Pam Stoneham, associate dean of the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Energy at Durham College (DC), delivered a TED talk at Sinclair Secondary School on Saturday, April 18.

The event featured four speakers including Stoneham, who spoke to the students about the importance of getting the full college experience and how improving study habits before college will help to achieve a fulfilling education and help with landing a successful career after graduation.

“I told the story of my educational journey which started when I was 18,” Stoneham said. “I became an Electrical Engineer, then about 25 years later I went back to school for a Bachelor of Education, and now I’m an associate dean at Durham College.”

TED is a non-profit organization that features experts, artists and performers, and gives them a platform to share their ideas, and TEDx is a way to extend that practice to smaller, more local events. The talk at Sinclair, TEDxSinclairDDSB, is part of the larger initiative that aims to share information, and they named the conference Off the Beaten Path as the speakers discussed unconventional paths to education.

“My message to the high school students was to view their post-secondary education as the beginning of their professional development and to start developing the behaviours they would want an employer to see in them,” Stoneham explained.

Before arriving at DC, Stoneham worked at General Motors (GM) for more than 16 years where she held multiple positions in the engineering sector, including a team member on the development of the Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain. Stoneham then achieved her Bachelors of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and soon after graduating from the program she began teaching at DC, and is now an associate dean.

The Centre for Success at Durham College (DC) provides additional support for high school students to help ensure they receive their credits while simultaneously offering unique college-based opportunities.

Centre for Success students are high school students who study at DC Monday to Thursday and earn college credits while finishing their high school diplomas. Students are admitted into the program on recommendation from their high school guidance counsellors and apply to college after they complete their diploma.

Amanda Moore, a student in the program, will be attending DC this September to study in the Paralegal program. Her goal is to succeed in the program and one day become a lawyer, but at first she didn’t think it could happen.

“Coming to DC through the Centre for Success was really eye-opening,” Moore said. “I never considered going to college until I came here to study high school courses.”

According to Gail MacKenzie, manager of strategic initiatives for the School of Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment, the Centre for Success is like a school within a school.

“We take 150 students per semester, and they come to DC every day as if it was their high school,” MacKenzie said.

The atmosphere and responsibility of going to college is one aspect which MacKenzie thinks helps students who are at risk of not graduating from high school to find motivation.

“We show them they can be successful in college, and it’s a real boost to their confidence and self-esteem,” MacKenzie said. “They’re treated like adults so they act like adults, and it’s a valuable experience.”

This sentiment is something Moore agrees with, she stressed that independence and understanding were key factors to her success at DC.

“The environment helps a lot,” said Moore. “You get used to the campus and the teachers. They know when to push you and when to leave you alone, and it gives you the experience to know what you’re getting into when coming to college.”

DC offers 10 different credits at both campuses including trades, general education, and business courses that double as college and high school credits. This helps students recover up to three credits that may have prevented them from graduating.

“It’s a really good program,” Moore said.

The Centre for Success is only one piece of DC’s School-College-Work Initiative. According to MacKenzie there are approximately 1,800 students getting dual credits at DC that come from all over the Region of Durham.

In March 2010, Leilani Morales, a teacher with Durham College’s (DC) School of Science & Engineering Technology, keyed two words into her computer: Volunteer Toronto. Through her search, she found Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training, an organization committed to assisting all persons of Aboriginal ancestry to attain a better quality of life. She was given the opportunity to tutor math in the organization’s new Ngindaasmin Academic Upgrading program, which provides assistance to individuals wanting to earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma while allowing them to learn the history, treaties and traditions of the Anishnawbek. After her first four months in the program, four out of 10 Ngindaasmin students were accepted into university.

In November 2010, Morales was nominated by program co-ordinator, Carol White, for the first ever Volunteer Legacy Award. This prestigious award, organized by Volunteer Toronto, recognizes up to 25 people for their commitment to bettering the community through volunteerism.

More than four years after winning the award, Morales was asked to be part of the judging panel for the 2015 Volunteer Legacy Awards. She was required to review 40 outstanding volunteers based on set criteria. She spent three consecutive days pouring over the heartwarming stories before submitting her recommendations to Volunteer Toronto.

“The experience was humbling,” says Morales. “It deepened my perception of volunteerism. A volunteer is someone who is compassionate, selfless and committed to making a positive change. They see a need in their community and initiate a project to improve the lives of others, from helping grieving people recover, to giving the underprivileged an environment or experience they could never have.”

In her spare time, she is currently teaching math for another program through Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training. In this program, students can upgrade their basic math, measurement, trigonometry, geometry and applied algebra skills.

When she isn’t teaching, Morales spends time with her husband, a professor in DC’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment Services. Together they have two children. She also enjoys paper crafting, gardening and her new hobby, photography.

The recipients of this year’s Volunteer Legacy Awards will be announced during National Volunteer Week, which runs from Sunday, April 12 to Saturday, April 18. Morales was moved by the firsthand stories of volunteerism in the City of Toronto.

“Sharing this experience will hopefully inspire and promote volunteerism at DC and beyond,” says Morales. “On our campus, I believe that there are many staff and students who are eager to help give hope and comfort to those in need and celebrate with every positive change that comes along the way. They are ready to volunteer.”

Katriona Dean, a Durham College (DC) School of Media, Art & Design grad, shared her talent with the Town of Cobourg so others could share theirs. Dean painted two pianos that were placed in parks around town; one designed as a great horned owl, eyes fixed on you as you play, while the other was styled after a fox, with large ears and lovingly nicknamed Foxgang Amadeus after the famous classical pianist, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

“Studying Graphic Design at DC really helped me tap into my creative potential and has opened a world of opportunities for me as a designer/artist,” Dean said. “I worked diligently as a design student to break down my own creative barriers, which in doing so has provided me with endless creative freedom.”

The two pianos are ranked first and third on Bored Panda’s list “Most Beautiful Outdoor Pianos You Can Play All Around the World” with Foxgang Amadeus sitting comfortably in first place.

“Knowing that the pianos would reside in a park setting I wanted to bring to life the Canadian aspect just as much as the natural aspect,” Dean explained. “The great–horned owl and the red fox are both representative of the beautiful Canadian wildlife that can be seen in parks right across the country.”

She says she was drawn to the idea of using a connection between music and art to help bridge gaps between strangers in the park who might stop to listen or play.

“It was important to me that the artwork draw passersby to really want to engage with the installation; I didn’t want anyone to feel that they could simply walk by without at least tapping a key or two,” Dean explained. “These artistic projects are organized with the sole purpose of inviting strangers to walk up to an instrument in the street to share their love of music. Absolutely anyone and everyone is invited to express themselves in some way, shape or form through this installation.”

The most important aspect of Dean’s art, according to her, is uniting people and making a difference. She tries to focus her art towards those goals, she says it’s the only time she feels a piece is truly complete.

Check out the piano in this short video.