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Laurin Shadforth of Burnaby Elected to
Canadian Parents for French - BC & Yukon Board
Press Release
Released: October 27, 2003
Laurin Shadforth of Burnaby was elected the Board of Directors of Canadian
Parents for French - BC & Yukon Branch at the association's recent Annual
General Meeting held in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Founded in 1977, Canadian Parents for French is the national network of volunteers
dedicated to the promotion and creation of French second language learning
opportunities for young Canadians. BC has by far more CPF members than any
other province in Canada organized in 46 Chapters across British Columbia.
Our present membership total of 5,400 represents more than a third of the
individual CPF members in Canada. Burnaby is the second largest CPF chapter
in Canada.
In the 2002-03 school year, CPF-BC & Yukon staff, parents and volunteers
organized or helped organize 127 socio-cultural events, 8 summer camps and
78 information sessions for parents, made 42 presentations to school districts,
issued over 100 Provincial and local media releases, offered 36 post-secondary
scholarships to French Second Language students, held 270 Chapter and Branch
regular meetings across 46 chapters and managed eight major partnerships with
Francophone organizations. We have also established local and provincial partnerships
with corporations such as BC Gas, Alcan, Tembec, Abitibi and BC Hydro. Our
5,400 members contributed some 75,000 volunteer hours to this effort.
"Laurin Shadforth is a wonderful addition to the CPF-BC & Yukon Board
of Directors. Laurin has been a key organizer of countless socio-cultural
activities and proved to be a superb spokesman for French Immersion and Core
French programs in the Burnaby school community. She has developed an expertise
in French Second language learning and has served the community in countless
volunteer activities," noted CPF-BC & Yukon President Melanie Tighe-Lovsin,
a Vernon parent.
In her statement of candidacy for the Board, Laurin Shadforth set out a series
of her background and goals for her term as a Board member: "I can't
remember a time when I haven't been passionate about French. high school I
endured hours of holding a pencil between my upper lip and my nose in order
to get the correct pronunciation of "bleu" and "les yeux".
I completed an undergraduate degree from Simon Fraser University with a major
in French and a minor in Political Science hoping against hope that bilingualism
would be mine. Sadly, years later, my 10 year daughter not only corrects my
pronunciation but also my sentence structure. If only French Immersion had
been an option during my time at school
My involvement with CPF-Burnaby began when my daughter started French Immersion
in grade one. During this time I've held the positions of Summer Camp and
After School Programs Coordinator, School Resource Coordinator and Co-President
of the Chapter. My favourite activity has been my work with the after school
and summer programs. I hope that by playing, drawing, cooking and making crafts
in French, the children will see French not just as a language for the classroom,
but as a relevant and fun addition to their daily lives.
The attrition rate among French Immersion students in high school presents
a great challenge for this organization. I feel the proposed post secondary
program in French at Simon Fraser University would be a wonderful option for
students. It would provide further French language opportunities for high
school students in their home province, and make the continued study of French
a relevant option for their future careers."
Laurin Shadforth joins Melanie Tighe-Lovisn of Vernon, Sherry Taylor of Williams
Lake, Heather Newman of Dawson Creek, Marie Reed of Kamloops and Mary Ann
Annable of Whitehorse on the CPF-BC & Yukon Board of Directors.
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For more information, please contact Adrian Dix, Executive Director, CPF-BC
& Yukon
phone: 604-524-0134 or 1-800-665-1222
or fax: 604-524-0135
.
The information on this page was late updated: October 29,
2003.
This page was last modified October 29, 2003.
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