at Cardiff elementary; while a recent import from Toronto made a financial contribution after learning about all the good things the schools do.
“He was shocked, he said it’s like a private school with all the things we have going on and the meals we provide to our kids,” MacDonald said.
She noted 35 of 49 students in Wilberforce utilize the lunch program, with everyone benefitting from the breakfast programs. Other initiatives include weekly pickleball at The Lloyd Watson Centre and crochet and knitting classes provided by a local volunteer.
“I just start thinking of ideas when I’m sitting at my desk. What can we do to enrich these kids’ lives, make things better or more fun for them,” MacDonald said. “There are a lot of families who struggle in our community, so when I hear those stories, I do some research, talk to some people and, usually, we find a way to help.”
Preparing for her retirement this month, MacDonald said she’ll miss the day-to-day of life at the school but has no intention of completely walking away. She plans to volunteer and wants to expand her hot breakfast and lunch programs to other schools in the County.
Speaking to the award, she feels it should be shared with the wider community.
“This isn’t just a one person effort. It’s everybody. It takes an entire community to pull this together. There are so many people who deserve recognition,” she said.
