Rick Hansen on hand to help open new Peel board high school

Rick Hansen Secondary School staff, students welcome Canadian hero

Being first has a special significance for Rick Hansen Secondary School in Mississauga. In addition to being the first public high school to open in Peel in 10 years, Rick Hansen Secondary School is the first high school in Ontario to be named after Rick Hansen. It's also the first school in Peel featuring a unique barrier-free design. Staff and students will celebrate these 'firsts' at the school's official opening on May 24.

At its April 13, 1999 meeting, the Peel board announced that Rick Hansen approved the naming of the school. The school opened in September 1999 with grade 9 and 10 programs and a student population of 655. Each year for the next three years, one grade level will be added. The school population will eventually peak at 1,750 students.

"We're proud to name our newest secondary school in honour of a true Canadian hero and to have Rick Hansen join us in celebrating the opening of the school," says Harold Brathwaite, director of education for the Peel board. "In public education, we share a common vision with Rick Hansen of creating a school in which all young people can reach their full potential. Our students have been learning about Rick Hansen and his legacy, the Man in Motion World Tour. They will now have the chance to share their school with him."

"I am extremely honoured that this new accessible high school is named Rick Hansen Secondary School," says Rick Hansen. "Thank you all for your dedication in meeting the challenge of setting a standard for school accessibility. The spirit behind the Man in Motion World Tour, combined with this barrier-free environment will inspire the determination of students to chase big dreams, set high goals, and see the full value of contributing to our community."

• Design features that make the school barrier-free include the following:
• relocation of disabled parking spots to a more accessible location
• levered handles on all doors
• placement of the floor tiles in a colour scheme that assists students with visual impairments
• specialized door system that makes the hallways fully accessible to all students
• barrier-free furniture in every classroom
• spacing of library shelves at a width that allows wheelchair access
• realignment of disabled showers to better suit use by the students
• push buttons on all drinking fountains

"We are honoured to welcome Rick Hansen to our school. Following his example is a tremendous way to inspire and motivate our students to greatness," says Allison Clinton, principal at Rick Hansen Secondary School.

Rick Hansen will arrive at the school at 12:30 p.m. for a tour. Following the tour, he will make a special presentation to staff, students and special guests at 1:15 p.m. Each student will receive a signed copy of Rick Hansen's book Rick Hansen Man in Motion. An evening ceremony will be held to celebrate the official opening at 7 p.m. Rick Hansen will also participate in the evening program.

Rick Hansen became a paraplegic at the age of 15, when he was injured in a motor vehicle accident. Twelve years later, after winning 19 international wheelchair marathons and earning a degree in physical education from the University of British Columbia, Hansen embarked on his historic round the world journey. From March 1985 to May 1997, Hansen and his support team wheeled through 34 countries, over 40,000 km, raising $24 million and awareness of the potential of people with disabilities.

Currently Hansen is president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Institute, located at UBC, whose vision is a world in which people with spinal cord injury paralysis can reach their full potential. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the discovery of a cure for spinal cord injury paralysis. Hansen has been honoured by two other schools in Canada adopting his name: Rick Hansen Public School in London, Ontario and Rick Hansen Secondary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Peel District School Board is one of Canada's largest school systems and one of the fastest growing. It serves 106,000 students in kindergarten to high school. Operating 184 schools in the municipalities of Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga with an annual budget of $661 million, the Peel board is the largest employer in Peel region and the 16th largest in Canada. Through the Centre for Education and Training, the board serves another 300,000 adult learners each year and is the national leader in workplace training.

Media Contact: Allison Clinton, Principal, Rick Hansen Secondary School, (905)890-1010, ext. 2069

Steve Crombie, Media Consultant, Rick Hansen Institute, (604)822-5927

Reference: Lorraine Smith, Communications Officer, Peel District School Board, (905)890-1010, ext. 2817

Note to media: Consent has been obtained for students to be interviewed, filmed and photographed by the media.