Armstrong icon Helen Sidney featured by The Weather Network at age 102
We are thrilled to share that our beloved Helen Sidney, a former Armstrong Elementary School teacher and lifelong community leader, was featured in a heartwarming video by The Weather Network:
Link to video: https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/video/9s2K46KT
At 102 years old, Helen continues to clean up the streets of Vernon every morning, picking up litter. She has quietly carried out this act of community service for nearly 30 years, always leading by example. Her recent national recognition is just the latest in a lifetime of giving back.
Helen taught at Armstrong Elementary from 1943 to 1988, helping generations of children fall in love with learning. In 2021, she donated $100,000 to AES for its 100th anniversary, saying she hoped the legacy of the old brick school would carry forward for years to come.
Her presence is still felt at the school. In December 2024, Helen returned to help ring the refurbished school bell. That same month, she turned 102.
Helen was also recently named Vernon’s Good Citizen of the Year, applauded by city council, and honored for teaching her students, and all of us, the importance of caring for our community.
Her words, her actions, and her enduring presence remind us all that citizenship isn’t something you talk about, it’s something you live. And Helen Sidney lives it every single day.
From everyone in the Armstrong Elementary community: Thank you, Helen. You are our teacher, our matriarch, and our inspiration.