Fundraising underway for HHS student bursary in memory of one-of-a-kind EA

Every kid needs someone in their corner. For many students at Huntsville High School (HHS), that person was Jo-Anna Starr.

For 19 years, she supported students at the school in her role as an educational assistant. But her dedication to those students went far beyond her job description.

“She really understood teenagers,” says friend and colleague, Andrea Laidlaw, who began working with Starr in 2009. “She really understood that if they were behaving in a challenging way, she understood that there were reasons for that beyond the school.”

Starr’s response might be to get them a snack, let them take a quick nap, or give them a tough talking to.

She didn’t hesitate to drive students to job interviews or co-op placements, or to give them her own clothes if they needed something more professional for an interview. She spent her own lunch hours preparing meals for a hot lunch program.

She even taught herself part of the curriculum so that she could be ready to help.

“She was a wizard at math,” says Laidlaw. “Our room was a drop-in space for students to come that needed extra tutoring or extra help. So she basically taught herself the grade nine to eleven math curriculum, all levels, so a student would walk in and she would say, ‘let me get my math binder, I’ll help you with that’. Nothing was too much. You would never hear her say, ‘we can’t help you’.”

Students often stopped in on their way to class in the morning to say hello. “She would sort of be that surrogate mom,” says Laidlaw. “We’d have probably 10 kids every morning come in and check in with her, because they knew she would see them and she would know if they were having a good day or a bad day and give them a hug if they needed it. It was really special to see that.”

A memorial bursary in her name has been created at HHS to continue providing students with the type of practical support Starr was so passionate about.

“It would be a fund for students that need things that aren’t covered as part of our normal school supports,” explains Laidlaw. Things like eye glasses, professional clothing to go to a job interview, hair cuts, or extracurricular activities at the school. The bursary will also be used to purchase grocery gift cards for students in marginalized families, or those who are estranged from their families and are living independently. “It’s not linked to graduation. It would be a fund that students can access at any point in their high school career when a need comes up for them.”

Because Starr was “unwaveringly optimistic”, says Laidlaw, they have set their fundraising goal for the bursary at one million dollars. “We thought, in that spirit we’re going to set the bar really high. The intention is for it to be long-term.” The bursary will be available to students as soon as the funds start to roll in, and will be administered by the school’s Student Success Team.

Although she wouldn’t have liked the attention, Starr would have been pleased to see students, particularly those considered at-risk, continuing to receive the supports they need, says Laidlaw.

Starr died from cancer on September 28, 2020, surrounded by family. She is survived by her husband, David Petersen, and daughters Willow and Lena Petersen, and will be missed by many.

“She was one of a kind,” says Laidlaw. “The loss of her light in our school will be felt for a long time.”

To contribute to the HHS student bursary fund that has been created in Starr’s memory, visit the GoFundMe page here.

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