Thea Givair came to Chatham specifically to take part in a local high school’s Transportation Technology class. She leaves having won an award and illustrating collaboration.
Givair, an exchange student from Belgium, chose John McGregor Secondary School (JMSS) for the Transportation Technology program, which meshes with her passion for automobile racing.
The educational marriage of sorts paid great dividends, to the point Givair earned top-student status in the class. School officials said the reward recognizes “excellence in academic achievement, technical skills, responsibility, initiative, teamwork, goal setting, and personal persistence.”
And each year, the top student receives a mechanic’s hand tool award. One problem; Givair could not take the award home with her, as it’s too large and heavy to transport back to Belgium with her.
But Givair pivoted, turning the problem into a plus, donating the award to the second-place finisher, Tapanga Dzieciol.
Givair’s connection to JMSS extended well beyond the classroom. Upon arriving at the school, she quickly became involved with the JMSS #57 Race Team, contributing countless hours alongside fellow students helping to build and prepare the team’s race car. Through her dedication, technical knowledge, and leadership, she was ultimately selected by her teammates to serve as crew leader.
For Technology Transportation teacher James Stonehouse, Givair’s story highlights something much larger than a single award.
“Thea’s experience demonstrates the outstanding opportunities available to students in our Transportation Technology program. Not only did she excel in the classroom and shop, but she became an integral leader on our race team,” he said in a media release. “We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and grateful for the impact she made on our school community.”
The story also speaks to the growing reputation of JMSS’s Transportation Technology program beyond Ontario and beyond Canada.
Students in the program gain hands-on experience through industry-standard learning opportunities, including automotive repair, diagnostics, fabrication, and participation on the school’s celebrated student-led racing team. These experiences help prepare students for careers in the skilled trades, engineering, automotive technology, and related fields.
For Givair, those opportunities were significant enough to influence her decision to travel thousands of kilometres from home to study at JMSS.
