Former KCSS students inducted into Case of Distinction

By Robert Belardi

Since its inception in 2003, King City Secondary School Case of Distinction Induction Ceremony finally returned following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ceremony, which took place at King City Secondary School Saturday morning, honoured four KCSS alumni, who have gone on to accomplish incredible feats in their professional careers.
President of the KCSS Alumni Association, John Peddle, began the ceremony welcoming all guests into the school's front foyer where all guests gathered.
This year's inductees, were David Wilson (absent), Shawn Burt, Kevin Hastings and Terry Hoover.
Peddle stepped in to introduce Wilson, before family members took the stage to introduce the other inductees.
“I have the pleasure of inducting David Wilson. David is going in under the category of athletics and skate coaching and choreography. I didn't know all of those years watching figure skating, that it was David who was the brains behind all of the performances that I was watching on TV all of those years,” Peddle said.
“He fell in love with figure skating at an early age. He attended King City for a short while. He was training at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club downtown and re-located going to school to finish high school down there.”
A Nobleton native, Wilson helped many figure skaters win medals at Olympic Games. In 2019, he was nominated into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame.
After Peddle, Shawn Burt was introduced to the stand by his wife Jennifer and children Aydan and McKenna.
Burt, who lost his mother after graduating post-secondary school to cancer, sought making a difference and wanted to use his love for sports as a catalyst, to helping cancer research. A graduate of philosophy at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., Burt went on to work with Maple Leaf Sports & entertainment, before becoming the Chief Hockey Officer at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. He used his love for hockey to spearhead Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, winning two Guinness World Records and raised over $25-million towards cancer research.
He has gone on to work at McMaster University as Director of Athletics and Recreation. In his speech, he alluded to many things that helped him on his journey. The experience at KCSS, was one of them.
“Each and every one of these individuals (teachers) showed me a passion for life-long learning and a commitment to helping others, which I think is so profound. It has guided me through my Dartmouth career and into my professional career and beyond. I am eternally grateful for the many great lessons I learned from those role models. At that time, I didn't realize it, but you get a little bit older and little bit smarter and wiser. You realize it now. It means the world to me,” Burt said in his speech.
Next up to speak was Kevin Hastings, who was inducted into the Athletics category as a Professional Hockey Official.
Hastings, who played in the OHA and in the OHL with the Barrie Colts, graduated from the University of Guelph with a diploma in Horticulture. He went on to play minor-pro hockey in the Central Hockey League, and then became an OHA official.
He officiated four Memorial Cups, two Memorial Cup Finals and 12 OHL Finals. In 2018, he was awarded the Ken Bodendistel Officiating Character Award, named after his great mentor. He has been an official in the AHL since 2003, winning other awards in the process. He currently mentor's other linesman today.
Emotional in his speech, Hastings reflected on his time at KCSS.
“We came here as young kids and we left as adults. Teachers weren't teachers, they were our friends. They helped us build things outside of school. I took a lot of that,” Hastings said.
“I say to people wherever I've been around the world with hockey or with school, King City was a special spot. My age group, we had a special group of guys. We get together every year. Those friendships and bonds were built here at King City Secondary. I'm grateful for this award and I just want to thank everybody for helping me along the way.”
Last but not least, Terry Hoover, the final inductee took the stand. Hoover, was inducted for Entrepreneurship, Maple Syrup Aficionado. After graduating from Guelph University in 1977 from the Agricultural programme, Hoover, became a president at the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association and also president of Waterloo Wellington local.
He went on to win an award in 2020, as Producer of the Year at the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. He also made appearances in the past with chef Lynn Crawford on the Food Network multiple times.
In 2020, Hoover was taken by the Corporation of the County of Perth, to be a part of their “Signature experience.” Here, he learned more on how to further enhance his business. “Hoover's Maple Experience” was born.
He continuously gives back to the community along with his wife Diane. He hosts residents from nursing homes and community groups and treats them to pancake and sausage meals.
Introduced by his best friend Ron Gillies, in his speech, Hoover had everyone laughing.
“Thank you to the KCSS Distinction committee for moving forward with the application. Words cannot express how grateful I am and I truly am grateful for this. I wish all of my classmates could be here to see this. I often wondered if I would use the knowledge I gained in the school. I sometimes I thought this stuff would never be used in the real world,” Hoover said.
“But who remembers the Grade 9 teachers' strike? Nine weeks, no school. Wasn't that a vacation? Fantastic. So, they bumped us all to Grade 10.”
Current principal Helga Curry and Student Council President Anastasia Mouratidis went on and shared some words and Peddle concluded the ceremony.
On behalf of the King Weekly Sentinel, congratulations on this year's inductees. All profiles can be found at https://kcssalumni.com/inductee-profiles.html.