| The 1997 Certificate
of Excellence recipients are listed here by province, along with a
short description of them and some of their award-winning teaching ideas.
If you are interested in contacting one of these outstanding teachers,
please call 1-800-268-6608 or send an E-mail (pmawards@ic.gc.ca).
Newfoundland
| Quebec
| Ontario
| Alberta
| British
Columbia | Yukon
Newfoundland
| Nova
Scotia | New
Brunswick | Quebec
| Ontario
| Manitoba
| Saskatchewan
| Alberta
| British
Columbia | Northwest
Territories
Certificate of Excellence
recipients
Newfoundland
Brenda Rowe-Bartlett of Bishops College in St. John's was
the driving force behind the school's new traditional-style galley for
student artworks (The Treasury). This gallery attracts visitors from all
over the city and surrounding areas, who are amazed by the calibre of
artistic merit produced by adolescents in levels I, II and III (Grade 10,
11 and 12 students) of the high school art program. The presence of the
gallery on site at Bishops College reinforces the artistic aspirations and
aesthetic abilities of art students within the entire Avalon East School
Board, in addition to those at Bishops itself. Visiting art professors
from Canadian universities and graduates from art programs across Canada
are equally impressed with the aesthetic and artistic output from these
young artists. Many former students have enrolled in fine arts programs at
university and have gone on to sell their works.
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Quebec
Herzliah High School in Montréal is far from
ordinary. The students at this trilingual school study everything from the
very foundations of Western culture to its latest scientific achievements.
The first of these is covered in the school's Hebrew studies program and
the latter is the responsibility of Yofi Sadaka, Head of the Science
Department.
Mrs. Sadaka is always pushing her students to new heights. They are
perennial winners in science fairs and last year reached an apogee when
their experiment on the formation of barium sulphate precipitate was
performed on the space station Mir.
Mrs. Sadaka teaches in both French and English and has worked for the
province's education ministry analysing the discrepancies in student
performance on ministry science examinations between the French and
English sectors.
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Ontario
Writer, editor, presenter, teacher and teacher of
teachers, Pat Bell is known throughout her school,
the province, the country and internationally for efforts in the teaching
of Latin. Her teaching awards and scholarships testify to her
international status among educators. Ms. Bell is that rarity who combines
serious scholarship, imaginative ideas and loving attitudes in one person.
She gives her students knowledge, understanding and compassion,
challenging them to expand their horizons and try their talents in new
areas. She has earned the greatest respect of her peers and the love of
her students and their parents.
Ms. Bell spends many hours supervising preparations for the Ontario
Student Classics Conference, a provincial athletic, academic and creative
Latin competition. Her well-organized and informative biannual Classical
Tour of Italy is in high demand both at Centennial Collegiate Vocational
Institute and among other Ontario Latin teachers. The effects of her
efforts pervade the school, as her students choose classical themes for
French class presentations, English creative writing, artwork and
architectural drafting.
Give Randy Cook
and Maureen Flynn the chance to develop
something new and they will shoot for the top. The two Mississauga
teachers jumped at the opportunity to create the International Business
and Technology (IBT) program and now students are lining up to get in.
The program, offered at Allan A. Martin Senior Public School, is
designed to create self-directed learners by encouraging adolescents to
use technology and launch entrepreneurial ventures. The program is
cross-curricular, and students are evaluated on standards of behaviour and
responsibility developed in consultation with the corporate community.
An optional program, IBT began with 120 Grade 7 students in 1995 and
grew to 240 the next year when the program expanded to include Grade 8
students. Since then the number of staff delivering the program has been
doubled to accomodate the growing student body.
The Creative Inquiry Centre at William Lyon
Mackenzie Collegiate Institute in North York is where you will find Richard Ford creating a new style of
education. Instead of teaching in the conventional sense, he encourages
students to discover for themselves what they can do, and how to do it. He
coaches, suggests and facilitates. He continuously extends the limits of
education, pioneering new partnerships between business, government and
students.
