A longtime physics teacher from Kildonan-East Collegiate will be making a big bang this summer.

Brian Dentry, will represent Canada in Switzerland while working at the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.

Dentry was one of four Canadians who won the 2012 Award for Excellence in Teaching High School Physics, and will travel to Switzerland in July for three weeks.

The award was presented by the Canadian Association of Physicists. Winning the award put him in the running to be selected for the trip.

Dentry said the trip is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he owes his success to his colleagues, students, and former teachers.

"It’s an understatement to call it a dream come true. Just to be nominated is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Dentry, who has taught at the East Kildonan school for 20 years.

"I suspect there will be a lot of sharing ideas. There will be people from Africa and Europe, and we can challenge each other and share."

Principal Diana Posthumus said it’s a great honour for the school to have one of its teachers selected to take part in the workshop.

"It’s absolutely amazing. You always look at the calibre of the teachers you have in the building and the broad experience they bring to the classroom," said Posthumus, who has known Dentry for 20 years.

"To have the opportunity to go off to Switzerland, he’s going to bring that richness back to the classroom."

Posthumus said Dentry consistently strives to improve his knowledge in the field so he can pass it on to his students.

"Kudos to any teacher who can pursue both their passion in school and also continue to be in that research field," she said.

"He’s one of those individuals who’s always taken what he’s done here in school very seriously and always extends his learning."

Dentry said he is looking forward to sharing the information he learns in Switzerland with his students and fellow teachers.

"I think the ultimate goal is for us to bring back what is going on in the cutting edge of physics. How can we take what they’re doing and simulate it here?" Dentry said.

"I’ll come back energized with new ideas for the kids. In my eyes this is all about the students."

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adrian.alleyne@canstarnews.com