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Student Tesstimonials

I can’t express my gratitude enough. 

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Dwayne, thank you so much for taking time to come to our school.  I really think you had a very positive and strong impact on many of us but mostly me.  I got to see and hear people in a whole new way.  I can’t express my gratitude enough.  When you told me you thought I was a leader it made my day and rocked my world.  The way you said it made me actually believe it like I never have before.  I could tell you meant it and that meant more to me than you can ever imagine.  You are so amazing at what you do and you’re such a caring person.  I hope we can meet again in the future.  Keep doing what you do!

Grade 8 female – unsolicited – 2024

My Deepest Gratitude for the Profound Impact

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I hope this note finds you well.  I wanted to take a moment to extend my deepest gratitude for the profound impact you had on me during your recent presentation at our school.  Your words touched me in a way that I hadn’t anticipated, leaving a lasting impression that I carry with me everyday.

Your ability to articulate complex ideas with such clarity and passion is truly remarkable.  As you spoke, I found myself drawn into your narrative, hanging on every word as if it were a lifeline in a sea of uncertainty.  Your message resonated deeply within me, stirring emotions I didn’t even know that I had.

More than just a speaker, you were a beacon of positivity and hope.  Your words have not only brought tears in my eyes but have also opened my heart to new possibilities.  You have reminded me of the power of optimism and the importance of seeing the good in every situation.  Your unwavering commitment to spread kindness and understanding is a RARE and beautiful gift.  In a world often filled with chaos and negativity, you stand out as a shining example of what it means to be truly compassionate.  I cannot thank you enough for the profound impact you’ve made in my life.

Thank you, Dwayne, for sharing your wisdom and insights.  Your presence in my life, however fleeting, has left an incredible mark that I will carry with me.

Thank you.

Grade 6 female – unsolicited – 2024

I Really Needed That

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Hi Dwayne!
I am so sorry it took me so long to email you! I’ve been super busy lately. I just really wanted to say thank you for everything! You said at our school presentation that you wanted to make us think, and you really made me think a lot. I’ve been trying to make a few thumb switches in my life, and it’s been going really well so far (for example, I’ve stopped teasing my older sister for being shorter than me. She says it never bugged her, but I just feel like I’m being a better sister than I was before, and I don’t think I ever would have realized how powerful of an impact my words might have had if I hadn’t met you.)
I’ve also been trying to give more complements! Yesterday, there was a kid in my school wearing an AWESOME Minion toque, and normally I would have been too shy to tell him and just say to my friends who were there at the time “omg, look at his Minion toque!” But I told him I loved it as I was passing by, and he grinned really big, which kind of made my day 🙂
I also just really wanted to say thank you for getting me in that small group session! I feel like I really needed that. It took a long time for me to fully process everything I said. Also, I have this thing that I feel like males deal with a lot where I find that I can’t show any weakness at all or else… (I don’t even know what the “or else” is, all my brain tells me is that it’s bad) maybe it’s that I think people will judge me, maybe it’s that I think people will have less trust in me, I really don’t know, but since I’ve said those things, nothing happened. Which is good, because it proves to me that I can express the feelings that I need to because good people won’t think negatively of me because of it.
Sorry, this is a really long email haha! I just really wanted to thank you and tell you how much you’ve positively impacted my life! You said that we could describe the sessions as a gift, but in reality, you are the gift.  Also, I don’t know if the principal emailed you or not (and I’m sorry if I get some details of the story wrong), but apparently about a week or two ago, the grade 9 girls volleyball team was at a tournament where they were staying at a hotel. They were supposed to be in bed, lights out by 11. The principal came by around 10:30, and no one was in their rooms, but he kind of shrugged it off and came back at 11:30, when he found all the girls in one room, practically begging if they could stay up for another hour. Guess what they were doing? They made their own little Dwayne Peace sharing circle together. He let them stay up as late as they needed to finish and apparently they didn’t go to bed until like 1 in the morning I think. My heart melted when the principal told us that story, and I figured you would want to hear it if you haven’t already 🙂

Anyways, sorry for the really long email, but thank you again for everything!
Thank you again!!