Under his guidance, students participated in the recent G-7 conference
in Halifax by video conference, created the Metro Hazardous Waste
Materials instructional video, and ran a multimedia conference by and for
students.
Mr. Ford's teaching style fosters cooperative and self-directed
learning, essential in the fast-changing technological environment.
Student achievement is remarkable. Even classes with students speaking
many mother tongues work together to produce professional quality
materials for outside clients.
For 17 years of her 29-year teaching career, Dalia Naujokaitis, an elementary teacher
at St. Elizabeth School in Ottawa, has challenged students and
teachers to meet the rapidly changing demands of an information-oriented
society. She has been using computers as an educational tool with all her
students, both gifted learners and those with special needs, since 1981.
Her classroom is a dynamic place where cooperative learning and on-line
collaboration with other schools around the world are everyday activities.
With her students, Ms. Naujokaitis has created and managed nine GrassRoots
programs through SchoolNet. Her program for gifted learners for grades 4,
5 and 6, draws students from 22 schools around the city. The students
spend one day a week in her class.
Using the skills and information they gain there, they frequently
return to train students and teachers at their home school in the uses of
the Internet, Web page design, and environmental or social action
programs.
Chemistry Department Head Bob Sanders of Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Collegiate Institute -- a 33-year-old high school in Scarborough -- is
a firm believer in the value of hands-on learning. The school is a
microcosm of the challenges of multiculturalism. Of its 1300 students, one
third were born outside Canada. Gaps in these students' education caused
by disruptions in their home countries, as well as language difficulties,
present special challenges to teachers.
Mr. Sanders uses "kitchen chemistry" to hook students' interest while
teaching theory, and plenty of lab work to hold their interest and suit
different learning styles and abilities. His high standards and
expectations result in students being well prepared for university and
community college courses.
A tireless organizer and contributor to professional development, he is
a pioneer in integrating computer technology into every level of the
science curriculum, using CD-ROMs, dissection simulations, and other
software in exciting and creative ways. These computer programs supplement
the classroom and lab lessons, providing a wider range of experience than
the equipment and budget available would otherwise allow. Increased
enrolment in science classes, the enthusiasm of students and the calibre
of their work all attest to Mr. Sanders' teaching excellence.
Daniel Thorsley
of the G. A. Wheable Centre for Adult Education in
London is a dynamic and captivating teacher of science, chemistry and
physics. He has the ability to interact well with students of all ages.
Eager to create learning experiences for all students, Mr. Thorsley
employs as many ways as possible to have students see the knowledge and
skills they are learning in a different way. For example, he makes use of
discrepant events -- an experiment in which common sense predicts one
outcome but the activity produces another. For the same reason, he
develops curriculum-based contests in the London area. He has been
involved in the local science fair for more than 20 years and in the
London Science Olympics for almost as long.
Mr. Thorsley is a leader in science education in the London area. He
writes computer programs to illustrate chemistry and physics concepts. He
has computerized the registration and attendance procedures required for
adult education. He publishes a newsletter called SCIENCE2000 to
keep schools and community leaders up to date on what is happening in
science in London. He is chair of the committee that will host the
Canada-wide Science Fair in London in the year 2000.
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Alberta
John Dupuis of Bishop Pinkham
Junior High School and Cal Kullman of Louis Riel School in
Calgary are two outstanding science and environmental education teachers.
They both have science degrees and extensive experience in summer field
work, and have taught for the Calgary Board of Education at the junior
high school level (grades 7 through 9) -- Mr. Dupuis for seven years and
Mr. Kullman for 15.
Teaching science and environmental awareness allows them to combine
their appreciation of outdoor activity and the natural environment with
their enjoyment of working with young people. They share an impressive
list of accomplishments in their work with students. Among their projects
are hundreds of field trips, an in-school climbing wall, a mobile
cross-country ski program and summer science camps.
