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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 13, 2007 - 3 Canada is Gordon Phippen's classroom Award-winning teacher takes his students beyond the pages of their textbooks By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Textbooks just don't compare. That's why more than a decade ago, local teacher Gordon Phippen began what he calls Expedition Education. Instead of just telling his students about Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and other parts of the country, Phippen decided to show them exactly what he meant. "That you can watch a prairie sunset and feel an ocean wind on your face, it's so different from a book," said Phippen, founding director of Oakville's West Wind Montessori School. "Antelopes walking across the prairies, the bears, the grizzlies, the whales ­ kids never forget that. Those are great memories." Memories his students are getting because once a year, Phippen, 42, takes a group of students between the ages of 10 ­ 14 on a twoweek motor-home based trip to a different part of Canada. There, they go to national parks, walk the landscape, meet residents and see for themselves what makes each province unique. "This is such a hands on experience ­ it's so tangible," said Phippen. "Getting beyond the walls of the classroom ­ that's what I refer to as experiential. It gives the students an opportunity to have a direct link with Canada. We meet amazing Canadians and we see amazing things." There's evidence of that all over the walls of West Wind Montessori School, a cozy school Phippen and wife Lynda founded in 1999 that houses a student population of just 40. Photos of Lake Louise, Yukon's landscape, the Rocky Mountains, Nova Scotia's sunsets, Vancouver Island, the Canadian Parliament building and more cover its walls. "We've seen about every region of the country you can imagine," said Phippen, PHOTO COURTESY WEST WIND MONTESSORI SCHOOL ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY: Gordon Phippen (third from left) is seen here along with West Wind Montessori School students and teachers in Alberta's Rocky Mountains on Peyto Lake, which is between Banff and Jasper. This Expedition Education trip was taken back in 2004, when Phippen led a group to the Canadian Prairies and the Rocky Mountains. smiling. "We've seen a lot over the years." And for his years of dedication to Canada and to Expedition Education ­ he led his 10th trip last year ­ Phippen has been recognized. The father of two was in Ottawa Monday to be awarded with the third annual To The Top Canada Award. It's for "an unsung Canadian hero who is a role model for all Canadians to make Canada better," and each year it's presented on Jan. 8. Established by Chris Robertson, the first person in history to travel from the bottom of mainland Canada to the top by his own power ­ a bike ­ the award is mounted on a traditional Huron snowshoe. "In an era where some Canadians don't know the difference between St. John's and Saint John or Dawson Creek and Dawson City," said Robertson, "Gordon Phippen is an example to teachers and schools across Canada how to better educate students and make learning a wonderful Canadian experience." Phippen was nominated for the award by Tom Hogan, a parent who chaperoned an Expedition Education trip to Vancouver "This is such a hands on experience -- it's so tangible. Getting beyond the walls of the classroom -- that's what I refer to as experiential. it gives the students an opportunity to have a direct link with Canada. We meet amazing Canadians and we see amazing things." Gordon Phippen, founding director of the West Wind Montessori School Island a few years ago. "The award was unexpected. A nice surprise," said Phippen, smiling. The highlight, of course, was the trip to Ottawa and presentation on the steps of the Parliament Building. "I feel very proud to be Canadian when I go to Ottawa and stand on those steps. "The clock chimed as I was standing there because it was exactly 11," he said, smiling. "It was pretty cool." And in the typical Canadian way, Phippen says he's not "overly comfortable with being called an unsung Canadian hero." "I just feel honoured," he said. "It's a nice acknowledgment, but it's certainly not why we do it. And of course I couldn't have done it without all the support of the many people who help out." Parents have volunteered over the years to chaperone, and other teachers, including Cameron Peck, have also been a great help in organizing the trips, Phippen said. The idea began, though, with Roman Rockcliff. In 1995, Rockcliff and Frank Wolf became the first to canoe across Canada in a single season, and the first to paddle from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast. Phippen, while teaching at Dearcroft Montessori School, invited Rockcliff to speak to his students about the experience just over a decade ago. "After he spoke, I started thinking that I wanted to do something to promote Canada for my students ­ because I didn't think many of them really got it," he said. "Roman and I started talking and the idea came up." See Teacher page 4 The One. The Only. February 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ( 4 days, Semester Turn Around) 9:30am-4:15pm February 5th Monday & Wednesday (4 Weeks) 6:00pm-9:15pm 905-845-7200