Grade 12 female student – unsolicited – 2023

The Opportunity to Gain Empathy and Learn From Each Other

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Hello Students and Parents,

We have had a very powerful week with Dwayne Peace large group, small group, and the parent sessions.  Thanks to everyone that took part. The feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive and several of our students indicated that this was the single most important thing they have done in school.  This week has had a significant impact on the perspectives of staff and students alike.  We invest significant energy into relations, be it at school, at work, or at home.  We are all impacted to varying degrees by drama, rumors, gossip,
bullying, and power.  Having the unified desire to change the expectations for each other, provides all members of the community the opportunity to gain empathy and learn from each other.  I encourage parents and students to keep the conversations going.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to discuss with your students, try discussing some of these things that Dwayne mentioned, including:

  • Bullying being a DR_G – The only thing that is missing is “U” when it comes to utilizing
    drama, rumors, and gossip.
  • Not knowing what people have in their backpacks and adding bricks.  Everyone is going
    through something, and we are better, kinder people when we remember that.
  • Removing bricks with three compliments a day.
  • We all get to choose.  Good choices = Good consequences, Bad choices = bad
    consequences
  • Own your decisions and your mistakes.

As a staff, we have been so moved by how this week has gone and this feels like a positive starting point to building the culture we want to see in our school. Thank you for your support as parents and students for seeing the benefit of this week.

Take care,
Principal

A Lot Of Us Needed To Hear Your Message

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I want to take a few minutes to thank you for a few things. Firstly, I want to thank you for coming to our school and sharing many serious things. I think a lot of us needed to hear your message. All of us knew it was a long presentation but all of us loved your presentation. I loved how long it was because you not only shared a fact about something, but you took it a step further and explained it so well.
Secondly, I want to thank you for things you touched on. For me personally, the suicide part you touched on, I loved it because of the story I shared in the small group session. I also loved that you touched on vaping, because I don’t vape, and never have, but I know so many people that do, and I think it touched every single student in the gym that do vape. Body image was also a huge topic for me, as I have struggles with it and my older sister has struggles with it too.
Lastly, I am truly thankful I got the opportunity to be in your small group session. There was so many things that students said that really spoke to me. I also like to hear other students’ stories because personally I did judge some of them without knowing who they were. I also loved that I could share my story with everyone as well. It was life changing by you.
Dwayne, I want to give you an encouraging message. DO NOT STOP what you are doing, because I was truly spoken to by you, and if you can change my life and our school, then you can change anyone’s life. DON’T QUIT!!!

Grade 9 female student – unsolicited – 2023

A Very Eye Opening Experience

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I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done this week. I’m lucky enough that I also got to go to one of the small group sessions. I think it was a very eye-opening experience for the whole class and it was very beneficial. I think we all see each other differently and realize that everyone has crap they deal with. So, thank you so much for coming to our school and I hope that we get to have you come back in future years. Good luck with everything, I know you’ll help so many others as you’ve helped our school.

Grade 9 female student – unsolicited – 2023

A Newfound Understanding and Empathy Towards Fellow Classmates

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The small group session with Dwayne was an unbelievable experience that immediately created an unbreakable bond with and appreciation for all students I was blessed to share with. Dwayne being open and honest set the stage for what was going to be an emotional rollercoaster and it did not disappoint. The three hours flew by and there were so many students that realized they were not all that different from everyone else. There are more things that can unite us than divide us.
Everybody’s got a story and Dwayne just helped us all share it. It is so true that the more you put into the session, the more you’ll get out. The environment was a very safe space and all students showed incredible humility and support for their peers. It is only a few days removed from the session, but I can already feel this class has a newfound understanding and empathy towards their fellow classmates and I’m hoping this extends to the entire school community.

From Male high school teacher of 27 years – 2023

This has been one of the best/emotional days of my life!

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Today we had a guest speaker, his name is Dwayne Peace. He was a police officer who lives in Calgary who now speaks at schools about drugs, suicide, alcohol, and bullying. He touched a really deep place in my heart. I learnt a lot of new things like how to support someone who is having suicidal thoughts. He also told me that he believed in me and that I’m amazing. It has never felt so good to hear those words, they made me believe in myself. My social responsibility is that I feel I want to do that to other people. I want to boost their self confidence . I also want to be as positive as I can. I think the most important thing is that we are all equal. This has been one of the best/emotional days of my life!
– Grade 5/6 student

Right from the beginning I knew he was what my class needed.

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Dwayne Peace visited my grade 5/6 classroom on a crazy Friday where the power was out, but luckily came on just before classes started. The hectic morning of wondering whether school was on or not really had everyone’s nerves heightened, not to mention it was Friday. When I met Dwayne for the first time, the first thing he said to me was, “your smile looks good on you”. Honestly, I will never forget that or the day i had with him and my grade 5/6 class. Right from the beginning I knew he was what my class needed. He has an empowering way of telling you the truth, lifting you up, and encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone because he believes you are capable of moving mountains, and making the world a better place. It only takes one person to make a change and he proves that with the impact he has left– not only on my students, but me as well. He’s inspired my students to make positive choices and has left the responsibility in their hands. I cannot thank him enough for his time and genuine impact.
– Jesse Sawka, Teacher at Hillmond Central School Grade 5/6

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