2022 Peter Voight
The Hux-Kiteley Exemplary Justice Educator Award for 2022 is shared between 2 law teachers, each of whom went far beyond the listed requirements for the award. Both Patricia Valeri-Tortis and Peter Voight receive this year’s award.
Throughout his 30 years as an educator, Peter Voight has been committed to providing his students with every possible opportunity for success. When he retired in June from Central Technical School in the Toronto District School Board, he had played a significant role in the lives of thousands of high school students, many of whom credit him with helping them establish their career choices.
His commitment to his students led Peter to seek out partnerships and collaborations with organizations that offered unique learning opportunities for youth, including the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), Law in Action Within Schools (LAWS) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. He has represented the education community on OJEN’s Toronto Committee for over a decade, contributing to justice education initiatives that engage students throughout the GTA.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) notes that Peter has been a huge supporter of their educational programming, inviting CCLA’s educators to his classrooms for over 20 years. He encouraged students to engage in a critical thinking process making sure they felt comfortable expressing their opinions while fostering respectful debates. He was also the key figure they dealt with when organizing their yearly day-long rights and freedoms conference at Central Technical School for 24 years. Peter helped CCLA’s staff with logistics and technology, contributing directly to the success of these conferences.
Peter was one of the founding team of educators and justice sector supporters of the Law In Action Within Schools (LAWS) program when it was established 17 years ago. An education engagement and support program for high school students facing barriers to postsecondary access, the LAWS program infuses law and justice themes into the education curriculum. Since its inception, Peter has enthusiastically championed the program and taught several LAWS classes including LAWS History, LAWS ESL and LAWS Law. His advocacy was fundamental to launching LAWS and developing it into the established and successful program it is today.
Peter has always looked for interesting and innovative ways to teach legal issues, collaborate with members of the justice sector, and bring legal education to life. As a committed educator, he readily shared his experiences with other teachers in order to ensure that as many students as possible have access to the opportunities he developed.
Congratulations, Peter!