Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service to the neighbourhood house were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Rania Hatzioannou for 20 years of service. Here’s what Carmen Correal and Amir Sabbaghan, both Recreation Managers at CNH, had to say about Rania:
We come together with pride and appreciation to honour a truly exceptional instructor who has dedicated two decades of her life to nurturing the creative minds of the children in our community. We celebrate Rania, a guiding light in our children’s writing class, for her unwavering commitment and remarkable contributions.
Rania has inspired our children’s community for the past 20 years, the spark of creativity in countless children’s young hearts and minds. Her dedication to fostering a love for writing and storytelling has enriched the lives of these children and left an enduring legacy within our community.
Through the years, Rania has consistently demonstrated qualities that make her stand out as an outstanding educator. Beyond her instructor role, Rania actively contributed as a member of the Board of Directors at CNH for nine years. From 2010 to 2012, she was vice president.
We asked Rania. Why did you stay so long at CNH?
She turns down every Friday night invitation to socialize with family or friends because she cannot think of anything else to bring her the same joy she gets from seeing a child’s eyes grow while learning.
Rania’s favourite work-related memory?
“I have far too many fond memories of teaching creative writing at Collingwood. Children have to read their stories in front of the class. One time, a young student was reading in front of the class with his eyes going left to right across the notebook page. The story was very long, but he was not turning the pages. I asked him to show me the story afterwards; the pages were blank! He was making up the story as he was going along! He was an excellent storyteller, but after two years in my class, he was also a good writer.”
Rania’s impact on our community and our children’s lives is immense, and we look forward to celebrating her legacy together as a community.
For information about careers at CNH, visit www.cnh.bc.ca/about/careers.