Catholic Central is one of the most diverse high schools in Windsor.

And now, the school — and one of its teachers — has won an award from an organization that promotes and provides training in diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Harmony Movement has named Catholic Central “school of the year” and Dave Walls, a long-time business and current physical education teacher, its “educator of the year.”

Walls leads a program for black students called the African-Canadian Cultural Experience.

“We just wanted to get black and African students an opportunity to voice their opinions and become informed about some of the issues that are out there,” he said. “My goal was to really to expose them to their future careers, future education.”

Walls, who grew up in Windsor, said while the overt racism he experienced as a young person is not as prevalent today, there is still a “quiet racism” in the city.

“[It’s] where you just don’t hire someone, you don’t select somebody … who doesn’t look like you,” he explained.

“So to give kids an an opportunity [and] say, ‘look, here are black leaders in our community, and they’ve lived just like you have, some of them came from the same neighbourhood as you, and they’ve become lawyers … engineers and business owners. Just because other people don’t see you in a certain role, doesn’t mean you can’t see yourself in a certain role.”

The awards will be handed out November 8th at a gala in Toronto.