Founder's Day 2008 Photos & Events

Founder's Day Dinner 2008 took place on February 9th in the Andrews Osborne Academy Dining Room. The event to honor past and present Faculty and Staff was a night to remember!

The evening included a Chinese Auction & 50/50 Raffle (for the Hibschman& Lee Scholarship Fund) which was a small preview of the Legacy Luncheon to be held on Sept. 27, 2008 so Save the Date!

We also celebrated the 50th Golden & 25th Silver Anniversary Years of 1958 and 1983.

The evening included an inspiring performance by the Andrews Osborne Academy Upper School Choir and the singing of the Andrews Alma Mater. Music Director Karen Clark lead the choir and played the piano.

The dinner concluded with one of the highlights of the evening. The presentation of the 2008 Distinguished Alumnae Award. This years Distinguished Alumnae Award was presented to Deborah Wilkes-Whitehall '82 by Penny McHenry '80 (see photo). Here is the speech that Penny gave highlighting all of Deborah's many, many accomplishments:

On Saturday, February 9, 2008, Deborah Wilkes-Whitehall became the 2008 Distinguished Alumnae. Deborah is a 1982 Graduate from The Andrews School, and embodies the mission that our school was founded on: To Educate Young Women to Become Self-Reliant.

Deborah graduated with honors with a BS in 1986 from Muskingum College in New Concord, OH. Upon completion of her BS she moved north to Canadawhere she attended Queens University, it was there she completed her Medical Degree. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at McGill University and received her Diploma in Clinical Behavioural Sciences from McMaster University. Deborah met her husband Jeff Whitehall at Queens University and has been happily married for the past 17 years. Deborah is the proud and loving mother of three sons; Sean (16), Ian (14), and Cameron (12).

Deborah is a family physician in Port Colborne, Ontario with her own practice serving Women, Children, and Adolescent Health Issues. She is also the medical advisor for Newport Centre, an inpatient drug & alcohol treatment center. Deborah also provides methadone and psychotherapy for clients with opiate addiction. She is the medical director and co-founder of the Niagara Eating Disorder Outpatient Program which provides consultation and treatment services for the Niagara Region. It is amazing that Deborah has time for anything more then work and family, however, she still finds the time to volunteer. In 2007 alone, she put in 200 volunteer teaching hours through McMaster University.

Deborah is also a coach, trainer, and board member of the Wainfleet Minor Hockey Association. Deborah is a master rower in a woman’s eight, and plays in hockey tournaments for charity. Here on the Andrews Osborne Academy home front, Deborah continues to be a strong supporter of her roots. She is a member of the Friends of the Library, and gives regularly to the schools annual fund. Her family continues to support AOA in her absence by attending school functions and fund raising events. Deborah is well deserving of this award and it was an honor to recognize her for all of her wonderful accomplishments.

The Andrews Alumnae Association would like to thank everyone who attended this event. The Founder's Day Banquet is a wonderful tradition and we look forward to seeing everyone next year.

Now for the fun part!

Click Here to see all the photos from the Founder's Day Dinner!