Reflecting on my retirement, I leave the school in some amazing hands. Lauren, the thing I’ll miss most in retirement is the creative synergy and fun we had together during the daily process of dreaming up so many wild projects for our students. Special thanks to Erin for stepping in this year and supporting the crew to continue to make cool stuff. OSF isn’t all about just designing cool stuff, although we did design some of the coolest stuff ever, from a mini ramp inside a hotel room at the Gladstone to a 30 foot long skateboard for Anomaly on site during one of our trips to New York city, but the core of design at OSF has always been about relationships and a commitment to social justice. When I stood right here in this alley 3 years ago receiving a Prime Minister’s Award I spoke to students about how as designers we have a responsibility and unique skill as designers to intervene in the status quo. I am so proud of the work we did together in our equity and social justice projects over the years, especially our many OSF INDIG SK8 initiatives and of course the OSF GRRLZ SK8 CREW now the OSF GHOULZ. I am very proud to have been part of the TDSB Alternative Schools community and especially want to thank staff and administration of Oasis Alternative School in this commitment to education innovation and social justice. The community embrace of OSF over the years has been the essential element to the success of our students. I have a huge heart full of love for all our community partners that became part of the safety net for our students. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart from your continued commitment to help OSF be a launching pad for young skaters and creators. Creativity and innovation don’t happen in a vacuum, thank you for the support you my friends gave me over the years, and of course my family and especially Elizabeth, love you. As I see this class of emerging designers and see so many old students faces returning to show support, I want to thank all my students for all the fun we made.
