Paddy Houston is a Special Services Counsellor working out of the Oxford Office and her cheerful demeanour combined with her multi-tasking powers and inspiring work ethic has made her an integral part of the UCDSB family.
Paddy also has a great way of helping students, staff, and parents face difficult situations and make difficult decisions. She is not afraid to tackle challenging topics and situations but does so in a respectful and realistic manner. This tactic has earned her the respect of parents, students, and staff in our board.
Paddy's role takes her to many different schools across the eastern part of our board. She exhibits exemplary organizational skills as she always makes time to respond to emails and phone calls; she is able to manipulate her schedule (sometimes it seems on a minute-to-minute basis) to ensure she is supporting all students, staff, and parents who have reached out and even many who have not reached out. In addition, she does a commendable job of prioritizing where her support is most needed. Even with five elementary schools, four secondary schools, three TR Leger Alternative Sites, and four ECPP sites where her students and families are serviced, Paddy is always dependable which is a great source of relief for parents, students, and staff.
During crisis situations, Paddy always remains calm and draws on her wealth of experience and knowledge to offer concrete and effective strategies to move forward in helping students in the most beneficial way. If Paddy is unsure of how to proceed, she has a great network of community partners and UCDSB professionals which she never hesitates to reach out to for advice and information. After meeting with Paddy, there is always a sense that a next step is in place and that Paddy will do everything she can to support the person in need.
For Paddy’s commitment to the success and well-being of our students, it’s an honour to recognize Paddy with a Winter 2021 Director’s Award of Merit.