First Edition of the Martine-Galibois-Barss Award: The Fédération des parents Immortalizes an Important Figure in the Parents’ Movement in British Columbia!

Article from Parenthèse published on 15 December 2023, in the Annual Conference category.

The 2022-2023 Parents’ Association of the Year Award, awarded annually by the Commission nationale de parents francophones (CNPF), took on a whole new dimension at the 2023 Annual conference.

The Fédération des parents decided to immortalize an important and key figure in the parents’ movement in British Columbia, Ms. Martine Galibois-Barss, who passed away last March at the age of 75, by renaming the Parents’ Association of the Year Award in her name. The “Martine-Galibois-Barss Award” was awarded for the first time on the opening night of the 2023 conference.

It was important for the Fédération des parents to pay an enduring tribute to Ms. Galibois-Barss, whose destiny is intimately linked to the Fédération, of which she was President from 1986 to 1996. By engraving her name on plaques, each year the community will remember and celebrate her unwavering commitment and immeasurable contribution to the struggle for the rights to quality education in French in British Columbia. Ms. Galibois-Barss’ strength of character, dedication, and generosity will continue to motivate and inspire parent volunteers in our communities for many years to come.

To learn more about Martine Galibois-Barss, click here

2023 Recipient

The Fédération was pleased to present, for the first time, the prestigious Martine-Galibois-Barss Award to the Chilliwack parents’ association “La Société du comité consultatif de l'école la Vérendrye” for its exceptional dedication to the children of its school. Among their many accomplishments was their leadership in the planning and construction of the new soccer field development project, which was eagerly awaited by the students. This project was made possible thanks to an anonymous donation from a family at the school. Also, thanks to the close collaboration that the team has developed with the school’s administration, we should mention the construction of a “gaga ball” (a variant of dodgeball) enclosure, and the installation of a climbing wall each year by a professional company in order to offer a variety of sports activities to the youngsters.

Congratulations to the whole team!

Presentation of the Martine-Galibois-Barss Award at the 2023 AGM