Hetty van Gurp
Granville Ferry
Hetty van Gurp is the founder of Peaceful Schools International, an internationally recognized organization, founded after her son Ben was killed by a bully in 1991. Hetty's contributions through her work in education and peace have been honoured with a number of awards, including a Baha'i Commendation for promoting racial harmony, the YMCA Peace Medal, the Nova Scotia Principal of Distinction Award, the Annual Crime Prevention Society of Nova Scotia Award and the Queen's Jubilee Medal. In 2006, Hetty was presented with the Canadian Teachers' Federation Special Recognition Award for meritorious service to education; the Human Rights Award from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and was named as a Canadian hero by TIME magazine. In 2007, Reader's Digest also recognized Hetty as a Canadian hero. Hetty holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from Mount Saint Vincent University where she is also a part-time faculty member. In 2005, Saint Mary's University conferred a Doctorate of Civil Law on Hetty. Hetty is the author of four books.
Who Decides Where the Spotlight Shines?
Selection Committee
