Mr. Speaker, we have all known those special teachers who had an impact on our lives. Ron Vandecasteele and Sherry Lalonde are two of the 2009 recipients of the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence and Excellence in Early Childhood Education.
Ron teaches at a residential treatment centre for adolescent males. He could have worked anywhere, but he chose to teach and inspire these young men. To quote one of his students, “He is the best teacher ever. He is the first teacher that can explain things so I can understand them”.
Sherry teaches young children at the YWCA and is known to respond creatively to each child's individual needs. In the words of one of the parents, “Sherry defines excellence, not only within the walls of her classroom, but with her unique ability to become an integral part of our children's life learning process”.
I would like to take this time to acknowledge the hard work of Ron and Sherry, and I congratulate them on this truly tremendous honour.