December 11, 2004
Peel board mourns death of Bramalea teacher
Aysegul Candir was 'superb' teacher who was 'loved' by students, says principal
The Peel District School Board mourns the death of Aysegul Candir, a teacher of English as a second language at Bramalea Secondary School, who was the victim of a shooting in the school parking lot on Friday, Dec. 10. Peel Police have arrested her husband."We're shocked and saddened by this tragic event and by the death of an exceptional teacher," says Jim Grieve, director of education. "Schools are among the safest places in our community, and what happened at Bramalea Secondary School is unprecedented. It's especially traumatic that such a disturbing incident of what seems to have been domestic violence should spill over into the lives of the students Mrs. Candir was so devoted to."
Following the shooting in the school parking lot shortly after 11 a.m., Peel Police kept Bramalea in lockdown for about two hours. As required by Peel board lockdown procedure, all outside doors of the school were locked, classroom doors were kept closed, and staff and students were required to lie down on the floor away from doors and windows.
When police ended the lockdown at about 1:30 p.m., the school was able to make an announcement to let students know what had happened. The school dismissed at about 2 p.m., as soon as buses could get to the school to take students home.
While the school was in lockdown, Emmanuel United Church across the street from the school was opened to families of Bramalea students and parents. Along with Jim Grieve, board chair Janet McDougald, Brampton trustee Beryl Ford and counsellors from the board's Critical Incident Response Team met with parents at the church. "I want to thank Emmanuel church for its generosity. It was comforting to have a warm, dry place to meet with concerned family members and provide reassurance and counselling," Grieve said.
The board also communicated with parents and the community through updates on its website, frequent statements to media and a phone number parents could call to speak with board staff for updates.
Bramalea school will be open as usual on Monday, Dec. 13. Members of the critical incident team will be at the school to counsel students and staff.
"The staff at Bramalea are a family, and the death of Aysegul Candir is truly like the loss of a close family member," said John Chasty, principal. "Now, we'll pull together as a family to take care of our students and each other.
Candir taught ESL at Bramalea since September 2002. "Aysegul was a superb teacher, totally dedicated to her students," Chasty said. "She really connected with her students—they absolutely loved her. She understood the challenges they faced as newcomers to Canada, because she had first-hand experience." Candir was a teacher in Turkey from 1980 to 1986, before coming to Canada.
"Aysegul was also a great asset to the morale and well-being of the school staff. She was a terrific colleague and close friends with many of the teachers on staff. She always enthusiastic and had a smile for everyone. She helped organize many staff social events and coordinated the 'hearts and flowers' endeavour, sending flowers and cards on behalf of our staff if anyone had just had a baby, was ill or in hospital," Chasty pointed out. "That exemplifies the kind of person she was."As a sign of mourning, the HJA Brown Education Centre and the schools at which Candir taught or volunteered will fly their flags at half-mast on Monday, Dec. 13. In addition to teaching at Bramalea, her service to the Peel board included the following:
- teacher of special education and ESL, Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School, September 2000 to June 2002
- occasional teacher, Westwood Secondary School, March 1999 to June 2000 (merged with Morning Star Seondary School the following year to form Lincoln Alexander school)
- ESL teacher for summer school, Chinguacousy Secondary School, 1995 to 1999
- ESL teacher in adult night school, Central Peel Secondary School, 1995 to 1998
- volunteer, The Humberview School, 1992, 1993, 1998
- volunteer, Central Peel Secondary School, 1995
In addition to holding a teaching certificate, Candir also graduated on the dean's honour roll from York University with a history degree.
"We will begin plans for a memorial service for Aysegul," Chasty said. "In the meantime, starting Monday morning, there will be a place in the school with Aysegul's photo, along with fresh flowers and a large board where students and staff can express their thoughts and feelings about her."
-30-
Media contact: Brian Woodland, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships Support Services, 905-890-1010 (or 1-800-668-1146), ext. 2818 (office) or 416-985-2812 (cell)
Reference: Sylvia Link, Communications Officer, 905-890-1010 (or 1-800-668-1146), ext. 2814
Note to media: Brian Woodland, who remains the sole spokesperson for the Peel board and Bramalea school on this issue, will be available for media interviews at the school on Monday morning, starting at 8 a.m. A photo of Aysegul Candir is posted on the Peel board website—www.peelschools.org. This announcement was made to students at Bramalea school on Monday morning. Students and parents will also recieve a letter on Monday. letter for Bramalea students letter for Bramalea parents
