PC teacher recognized with Governor General Sovereign's Medal for Olympic volunteer work

from The Pillars (Spring 2020)

Leading the way among independent schools in Indigenizing learning

**Graham Birt has been a member of the Canadian Support Staff since Beijing 2008**

The medal, according to the Governor General of Canada’s website, “recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a wide range of fields and pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers. They embody the caring country we aspire to build.”

The Canadian Olympic Committee made a surprise presentation to Senior School faculty member Graham Birt, awarding him a Governor General Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, for his role as a volunteer at the last six Olympic Games.

Birt has been a member of the Canadian Support Staff from Beijing 2008 to PyeongChang 2018, running orientation sessions and acting as a troubleshooter for Canada’s Olympians. The award presentation by Céline DesLauriers, Canadian Olympic Committee, coincided with a celebration of the school’s 2018-2019 athletic championship teams and was a surprise for students, staff and for Graham Birt.

DesLauriers says Birt is among only seven Canadian Olympic volunteers to receive this prestigious award, out of the hundreds of volunteers who help to make the Olympic Games a successful and positive experience for Team Canada.

His hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed—it can be at times physically demanding, requiring him to volunteer 12-20 hour days during the lead up to the Games. But DesLauriers says Birt takes it all in stride and maintains an incredibly positive attitude.

“He has a smile every single day—even though we may have just completed an overnight packing adventure—he will wake up the next day with a smile on and the athletes have no idea that he is exhausted. That is really what defines him for us. We want him on the team because he brings that positivity and he doesn’t say no to anything—he wants to push through every objective, he wants to make sure we’re able to reach any of the goals we’ve set for ourselves,” says DesLauriers.

As for Birt, the surprise of receiving the award in front of his colleagues, students and his family, including his parents who secretly flew in from Calgary, was truly special. “I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to support our athletes on the international stage and I am humbled to have been nominated for this award by the Canadian Olympic Committee,” he says. “I am grateful to Pickering College for seeing the value in my experiences for our students and for supporting me every step of the way.”

“We’re really thankful to Pickering College and his family for letting him take 3-4 weeks at a time to come and continue to support Team Canada and the Olympic movement,” says DesLauriers. “That, to us, is what makes this moment so special, to come to the school and present it to him here, in front of his day-to-day people.”

Birt is looking forward to joining Team Canada again at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.