Students:
He's done a lot for us. He deserves it. He's the best janitor in the world. If there were more than one of him I think other schools should have him because he's really great.
Mark Latour, Chief Custodian - St. Catherine of Siena School:
I'm Mark Latour. I'm the chief custodian here at St. Catherine of Siena School in Barrie, Ontario. The most important part of my job is to keep my school clean and safe.
Mario Melchiorre, Principal - St. Catherine of Siena School:
He goes above and beyond the call of duty all the time. There is more to Mr. Latour than just sweeping the floors. He is the epitome of servant leadership.
Mark Latour and girls:
Recycling let's go…recycling!
Mark Latour:
I have a large number of helpers who like to help me on various projects. We have the polar express that we made out of cardboard for the kindergarten concert. The kids inspire me because they always have these great ideas: ‘Mr. Latour I have this idea!' This is the bat computer — you would think you're in the bat cave, and problems to solve. This is an electric motor. It's part of the Grade 6 curriculum. Kids love this. This is the Grade 8 recycling poster I'll just go and plug it in. I think kids always love things that are hands on. They love lights and things that turn, spin.
Kids:
Coooool!
Bob Harrison, Teacher:
I nominated Mark Latour for the Premier's Award because I wanted him to realize how much he means to our school community.
Student:
He lets us say ideas instead of giving us what we have to do. He like lets us get involved.
Mario Melchiorre:
He started our ukulele band.
Mark Latour:
I cannot play ‘Smoke on the Water.'
Mario Melchiorre:
He led a 90 plus ukulele orchestra.
Mario Melchiorre:
He just ran with it and it was a huge success. Mr. Latour is an exemplary custodian and he still finds the time to make sure that that child feels special. There are people like this out there.
Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education:
If you want to recognize and educator or someone who is part of your school community who is excellent at his or her job, you can log on to Ontario.ca/teachingawards. These are the kinds of people who we want to recognize.