The River Watch Science Program is their most successful project to
date. Originally based in Calgary, the program now runs on eight Alberta
rivers with nearly 4000 students annually. A River Watch Web site (http://www.cadvision.com/beybooks/river)
reports on developments and findings of the program. The popularity of
their programs demonstrates the talent, commitment and leadership of Mr.
Dupuis and Mr. Kullman.
Dr.Frank Jenkins, a chemistry teacher at
Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton, has spent his 30-year career
helping students grasp the nature of science. He believes this is the key
to developing a solid understanding of how science, technology and society
mesh every day.
His classroom programs hone students' ability to think and solve
problems. In one exercise, they read an article from a chemistry journal
and highlight the language the scientist uses to express uncertainty and
to appeal to authority. For example, the scientist might indicate
uncertainty by writing "tentative results indicate," "based upon this one
study" and "until further studies are completed." The authority might be
identified by statements such as "according to the Lewis molecular
theory," "based on the law of conservation of mass" and "according to the
evidence gathered in this experiment." The challenge for the students then
is to apply this process to their chemistry textbook and their teacher's
oral and written lessons and tests (after, of course, the teacher has
gained enough consciousness of and confidence in his or her scientific
language). In such ways "Dr. J" involves his students in exploring new
chemistry and epistemology concepts -- simultaneously.
Austin O'Brien High
School's profile in the community was raised considerably when Garry Kroy took control of the Career and
Technology program in the early 1990s. His students have achieved
international recognition and their success has helped attract more
students to the school, which had been suffering from declining enrolment.
Mr. Kroy created a laboratory where students can use technology, which
encompasses traditional and state-of-the-art tools and computers, and
learn about possible careers. He laid the foundations for more than 90
learning modules in which students explore career options.
Students from all fields -- from sciences to drama and art -- and of
all learning abilities use the lab regularly. Mr. Kroy also developed a
modular system so that students can follow a program of their own choosing
that gives them the skills they need to make future career choices.
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British Columbia
Bill Henderson, Head of Technology
Education at Robert Bateman Secondary School in Abbotsford, has
three attributes of a great teacher: vision -- he has the ability to
foresee and take advantage of advances in technology and teaching
strategies; commitment -- he is intent on helping his students develop to
their fullest potential, and on contributing to the development of
technology education province-wide; and a love of learning -- he regularly
upgrades his skills and recently received his master's of education in
curriculum development.
Mr. Henderson's Design Communication and Information Technology
programs are popular and highly successful. Classes work on projects for
community and industry partners. With this experience and exposure,
students have moved directly from Grade 12 into highly skilled jobs.
DigiFest, an annual conference initiated by Mr. Henderson, supports this
by bringing students, teachers and industry leaders together to keep
curriculum relevant and contemporary.
Ted McCain
of Maple Ridge Secondary School in Maple Ridge is an
energetic and vocal proponent of new technology in education. He stresses
its potential for individualized learning, integration of disciplines,
quick access to new information and the development of critical thought.
He regularly updates colleagues and parents on new developments, delivers
speeches and leads workshops. He is closely involved in curriculum design
in his school district and province. Courses created by Mr. McCain have
become models for technology education across the country.
In his Computer Science, Work Experience and Knowledge Architecture
classes, he practises what he preaches by coaching his students rather
than teaching them. He frequently poses as an uninformed customer,
questioning his class to highlight the need for students to think
creatively and to have a firm grasp of concepts. He provides hands-on
experience, real-life work training and advanced academic challenges; his
students thrive.
Dawne Tomlinson of Brookswood Secondary
School in Langley created and runs an extremely successful
film/television production program that is the envy of schools across
Canada. Through arrangements with Rogers Community TV, she gives secondary
school students opportunities usually available only to those in
prestigious film schools. She started the program five years ago and found
space in an unused welding workshop at the school to set up the
"BackStreet" Studio. The students who go through the program are in high
demand in the television and film industry for jobs after graduation.
Ms. Tomlinson is the driving force behind a number of other innovative
projects. She started a peer counselling program, training interested
students to give personal support to others, as well as Klown Kids, a
travelling troupe of junior students who perform at elementary
schools.
