2009
Jo Thornton, a law teacher and department head at Mayfield Secondary School in the Peel District School Board, is the 5th Chief Justices’ Award recipient.
Ms. Thornton’s teaching skills, impact on her students, in addition to her innovation and commitment to promoting justice education make her a deserving recipient for this award. Her law classes are introduced to a wide range of guest speakers and participate in special conferences, field trips and mock trials. Her extracurricular involvement includes coaching the school mock trial team and serving as a teacher advisor to the Peel Wide Mock Trial Organization. She also co-authored a book entitled Speaking with a Purpose: a Practical Guide to Oral Advocacy, which is widely used as a handbook for students preparing for a mock trial and other forms of public speaking.