brownstein: this pioneering educator’s secret is ‘to believe in students’

it has been quite the ride for angela burgos. after 28 years as head of school at centennial academy — and a total of 40 years in the educational field — burgos is stepping down from her post on june 30.she will be much missed by students, their parents and her colleagues.burgos will be replaced by anika maloni, formerly the assistant head of school at sacred heart school of montreal and, prior to that, centennial’s academic dean.to say that burgos has been a pioneering educator hardly does proper justice to her work: she has changed the lives of hundreds of students with learning differences who once had no place to go. upon entering centennial, they developed the confidence to acquire an education.centennial serves a largely special-needs student base of 300 — about 45 per cent anglo and 55 per cent francophone — dealing with such neurodivergencies as autism, adhd and dyslexia.on top of dealing with the academic aspects, burgos said she found herself in a seemingly non-ending battle for funding to keep the school alive. this entailed negotiation with the provincial government as well as reaching out to the private sector and organizing fundraisers — two of which were led by singer martha wainwright.

as a result, the school is now on much more solid financing footing. yet while centennial receives funding for its anglo sector, it doesn’t for its french side because no accreditation has been given to private schools in this province since 2008, and centennial, originally an english-language institution, opened its private french division in 2016.francophone parents have been increasingly drawn to centennial since the launch of the french section because they feel that their children’s needs are best addressed there. centennial also offers bursaries to parents unable to afford tuition costs.“it was really a coalition of foundations that saved us, but we’re still lobbying hard for the french sector,” burgos says in her centennial office. “the hope is that we can get the same funding as we do for our english sector. nothing is for sure, but we’re optimistic. we have to be.”founded in 1969, centennial academy moved in 2020 from its then-n.d.g. base to its current location on sherbrooke st. w. in the heritage grand séminaire de montréal complex.“centennial was always a turnaround school, and no one really knew or analyzed why someone was having difficulty. but we were the school students came to when something wasn’t working," burgos says. "and when i came on board, there were a lot of challenges. the new curriculum of quebec was a lot more exigent and we were getting a wide range of learners.“we looked into the science of it, the neuroscience. the world of sports was using a lot of this. we pulled a lot of this and were thinking maybe this would work for our learners. it’s based on observations and providing students with feedback, positive reinforcement, persevering and consistency.”

outsiders who visit centennial say it looks and sounds like any other school. “what has been most gratifying to me is hearing students who have come back after graduating, telling us: ‘you believed in me and the school believed in me.’ that’s our goal: to believe in students, so that they believe in themselves.”in her — alleged — retirement, burgos hopes to write about her educational experiences, “to focus on what i’ve learned.”that entails focusing on centennial’s cutting-edge and inclusive universal design for learning (udl) educational approach, which has paid huge dividends for students who had struggled in more traditional school environments. burgos would like to promote udl across canada and beyond.centennial could well be inundated with more applications in the future on the anglo side in light of the news that, faced with a budget deficit, the english montreal school board may have to cut more than 60 employees who work with special-needs students. “our approach here is so uncommon. i guess it was a leap of faith to try something so different. and it worked. i always said i wanted to leave when i finished what i started. i feel that we’ve rooted the culture of what we do in everything that we do. and now it’s time.”burgos couldn’t be more delighted that maloni is taking over: “she is the ideal candidate in terms of her understanding of what we do. she brings positivity.”

there are few more positive than burgos, both on the academic and personal side. she lost her 24-year-old son 20 years ago.“i think helping others helps yourself,” she says. “it’s full circle. you really grow through your engagement with others. the lessons i’ve learned from families and their journeys have helped me.“i’ve been doing this because it keeps me growing and learning. i do still have boundless energy, and i think it’s because i’m fully devoted to helping kids learn and provide them with opportunity and a sense of justice. positive things happen when you do that. our mission is to help students become autonomous and resilient through collaboration. you have to be the difference.”maloni credits burgos for having been the difference in taking her educational approach to another level.“angela has laid such an excellent foundation for me, and my role will be to build upon that,“ maloni says. nor is she daunted by the financial aspect to her new job.“i’m absolutely looking forward to that. it’s a mission that i feel i can defend. in this role you have to live, breathe and feel that mission deeply so that you can continue to advocate, because it’s not easy. angela has had a huge number of hurdles to get through.“what i’ve learned from her is families and students come first. she has believed in every single child who has walked into her office. she has taught me we can give hope to families. and she has never stopped pioneering for students.”maloni is up for the challenge: “i’m a warrior, and centennial deserves the battle.”adds burgos: “we must persevere. we can’t cave in — in respect for all learners.”there is certainly no disappointment among a group of mothers who have come to bid adieu to burgos and to thank her for her service.“centennial has been a life-changer, not just for my son but for our family,” carolina safi says. “after he had failed at a traditional school, we were desperate to find a place for him to go. after meeting mrs. burgos for just the first time, he asked when he could start. it’s been such a huge change for him, not only for his grades but also in his social cognition and being able to express himself.”

wendy hajaly also reports dramatic results for her daughter, who just completed her second year at centennial.“she had been in the public school system in a modified program. it was the most difficult period of her life. it was a struggle at school and a struggle at home until we came here,” hajaly says. “now she’s following a regular program and doing well. before, she didn’t want to go to school. now she wakes up in the morning and can’t wait to come. honestly, the school is like a hidden gem.”barbara whiston’s son just graduated from centennial after spending the last five years there and can’t say enough about the school.“he came out of an elementary school experience, which would not be an exaggeration to call traumatic. at best, his teachers had just written him off. at the very worst, he was humiliated and bullied by his teachers. i was worried that if he went to conventional high school, it would be so (difficult) that he would end up dropping out,” whiston says.to whiston’s delight, her son ended up on the honour roll in his second year at centennial. he has emerged with a tight-knit group of friends. and he hasn’t looked back. he's now set to study fashion marketing at lasalle college in the fall.“i would jump in front of a car for that woman (burgos). she told him for the first time he had ever heard that they really wanted him at their school,” whiston says. “and that started the change in his life. we will be forever grateful.”bbrownstein@postmedia.com