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Yukon
Robert Sharp
has been involved in Yukon education for the past 30 years as a
teacher, administrator, researcher and curriculum developer. During this
period, Mr. Sharp became increasingly interested in finding ways to make
education more engaging and effective for a wide variety of students.
He has created a school within a school at F. H. Collins Secondary
School in Whitehorse. The Experiential Science 11 program he developed
was designed to engage students and increase the value of their
educational experiences. The program integrates seven subjects around a
variety of study themes. Mr. Sharp's students face an intense but varied
program that includes more than 35 field days every semester and two days
each week working in college science labs.
Engaging students in real problems and field studies has proven to be
very popular and successful: only one student has withdrawn from the
program in four years and attendance has averaged more than 95 percent.
More than one third of his students are on the honour roll, and another
third improve their marks from Grade 10 by more than 10 percent. Mr. Sharp
also ensures that a wide variety of students can take his course. He bases
admission on attitudes as well as marks.
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Certificate of Achievement
recipients
Newfoundland
Jane Scaplen, a French immersion teacher at Sacred Heart
Elementary School in Marystown, regularly uses the Internet to make
distances disappear. By integrating computer technology into her teaching
she provides her students with continuous access to French-language use,
and broadens their geographic and cultural awareness. They improve their
academic and social skills, and gain valuable familiarity with new
technologies. She and her students initiate and participate in many
on-line educational activities. Two of their Internet-based projects were
recognized as exemplary by the International Society for Technology in
Education's Special Interest Council on Telecommunications. In addition to
her classroom involvement with technology, she acts as a resource for
other teachers. She is recognized provincially and internationally for her
contributions and accomplishments in this field.
Patrick Wells' students can repeat a favourite field trip to the
beach over and over again because the whole thing is captured on their
computer. The Intertidal Zone Web site allows students from Bishops
College in St. John's to visit the beach and collect samples for
analysis without ever leaving their keyboards. This is only one of many
ways that Mr. Wells uses technology to promote learning. Based on his
philosophy that technology should be an integral part of curriculum, he
regularly has students make multimedia presentations or create research
papers electronically. His enthusiasm has spread and today students are
eager to get into his classes. Virtually every group at Bishops, from
individual science classes to basketball teams, has its own Web page.
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Nova Scotia
Janice Farrell and Stephanie Krszwda, two remarkable
teachers at the Colby-St. Joseph Complex in Sydney, amazed local
business people and parents by turning their Grade 1 and 2 charges into
budding entrepreneurs. In 1996–97 about 55 six- and seven-year-olds
learned how to run a business, and then actually did it. The Grade 1 class
produced a cookbook of recipes requiring no cooking. The Grade 2 students
created the Slappy Happy Card Company, making all-occasion greeting cards,
and another company that made peel-and-stick labels promoting fire safety.
Ms. Farrell and Ms. Krszwda provided guidance only as the children
negotiated a loan from the school principal, set up shop, and decided how
to market their products and what to do with the profits. The young
students learned about teamwork, partnerships, informed risk-taking and
commitment to a project, and were responsible for their own decisions.
The parent or guardian of each student in Diane Racette's
classes gets a call from the teacher every month. She also sends a regular
newsletter home with students. A French immersion teacher at Oxford
School in Halifax, Ms. Racette believes in keeping the community up to
date on what is going on in the classroom, and in keeping students in
touch with the community. For example, in a recent social studies unit
students acted as a planning committee determining the future use of their
school. They visited city hall, collected data from the archives and
canvassed their neighbourhoods for further information on demographic
trends. They used the information to create proposals, backed by databases
and spreadsheets, that they presented and then discussed with classmates.
Ms. Racette was also key to the development of a new program that will
help students prepare for the transition from elementary school to junior
high.
