A Langley boy grew up to become a local teacher who made a lasting impact on students and fellow staff. His name now adorns a garden courtyard at Brookswood Secondary as well as a scholarship for people who want to help vulnerable students.
Dino Camparmo died in 2018 from liver cancer at the age of 46. On Friday, colleagues and family gathered at Dino’s Garden, the newly dedicated courtyard to present the first Dino Camparmo scholarship.
His family has donated to the Langley School District Foundation for the annual scholarship.
“Dino’s family is donating $51,000 to celebrate his legacy and to provide scholarships to students who will be pursuing careers as teachers who specialize in helping vulnerable students,” said Alicia Rempel, executive director of the foundation.
She is one of those who got to work with Camparmo.
“Our association began in 2014, and I quickly learned that he was a consummate supporter of children who needed an advocate. His powerful passion and rare dedication ensured that a group of vulnerable kids that could easily fall through the cracks, never did. He was a hero to many,” Rempel said.
Retired educator Peter Luongo first knew Dino as a student teacher and later as a colleague.
“His favourite time was recess. He’d be out there chasing the soccer ball,” Luongo said.
Luongo then recalled hearing about a UBC athlete tearing up the soccer pitch.
His brother, Maurizio Camparmo, said Dino was talented in many sports.
“Dino did play soccer in elementary school, however, it was rugby then football playing with first the Surrey Rams (now the Langley Rams) then headed to UBC to play and win a Vanier championship – a championship ring he cherished with all his passion for the game,” Maurizio said. “Don’t be fooled of his small stature… He was a force of nature.”
After university, Dino came to work in Langley schools, specializing in educating special needs students.
“That same passion he had for the soccer ball on the sports field at UBC was the same passion that he was going to bring to working with and serving those students in the classroom,” he said.
Luongo thanked his family for helping to continue Dino’s legacy with the scholarship fund.
Former BSS principal Marcello Moino worked with Dino for several years.
“When he saw that Brookswood needed a rugby coach early on in his career, he volunteered,” Moino said.
Then when the school needed a rugby coordinator, he did it.
When Dino saw that the school was building a greenhouse, he knew it needed an irrigation system.
“On his own time, he came in and made an irrigation system, set up so that the plants could be taken care of and watered,” Moino said.
When he saw his students in his low incidence class needed to connect more with others in the school, he developed programs and initiatives. He worked with the woodwork teacher to rebuild the courtyard for students, for instance.
Dino developed a peer tutoring program that “was second to none” in this district. Camparmo developed the training and it helped make the student peers “better human beings,” Moino said.
“In doing and leading, Dino had an incredible impact on this school,” he said.
Have a story tip? Email: heather.colpitts@langleyadvancetimes.com
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