Aulikki and I were deeply saddened to hear that Christine had passed away. Christine’s impact on Tom’s journey at DCS was both remarkable and enduring. Her commitment to enabling young people to find self-confidence through the written or spoken word whether it be a rap, a sonnet or something in between was unwavering despite all of the edu-nonsense that constantly threatened to erode the work of a dedicated professional. Christine served as a role model for so many of us struggling to stay true to our educational beliefs amidst the onslaught of accountability and standardization. It was a true honour to have worked with Christine and engaged in so many inspirational and quirky conversations. Our thoughts go out to Nico, Ash and Amy