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New Brunswick
Andrew Campbell of the MacNaughton Science and Technology
Centre in Moncton is a rare bird, though his media studies course is
no "bird course." MacNaughton serves three area high schools as a
centralized electives school, allowing Mr. Campbell the singular
opportunity to first create and then teach his course. Students produce
several films, music videos, CDs, CD-ROMs and radio commercials each year.
Media studies is a broad, multidisciplinary subject. This integration
shows students the relevance of their learning, and improves their
knowledge and skills in many areas. Mr. Campbell strives for excellence in
himself and his students. His energy, dedication and enjoyment of both his
students and his work are essential elements in the success of the
program.
Wendy Coyle teaches a methods and resources class for grades 6
through 12 at Stanley High School in Stanley, where the local
school is the focal point of the surrounding rural community. In only a
few years, her influence has been enormous on students, teachers and the
community as a whole. Ms. Coyle has introduced a number of programs for
assisting and inspiring students, including those with special needs. Her
Peer Helpers and Peer Tutors are students, chosen by their peers, who
volunteer to organize various student activities and to help others
improve their learning abilities, self-esteem and motivation. Her newly
formed Junior Achievers are currently learning business development and
managerial skills. As these programs evolve, students are increasingly
eager to take part.
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Quebec
One of the educational records that Robert Arsenault,
Jean-Marc Gosselin and Maurice Normand are most proud of is
an auditor's statement. Their school, the Centre de formation en
entreprise et récupération in Victoriaville, is a working business and
the statement is one way of showing how well it is run. The business
carries out a number of money-making ventures such as recycling hardware
from abandoned hydro lines. In the process, the students learn how to
start and run a business. The teachers have spent their entire career
developing hands-on approaches to helping students who have been failed by
conventional education. The students at the Centre de formation, for
example, are 16- to 19-year-olds who had not previously succeeded in
advancing beyond primary levels.
Ginette Larose of École du Sacré-Cœur in Masson-Angers
likes to get her primary-level students cultivating new growth, often in
tangible ways. For example, she created a program in horticulture that saw
students up to their elbows in earth, seedlings and fertilizer, teaching
them how to identify different types of crops, how to grow them, and the
usefulness of plants for maintaining good health and a strong immune
system. She also encouraged them to enter a contest run by the town's
environmental committee to come up with a slogan for local environmental
programs. The students entered the contest, and won. These and many other
rewarding hands-on activities have created considerable enthusiasm among
Ms. Larose's students, who all signed a letter of support when their
teacher was applying for this award.
Is a student council just a student council? Not to Brian
Potter, who sees it as a learning opportunity for students at John
Rennie High School in Pointe Claire. Under his direction the council
has greatly expanded its responsibilities and achievements and has taken
on a new structure to enable it to do so. Instead of being elected to the
position, students now have to apply for a position as if it were a job.
They are selected for positions by the students who are currently on the
board. Mr. Potter helps on both ends by teaching applicants how to prepare
for the selection process and showing senior council members how to
conduct interviews and review applications. The idea has caught on and is
being studied by other schools in the area.
When Thérèse Sauvé wanted to show her students at École
St-André-Apôtre in Montréal the science behind reproduction, she went
looking for a guinea pig. She found two, as well as two mice and two
birds. The class fed and cared for the animals until the birth of their
offspring, after which good homes were found for them. Exposing her
students directly to a subject is a favourite approach of Ms. Sauvé's. In
the past she has also invited a professional actor to teach her students
elocution, has connected them with pen pals from other countries and has
made extensive use of the Internet. When asked why she makes all this
effort to prepare for classes, she replies that she doesn't see it as work
but as an exciting adventure. She creates the same attitude in her
students, who find themselves confronted by materials so special and
mysterious that they cannot help but ask questions.
Bernard Tousignant of École Secondaire De-La-Salle in
Trois-Rivières has long succeeded in drawing large numbers of students
into science and technical programs. When asked how he does it, he has a
one-word answer -- democratization. Mr. Tousignant has long lobbied
authorities to get them to open advanced programs to more students. He
believes that if you ask more of students and give them more support, they
will respond; he has proven this approach works. In the classroom, his
students face daunting challenges in subject areas such as optics but see
an immediate return on this work when they are able to do real science in
astronomy. Mr. Tousignant reinforces his point by getting access to
professional-quality instruments for students to do their research.
