Ambassador’s School Tour: A Great Time!
Easter Seals Ambassador Tour is over (for 2011)
Published on April 21, 2011
Nathaniel Flynn
The Guardian
Hannah MacLellan, Easter Seals Ambassador, is greeted with a standing ovation and cheers at Stratford Elementary School. The school is the last on the tour across the Island.
STRATFORD — Her home school saved the biggest and best for last as Stratford Elementary presented a $4,600 donation during a raucous welcome home party Wednesday for Hannah MacLellan, the 2011 Easter Seals P.E.I. Ambassador.
The school was the Easter Seals tour’s last stop and wrapped up six busy days of touring 65 schools across P.E.I.
The assembly started with the children practicing how to welcome Hannah into the gym. Vice principal John Van Dyke yelled out commands and asked for callbacks to his questions.
“Where are you from?” Van Dyke said.
“Stratford!” the children yelled back.
“What does that make you?”
“Stingrays!”
The school is welcoming a Stingray back, Van Dyke said.
“We make sure we welcome them in the right way,” he yelled.
The children started chanting “Hannah” as the lights went off. The children stood up and cheered when MacLellan entered the room behind a bagpipe player. She had a long line of students and people from Easter Seals behind her.
The lights came back on when the group got on the stage and took their seats. Among the people on stage were Janice Blacquiere, co-ordinator for the Tim Hortons Easter Seals Ambassador’s Tour of Island Schools, Danny Murphy of Tim Hortons, and MacLellan’s mother, father, sister and a friend.
Blacquiere introduced everyone on stage and said their tour was very successful this year.
After that, MacLellan stood up to speak. She is 11 years old and has cerebral palsy, she said. She talked about her message, like she has in 65 schools on the Island before.
“Don’t be afraid to try,” she said. She finished with her motto: “Believe in yourself. You will be amazed at what you can do.” She shot her fist into the air.
Principal Derek McEwan then got up on stage. He said with that, it was the perfect segue to their Grade 6 rock band.
“This song is for you, Hannah,” one of the singers said. The band played Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” When the drums came in, the crowd started clapping to the beat. When the song finished, the crowd was cheering and MacLellan was clapping.
A man controlling the lighting took his light down from the ladder to the ground. McEwan said he had a donation for MacLellan, but it would only work with the light.
The lights went off and the drummer started a drumroll. The man from the ladder shone the light at a few children holding up signs with a number on it. With all four signs up, it read “$4,600.”
The lights came back on and McEwan gave the actual cheque to MacLellan.
“You’re worth every penny of that and so much more,” McEwan said.
Then, McEwan took a treasure chest up to the stage. They held a random draw for prizes for the students. MacLellan drew the names of the two winners, who got an iPad from Murphy and an mp3 player from MacLellan.
After that finished, Blacquiere sat beside MacLellan. She said she has been on the tour for 21 years.
“I’m always amazed at the ambassador and this year is no exception.”
Blacquiere started to cry. “Hannah, we’re done,” she said. Blacquiere then hugged MacLellan.
“I hope the best for your future, Hannah,” she said.
The presentation finished with an encore of “Don’t Stop Believin’” as the students left to go home.
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This year’s school Tour allowed our 2011 Easter Seals Ambassador, Hannah MacLellan, to personally bring the message of Easter Seals to other children. The bus tour was from April 13-20, 2011. 
