EMSB kicks off Black History Month & Hooked On School Week by honouring the late Dr. Horace I. Goddard
EMSB kicks off Black History Month & Hooked On School Week by honouring the late Dr. Horace I. Goddard
The English Montreal School Board is marking Black History Month with programming across the network. On Thursday, February 6 the EMSB held its formal kickoff at Parkdale Elementary School in St. Laurent in dedication to the late Dr. Horace I. Goddard, a former school teacher, principal and head office administrator and a leader in the Black community. This event also recognized Hooked on Schools Days (Journées de la perseverance scolaire), highlighting the value of staying in school and encouraging academic success. On hand was Réseau Réussite Montréal Executive Director Andrée Mayer-Périard.
Animator Malik Shaheed first led a session for students about anti-racism and diversity. Leadership from the Montreal Black community, the EMSB and Dr. Goddard’s family were on hand. In view of the fact he was a one-time principal of Parkdale, the library was named in his memory. Given Dr. Goddard’s streadfast commitment to school perseverance the twinning of the two events was appropriate.
In the 1980s Dr. Goddard was president of Barbados House. For a while, he operated a publishing company: Afo Enterprises. At the time of his death, he was a member of the executive boards of the Quebec Board of Black Educators (from 1978 until his death), the Black Theatre Workshop and the Black Community Research Council of Quebec. He was also a prolific writer and poet. He passed away in the fall of 2020 during the pandemic. Born in Barbados, where he studied at Providence Elementary School and later at the Federal High School, he taught primary and secondary school there before moving to Montreal where he continued his studies at Concordia University, B.A. (Hons. English, 1975); Université de Montréal, M.A. English, 1977; McGill University, Dip. Ed English and TESL, 1977; Université de Montréal Ph.D. English Studies, 1985; McGill University, M.Ed. Administration and Policy Studies, 1988. From 1977 to 2012, he worked in the field of education as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, coordinator of personnel and director of community services.
About the English Montreal School Board
With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 73 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca
