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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, December 21, 2011 · 10 Santa's stand-in retires, but St. Nick sticks around By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Mike Davis has been stepping into the boots of Santa Claus and co-ordinating a team of elves to help respond to children's letters to the North Pole for the past 17 years. Now that Davis, who lives in Burlington, is retiring from the Halton District School Board after a 23-year career, he's happy to know that Santa Claus is not. "I've enjoyed it immeasurably. I am retiring at the end of the school year so there will be a passing of the torch or Santa's sled. A number of folks have indicated they are willing to pick up the task," the numeracy consultant said. "People are stepping up to the plate, so from my perspective, it's very rewarding to know that this is going to continue. Will I miss it? Of course, I will. But with my retirement, I'm not retiring from life just moving on to new opportunities. The letters to the North Pole have been part of the school board for the past 20 years. Each year, children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 send a letter to Santa before Christmas, using the board's internal e-mail/chat system called Chatt. The Grades 4-6 French Immersion students are also encouraged to send a letter in order to practice their literacy. Davis's job is to make sure each student receives a response. This year, there were 3,600 letters from English-speaking students and another 250 from the French-speaking students. Each response is personalized to the sender and in his or her language. "As the chief elf, as Santa Claus, I co-ordinate everything. This year, I had about 50 elves, if I may call them that, who are teachof a student. Though the letters are geared for children up to Grade 3, anyone could send one. Kindergarteners usually send a class letter. There are students of many different faiths who celebrate a variety of religious holidays. "Those students took the time to write to Santa Claus so we make sure that we write back to them and we acknowledge the fact they don't celebrate Christmas," Davis said. When the school board began using the Chatt system 20 years ago, Davis was on board immediately. "At that time it was intended for student usage because back then, e-mail was not even in the lexicon. It was something interesting for the kids to do," he said. As the board started thinking of ways to engage students in the internal messaging system, letters to Santa was one of the thoughts. "This was an outcome of thinking 20 years ago of how can we use this fledgling form of communication with our students. There was MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER this nice technology, but so what," Davis TENDERING HIS LETTER: Every Christmas for 17 years, Mike Davis has stepped in on behalf said. Once the letters began, they never of Santa Claus for students in the Halton District School Board. He and a team of volunteers he co-ordinates, help out in answering letters to Santa from students in the board. While this marks Davis's last stopped. "When I took this over in 1994, we had year on the job, Santa, unlike Davis, will not be retiring. about 350 letters all told. It's now gone teners, administrators, secretaries, researchers," "We're not just looking for a list. You know times that," he said. "This is a technology of 20 years ago and Davis said. `I want, I want, I want', We want to send a Each elf or responder volunteers his or her more personalized response so tell us a little it's been self-sustaining. It's just continued. Obviously, it's successful." services to the initiative. more about yourself," he said. He said the growth in senders is likely the "It is a way for the students to do some The students ask Santa some questions, more hopefully authentic writing to an extra such as what are his favourite cookies or rein- result of more students having their own person," Davis said. "It's interesting to see the deer or how many elves he has. In terms of gift Chatt accounts. Classroom teachers have different trends of what the kids have asked wishes, Davis said he reads things such as given positive feedback about the program, for over the years." video games, electronics, iPhones and some too. "If we weren't getting the feedback or the Teachers are asked to inform their stu- children even asked for their own debit or letters to Santa Claus, we wouldn't still be dents the letters are more than just a place for credit cards. them to send a list of Christmas-gift wishes. Sometimes the elves do not know the age doing it," he said. Beaver r wins two international Crime Stoppers awards The Oakville Beaver was recognized with two media awards from Crime Stoppers International Monday for keeping the community updated on crime and the efforts to fight it. The community newspaper came out tops in the category of Best Print Crime of the Week for an October 2010 report about a pair of thieves who attempted to steal from the Salvation Army's donation vans in Oakville. These suspects were interrupted and forced to flee, leaving the vans and property behind. Beaver r reporter David Lea netted the newspaper an award in the Best Print Special Reports/ Features category for his story Crime Stoppers poster takes aim at guns and gangs. The story, written in January of 2010, outlined a new campaign being undertaken by Crime Stoppers of Halton calling on residents to tell police what they know about illegal guns and gangs in their community. Oakville Realtor and member of the Crime Stoppers' board of directors Gary McLean said the media plays a vital role in getting information about crimes out to the public and in providing contact information, so if residents know something about that crime they can call Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous if they so choose. He noted all of the Beaver's sister papers in Halton, owned by Metroland Media Group Ltd., provide similar Crime Stoppers coverage. Crime Stoppers International officially recognized The Oakville Beaver during the 32nd Crime Stoppers International Conference, held in Montego Bay, Jamaica in October. Crime Stoppers International is made up of approximately 1,200 programs in more than 20 countries around the world. The Oakville Beaver r stories were selected by an independent panel of judges from articles submitted by some of these member programs. Anyone with information about criminal activity in Halton can contact Crime Stoppers of Halton at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER CRIME STOPPERS: The Oakville Beaver r and reporter David Lea have won two prestigious, international Crime Stoppers Awards. Gary McLean (left) and Halton Regional Police Sgt. Gary Gold, both with Crime Stoppers, presented the awards Monday. Lea accepted for his special feature writing while another for Crime of the Week was accepted by Managing Editor Angela Blackburn on behalf of the Beaver.