December 7 Douglas College Foundation presents Envision Financial Light the Lake 4-7pm, LaFarge Lake Park Free admission. Activity passes $2.50 Info 604-777-6172 December 18 Seasonal Social 4-6pm, Upper Cafeteria New Westminster Campus January 15 Seasonal Social 4-6pm, Room Cr008/1009 David Lam Campus Coach of the Year and Douglas Sport Science instructor Tim Frick with National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball members, from left, Jennifer Krempien, Misty Thomas and Janet McLachlan. Douglas Coaching instructor receives national kudos Tim Frick is going out at the top of his game. The Sport Science and Bachelor of Physical Education and Coaching (BPEC) instructor was presented with the Jack Donohue Coach of the Year Award in Calgary on November 7 during the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Sportif, an annual conference organized by the Coaching Association of Canada. Frick was recognized for his work as head coach of the National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team. Over the last 19 years, he has led the team to three Paralympic Games titles and four world championship gold medals. He stepped down from the position following this year’s Summer Games. Receiving the award named for the late Jack Donohue, a former Canadian Men’s National Basketball Coach who also coached icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in high school, was an honour, says Frick. Stagecraft technician Brian Pratt's throne will help set the stage for this year’s Envision Financial Light the Lake Christmas festival. “ Jack was the consummate coach. He was a great mentor to a lot of us,” says Frick. Frick’s players say his commitment to their personal and professional development set him apart from the competition. “He is more than effective. He's a world leader,” says Jennifer Krempien, who competed with the women’s national team for 16 years. “Creating and building relationships is productive for everybody involved,” says Frick, who brings this approach to the classroom too. “We tell our students over and over again, ‘You're coaching the person doing the activity.’ A sign of a true coach is that he or she helps the individual so that they can increase their performance and take it to a higher level,” says Frick. In addition to leaving his post as head coach of the national team, Frick is planning his retirement from teaching, effective March, 2009. He says the atmosphere at Douglas is “fun, 24-7.” However, he is looking forward to having the time to do things that were, until recently, “put on the backburner.” Frick and his wife, Gerry, recently relocated from Port Coquitlam to Pender Island. He'll be helping Gerry with her passion, volunteering with German Shepherd Rescue of BC, and putting the finishing touches on his rec room. He plans to keep active with disc golf and coaching grade seven basketball. “When youre involved in elite sport, you miss celebrating a lot of milestones with your friends and family. I'm looking forward to catching up on that now.” Scholarly dollars Several instructors have been granted funds to take on scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) projects at Douglas College. Vice President Education Jan Lindsay named seven recipients in total: Bill Archibald and Laura Donaldson, Commerce and Business Administration; Tanya Haye and Heather Tobe, Communications; Linda Phillips and Kathleen Price, Early Childhood Education; and Alison Thomas, Sociology. The latest honoraria recipients will speak about their projects at the annual Celebration of Teaching, Learning, Research and Scholarly Activity next Spring. Many of last year’s recipients presented the findings of their respective studies at the international SoTL conference in Edmonton in October. See ‘Students tell researchers they like it strict’ on page 4 for more information. College readies for Light the Lake As Santa Claus and his elves work around the clock making toys, a Stagecraft technician is taking to his own tools to craft a very special chair. Brian Pratt has been sawing, sanding and painting to perfect Santa's throne for the fourth annual Envision Financial Light the Lake Christmas festival. It’s made him one popular dad. “One of my daughters asked me ‘What are you doing at work today?’ When I told her I was working on a Santa chair, she responded with, ‘Oh, cool!” says Pratt. The throne will be the centerpiece for photos with Santa at the annual student aid fundraiser. This year’s festival is set to run — snow, rain or sleet — on Sunday, Dec 7 at LaFarge Lake Park, across from the David Lam Campus. Other Light the Lake highlights will include stage entertainment, strolling carolers, activities and crafts for kids, refreshments and more. Global morning news anchor Steve Darling is the celebrity emcee and several community groups are participating. Admission is free and activity passes, offering unlimited access to the crafts and games, will be available for $2.50 each. Hosted by the Douglas College Foundation, the festival runs from 4-7 pm on December 7 with the support of sponsors Envision Financial, Phoenix Truck and Crane, Trinity Power, William E White, Polygon, Thrifty’s, West Coast Express, Coquitlam Centre, Meridian RV, BC Hydro, SIGN-A- RAMA, Teklar Enterprises, Coquitlam Firefighters, NOW Newspapers and the TriCity News.