George Stanley Christie

George Stanley (Stan) Christie 1948 – 2025, renowned and beloved educator, was born in New Glasgow, N.S. and raised at Pictou Landing N.S. He was a descendant of a Fraser settler who arrived on the Hector and was a member of the fifth – generation of the Christie family to be raised in their ancestral home. Stan was the son of Jack and Edith (Anderson) Christie. Predeceased by his brothers John and Robert, and sisters June Dorrington and Robena Arthur, brother-in-law John Dorrington and sister-in-law Helen Christie. Stan is survived by his brother David, brother-in-law, David Arthur, nephew Don Stiles (Crystal), nieces Deborah Robinson, Jacquelyn Keating, Sandra Baird (Kevin), Colleen Arthur, Nancy Kunz (Alfred) and Anja Christie-Johnson (Dean). Several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews also survive him.

Always industrious, Stan worked from the time he was a boy. He delivered newspapers, picked strawberries for a local farmer, and sold gas from the pier at a nearby yacht club. In his late teens, he worked at F.W. Woolworth store and became a noticeably young manager of the shoe department. During Christmas breaks from school, he worked at Thompson’s and Sutherland’s hardware store in New Glasgow. As a university student, Stan became a purchasing agent for the Prince of Wales Hotel in Alberta. The skills and work ethic he developed in his youth would go on to infuse his professional life.

Stan knew early on that he wanted to be an English teacher. He had attended the Summer United Nations Symposium at Mount Allison University N.B. when he was in high school and there was no question which university he would attend going on to complete a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and Classics. During these years, Dr. Eldon Hay from the Department of Religious Studies also influenced his thinking. This led to a summer replacement position in the Presbyterian Church; he served in Northern New Brunswick in Campbellton, Dalhousie, and New Mills. Deciding that was not his route in life, he returned to Mt. A to complete a Bachelor of Education.

Stan began his teaching career at East Pictou Rural High School and then moved to Halifax County to teach at Sir. John A. MacDonald High School. There he was asked to teach a drama course. It changed his life, along with the lives of countless students and fellow teachers in the years to come. He would come to be known as the “father of drama education in Nova Scotia schools.”

Stan pioneered the development of a process called the “Collective,” through which students chose a topic around which to develop and stage a play. He refined this method at the University of Alberta where he completed a master's degree in drama education.

Returning to Nova Scotia, he taught at Cole Harbour High where he and his students developed and produced a play, “Freedom”, about the experience of Black Loyalists who came to Nova Scotia after the Revolutionary War. His students performed the play in Regina at an international film festival. “Freedom” was transformative. Widespread accolades led to the Canadian Teachers Federation awarding Stan a Hilroy Fellowship for outstanding and innovative teaching. Later, he would return to the University of Alberta to study Dorothy Heathcote’s inquiry approach to drama. He infused this method of teaching and learning into his work on race relations within the school system.

Stan went on to become a trusted and supportive Supervisor of Curriculum in the Halifax Regional School Board. He moved to the N.S. Department of Education as an Arts consultant and Facilitator of Program. During this time, working collaboratively as he always did, he was central to the development of an outstanding drama curriculum for Nova Scotia schools.

Stan returned to his first love- classroom teaching at Millwood High, and later Lockview High School from which he retired; his influence there survives to this day. Phantom of the Opera was the last of several memorable school musicals he directed, and it was one of the first productions of Phantom done by non-professional actors. Those musicals were epic – they involved hundreds of students and dozens of staff, including his partner and director of the pit band, Joe Cormier. Other important contributors to Stan’s extensive career were Millie Hunt, Raeanne MacDonald and close friend Cyrilla MacPhee.

It is impossible to exaggerate Stan’s importance in the lives of his students, as scores of letters he received confirm. This kind, gentle, compassionate man had a strong moral compass and a deep caring for others. Sharp as his sense of humour was, students felt seen and safe in his presence. “I am so thankful I had a teacher like you who pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone.” “I’m so grateful I had a teacher who believed in me, who let me believe.” “Your contribution to my life watered a seed that has turned into a big old garden.” “What you helped me learn to do … is something I still use every day. Because of that I can honestly say you changed my life.” It made an enormous difference, during Stan’s many months in hospital, when former students and colleagues took time to write, visit or phone to share with him his towering influence on their lives. Stan spoke in a whisper, but his presence was powerful.

Stan was blessed with many good long-term friends who visited and phoned him regularly. A special and loyal friend was Joanne Syms. Stan often referred to her as his earth angel. She called and visited him faithfully during good times and bad. In recent years, Stan was also grateful for the many meals, prepared with love, by Liz Cunningham. Most important in his life was his younger brother, David. Throughout their lives, David has been at Stan’s side. As Stan faced declining health and unending stays in hospital, David was there, day in and day out, loving and supporting his brother.

Stan loved the freedom he felt as he drove his Honda Accord around the province: weekend drives on the Sunrise Trail, along the coast to Antigonish or the South Shore. He missed that freedom when ill health stopped his adventures. So, Stan, today we hope you have the windows down, the sunroof open and the tunes blasting – safe travels, our beloved teacher, mentor, and friend.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Dr. Halifax. Visitation will be Saturday January 10th at 2:00pm followed by a Celebration of Life at 3:30pm, cremation to follow. Committal will take place at a later date at Greenwood Cemetery, Pictou Landing. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.