Aurora Sports Hall of Fame introduces first edition of comic book series

April 28, 2022 · 0 Comments

The Aurora Sports Hall of Fame released the first volume of their comic book series “Heroes of the Hall.”

The comic book was made possible due to the New Horizons for Seniors Program Grant.

Chair of the Education Committee of the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame Kristen Dajia had shared her thoughts and ideas on this initiative.

Previously working as an educator, Dajia utilized comic books to teach literacy and to promote reading.

“Years go by and then I finally found a way. I applied for a grant and I thought I can do this with the Federal grant, and then I finally did it,” Dajia said.

“I found the stories and got the artists. You always have to connect with the Ontario curriculum. So, I looked through the Ontario curriculum to see where we can connect and put a series together of questions and then also extras for teachers.”

Illustrated by Paul Riley, the comic book tells the tales of select inductees from various years.

Each Hall of Fame inductee mentioned was previously interviewed and those can be found on YouTube.

The stories of Brian Stemmle, Carolin Bouchard, Greg Hotham, Mark Heese and some history on the Indigenous community introducing lacrosse is included.

“Theme of Vol. 1 is perseverance, determination and to never give up. That’s the theme I wanted the kids to have. Every story is about not giving up,” Dajia said.

In collaboration with the Aurora Cultural Centre and the Aurora Public Library, 25 copies were donated to each school in Aurora for educational purposes. Students can borrow the book from their school library to read.

Dajia says she hopes field trips can be coordinated with the Newcomers Centre in order to teach those new to the country about Canadian culture.

In the back of the book, the Aurora Sport Hall of Fame posed questions for students to answer. These are test questions to prepare students for their EQAO examinations.

Moving forward, Dajia and President of the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame Javed Khan say they hope to publish this comic book on an annual basis.

There is also the intention to publish French versions of the comic book to cater to local French immersion schools.

The comic book is geared for all readers of all ages.

There is no specific reading level moving forward for this.

To support the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame in producing the next issue, you may purchase a ticket for the monthly 50/50 Raffle Draws on the website.

Funds raised will be used to support the comic book series in the months and years ahead.

By Robert Belardi