What began as a normal morning at work for Sam Pisani (BA \u201914) quickly turned into anything but.<\/p>\n
The Grade 11 world religions teacher sat down at his desk on Jan. 30 only to learn news of a shooting at a Quebec mosque that claimed the lives of six men attending evening prayer the night before.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter seeing what people had to say about it, especially over social media, I knew I had to do something,\u201d said Pisani, who teaches at Humberside Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke.<\/span><\/p>\n Reflecting on how he could turn this situation into a teaching moment for his students, Pisani decided to veer away from his class plan that morning.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, he asked them to write letters.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI teach 16-year-olds who are all accustomed to texting and posting on social media, so what better way for my students to genuinely connect with others than by writing letters?\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI only gave three instructions. I told them they weren\u2019t getting marked and they didn\u2019t have to participate, but if they did, I wanted the letters to come from a place of love and compassion, sending positivity to people in our community who needed it the most.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n All 19 of his students put pen to paper.<\/span><\/p>\n Pisani then delivered the letters to the local Islamic Information and Dawah Centre mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n Ilyas Ally, the mosque\u2019s assistant imam, was overwhelmed and excited by the gesture.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBefore this, I hadn\u2019t even stepped into a mosque, but now we\u2019ve established this great relationship between the mosque and Humberside,\u201d Pisani said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be taking a field trip there this term. Other students and teachers have also approached me about what have now become known as The Humberside Letters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As for the 19 students that wrote the first batch of notes, the experience has opened their eyes to how a small but kind gesture can really make an impact.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had conversations on what this initiative has done for our school and the community,\u201d Pisani said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI let them know we\u2019re in an age where we can use our voice and people will listen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It was his time at Brock that initially hit that message home for Pisani.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI saw the difference I made just by speaking about important issues through dramatic arts,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew then that I could help others through the smallest of things.\u201d<\/span>
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