Neil Orford “takes flight” into retirement

July 3, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Marni Walsh

Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS) teacher Neil Orford will literarily “take flight” into retirement this summer when he boards the last remaining WW2 Lancaster Bomber in Canada, out of the War Plane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, as a parting gift from staff and community.

After 30 years of teaching in Dufferin County, the history teacher, department head and award winning founder of the Digital Historian Project (DHP) is leaving his classroom at CDDHS for the last time.

CDDHS Principal Patrick Hamilton says he has “had the good fortune of working with Neil for the past 20 plus years,” and calls him “the consummate professional.”

“Unlike any other teacher I have met, he is able to encourage and inspire students to deep levels of thought and understanding,” he says. “He is a tireless advocate for the study of history and in particular Canadian History.”

“A proud son of two veterans,” Neil Orford was born in Toronto where he attended Lawrence Park Collegiate and graduated from York University (Glendon College) and the University of Toronto. He is married with two grown daughters and lives in Orangeville.

Mr. Orford began his teaching career at the Toronto District School Board in 1986 and was hired full-time by Orangeville District Secondary School in 1987. He moved into History and Geography at CDDHS in 1997 where he was a Department Head from 1998 until 2015.

Working in co-ordination with the Juno Beach Centre in France for more than a decade and the Dufferin County Museum and Archives (DCMA) for twenty five years, Neil became the program leader of the DHP in 2013, bringing history to life for his students right at the museum.

One of Neil’s colleagues, Erik Zeidler calls Neil “a great champion for teaching and love of history.”

“In today’s world History is more important than ever for students in understanding current events,” he said. “Neil has passion and a quest for excellence that has left a legacy with the staff and students of Centre Dufferin.”

Neil Orford says it was his goal “to make history the most important course in high school” and there is no doubt that his teaching, leadership, and travels with his students to the Battlefields of Europe have had an “historical” affect.

A few parting quotes from some of his current students include:

“You were my cheerleader, mentor, teacher, [and] strategist…”

“I owe a lot of what I’ve achieved professionally to you.”

“I have no doubt that you will continue to influence the teaching world no matter where you are.”

“Your keen interest and effective teaching methods ultimately sparked my curiosity to further explore and eventually minor in history.”

“I hope to one day be a high school history teacher and inspire my students the way I was inspired in your class.”

“Congratulations on being an incredibly influential teacher and for inspiring and shaping so many young minds.”

“I really enjoyed the challenge that your unique way of thinking/teaching presented me with.”

“Your passion for history is contagious.”

Orford has won numerous awards for his teaching, most recently the 2015 Government of Canada History Award for Excellence, the 2013 Canadian Governor General’s Award for History Teaching and the 2012 Ontario Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

In 2012, he was also the co-recipient of the OHASSTA “Alan Skeoch Leadership Award” and the 2001 OSSTF Leadership Award. Neil is proud to be a national recipient of the Canada 125 Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

In the last year, the DHP has been featured by the Ontario Ministry of Education as an “exemplary model” for Experiential Learning by the “21st Century Learning Secretariat.”

“I feel so terribly blessed to have been a History teacher in Dufferin for 30 years,” Neil says. “I have worked with excellent colleagues at both ODSS and Centre Dufferin over that time, and had the privilege to teach with the expert staff at the DCMA. My retirement party was wonderful – so many former students, colleagues and friends joined me at the DCMA.”

Neil says, “The Digital Historian Project is in good hands, with teacher Asher Kirk-Elleker undertaking the program.”

Although, he will “take some time to step-back from the fast-pace of the classroom,” Neil plans to lead a tour for adults to the Battlefields in July 2018, and likely some student tours to Vimy starting in the spring of 2018.