SIMON CHANG DIFFERENCE MAKER AWARD: Educator Henri has ‘fierce belief in her students’ abilities’

“Over 60 students have gone through the Adam’s P.A.C.E. program, and it’s just getting better and better, thanks to people like Natalie Henri advocating for them,” stated Ann Taylor, chairperson of the program’s steering committee. Recognizing that Henri “has gone above and beyond the call of a teacher to make the program the best experience it could be for adults with challenges,” Taylor nominated her for this edition’s Simon Chang Difference Maker Award. 

Twenty years ago, Taylor’s son Adam had one dream: to follow his high school friends to college. At the time, however, there were few post-secondary school options for adults with developmental disabilities. After much lobbying, Taylor and several other determined parents on the South Shore launched the P.A.C.E. (Post-secondary Alternative Community-based Education) program of the Riverside School Board, where special needs students could attend CEGEP with individualized support. While battling leukemia, Adam was among the first students to participate, realizing his dream to attend Champlain College Saint-Lambert. 

Riverside School Board renamed the initiative Adam’s P.A.C.E. in his honour, and the program has expanded with work placements tailored to student needs and interests. 

As teacher of Adam’s P.A.C.E., Henri has been instrumental in expanding the program, emphasizing life skills and social integration. Through an innovative partnership with Champlain College’s Student Services department, Adam’s P.A.C.E. now has 15 volunteers who regularly socialize with the students. “It changes the vibe in the classroom for them to be with people their own age,” shared Henri. “And that’s the thing I am most proud of.”

From a classroom off campus, Henri petitioned for a location by the library so that P.A.C.E. could be closer to the mainstream of Champlain life.

The students get the full CEGEP experience as they directly participate in school activities; an opportunity that is “enriching and sensitizing for all involved,” observed Henri. In fact, the Champlain Student Association specifically invited P.A.C.E. to join the First Year Leadership Program (FLIP). “Champlain’s Student Services department has been extremely supportive and forward-thinking,” expressed Taylor.

Third-year P.A.C.E. student Paige is thrilled to be on the FLIP Leadership Program executive team, though admitted to having reservations at first. “I was feeling unsure and very nervous of how it would go, but Miss Natalie encouraged me…we have one-on-one meetings…to help us make a plan to reach our goals,” she said.

Taylor commended Henri for “always thinking of new and innovative ways to build meaningful, mutually beneficial connections.” Of particular mention is the students’ involvement in helping run Champlain’s food pantry initiative, created in response to a college-wide need. Every week, P.A.C.E. students assemble boxes for those experiencing food insecurity as well as assist with the food drives twice a year. Not only does this allow them to be a part of a community effort, but they foster empathy.

 Something that sets this dedicated educator apart is her fierce belief in her students’ abilities, observed Taylor. Her non-acceptance of excuses and high expectations (“you have a voice – let’s hear it”) pushes them to make decisions and express opinions. “My motto is to raise the bar for them because they are capable,” said Henri. “If you give them the chance, they can surprise you.”

 Alumni Donnick is a key example of challenging limiting assumptions. Not only did he graduate from P.A.C.E., but he secured a part-time job at Champlain College Fitness Center and now takes the bus to work independently.

Henri acknowledged how, though often well intentioned, low expectations about abilities can be internalized as self-limiting beliefs; something she actively works to combat.

She coordinates guest speakers on various topics to provide the students with resources and connections, and the parent-support group is particularly valued by the families.

Taylor spoke from the heart when she said, “Natalie is the epitome of the kind of teacher I would have wished for Adam.” In her nomination, she wrote, “successful inclusion for youth with special needs in a college setting…doesn’t just happen - it requires a committed, passionate and capable leader…who understands the value of the students’ place within the college environment and who will endlessly advocate for their rights.

Simon Chang attended a ceremony on April 25 at Champlain College. “I am so delighted to honour Natalie Henri with the Difference Maker award. In visiting her classroom, it is obvious to see the enormous impact she has on her students. She empowers them with confidence, and they have responded due to her trust and encouragement. Congratulations to the whole class for all that they have achieved, and will continue to achieve, together,” he said.

Nominate your Difference Maker at info@inspirationsnews.com.