420458Street

REDDEER,ABCANADA
T4N2L6
Ph:(403)3471171Fax(403)3401676
email:ltchs@rdpsd.ab.ca

Friday, May 22, 2015

To Whom It May Concern:
Re: Michael York
Principal
D.LOWER

VicePrincipals
C.BAKER
S.BEVAN
C.TURNBULL
BusinessManager
D.RELKOW

I have been asked by Michael York to provide him with a letter of

reference, and I am happy to do so. To begin with, let me introduce
myself. My name is Mary Olajos, and I am an English teacher at
Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, in Red Deer, Alberta. I
have been at LTCHS since 2005, and with Red Deer Public Schools
for, nearly, 26 years. It is in my capacity as an English teacher at
LTCHS that I first met Michael York. I had agreed to take a senior
practicum student, and consequently, Michael was assigned to me.
At the time, I had had, approximately, 25 student teachers to date,
and so I felt, completely, comfortable mentoring Michael through his
final practicum.
Right from the start, Michael proved to be different than, nearly, any
other practicum student Id had in that, he, immediately, appeared
comfortable, and approachable, with my students. This is no easy
feat for a young teacher as most fear that students will not take
them seriously, will give them grief, or a combination of the two.
The real treat, for me, came when he taught his first lesson, and I
realized that, in front of a class, Michael was a natural teacher.
Although he indicated, on that first day, that he was nervous, there
was, absolutely, no evidence of that, and the lesson was, nearly,
perfect. For me to indicate this, near perfection, in a first lesson, is
significant since I have a reputation for being exacting as a teacher,
whether that is as a mentor teacher, or a teacher of young adults.
From that point on, Michael settled in to my classroom, and the
remaining eight weeks were an absolute pleasure as I observed
Michael growing, and developing, as a new teacher. No matter what
lesson he was teaching, he never failed to run it by me to see if

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there were a better, more effective, method of teaching that lesson,

and I was impressed with the sophistication he developed in his
thinking and planning as it related to curriculum delivery.
In addition to his work, in the classroom, Michael took an active role
in planning for our schools Vow of Silence Day. This activity
involved Michael working with students, and other staff, to co-opt
individuals into agreeing to remain silent, at school, for an entire
day as a reflection of the number of children, in our world, who do
not have access to any educational opportunities.
By the time Michaels practicum at LTCHS was complete, I knew that
he would make an outstanding teacher, and whoever signed him to
a contract, would be very lucky, indeed. I believe that Michael will
make a significant contribution to any staff or district that is lucky
enough to acquire him.
Should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact
me
(403 347 1171 ext 1703).
Sincerely,

Mary R. Olajos, B.Ed., M.Ed.

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