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Ontario
John Bradley is the Mathematics Department Head at St.
Matthew High School in Orléans. The school is known locally as St.
Math's, largely because of Mr. Bradley. Using a personal touch to get
students involved, he coaches several of the math teams, preparing them
for provincial and national competitions. The importance of math is
highlighted throughout the school. Student achievements are honoured, math
is promoted as a key discipline for overall learning, "math anxiety" in
students and parents is addressed, and the enrichment that extracurricular
math activities offer is advertised. Mr. Bradley obviously loves math and
math teaching. He guides and encourages the other teachers in his
department, has created seven board-wide exams and co-authored a marking
document that has improved student performance and confidence.
Joan Brent, a 20-year veteran at the Woodman-Cainsville
School in Brantford, is known for her eagerness to try new teaching
practices and her ability to create stimulating learning environments. Her
Grade 2 students, mainly from economically disadvantaged, and many times
single-parent, families, respond enthusiastically to her own passion for
scientific discovery. Using the resource-rich Galaxy Classroom curriculum
called Fixer Uppers (from TVOntario, the provincial educational channel),
her students learn how to use technology, do experiments themselves, and
communicate the results of their studies concisely and clearly. Add to
this Ms. Brent's special talent for making natural science exciting and
rewarding, and the results are students who develop a more positive
attitude towards problem solving.
Glenn Byford wants his students to understand the difference
between listening to and merely hearing music. The entire music program at
Lasalle Secondary School in Sudbury leads students in gradual steps
to a deeper understanding of music. For example, in one exercise students
listen to a piece once and then are asked to write a story that goes with
the music during a second listening. Later they are asked to transcribe
what they listened to. The students not only analyse music, but they also
apply their lessons in the school's junior, intermediate and senior jazz
bands, all of which have distinguished themselves in performance and
competition. Mr. Byford invites many professional musicians to do clinics
and concerts and, beginning this year, a professional musician or composer
is serving as artist-in-residence at the school.
Judith Crompton, from Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
in St. Catharines, believes in second chances. Any student can
understand math and those who already do can perform better. One of the
ways she shows this is by letting students opt for follow-up courses and
by giving them a second shot at exams and assignments. Even students who
are firmly convinced that mathematics is not for them respond to her
teaching, and requests for timetable changes so students can get into her
class are a regular event. Ms. Crompton has also promoted improvements to
the curriculum and mathematics competitions and has recently implemented a
tutoring program at her school.
Sharon Davis teaches elementary grades at St. Gregory's
Separate School in Etobicoke. She has a child-centered classroom, and
enjoys motivating her students to learn, as is evident in her planning,
teaching and discipline strategies. She provides firm, consistent
expectations of behaviour and encourages students to work to the best of
their ability. Her interested and caring attitude encourages the children
to look beyond themselves. They help each other learn in the classroom,
with paired reading exercises and joint presentations. The students also
write monthly letters to an elderly woman, visit an extended care facility
at Christmas, and participate in organizing several school liturgies.
Regardless of ability, Ms. Davis ensures that each child has a special
role in these projects.
James Ferris is the linchpin of the music program at Parry
Sound High School in Parry Sound. His teaching philosophy is strongly
rooted in his Christian faith and his dedication to the local community is
something he shows through his actions rather than simply his words. He
creates a positive environment in which his students can develop the
self-esteem they need to challenge themselves, and participates with
school bands in many community activities. Mr. Ferris is also on the
cutting edge, using innovative teaching methods as well as new technology
in the classroom. Students use computers, for example, to support
everything they do from composing music to managing band finances.
Even a small school can set up important partnerships with
multinational companies. André Fillion of École Rose des
Vents in Cornwall, a small French school with 226 students, has proven
this. For example, a partnership with Lego Dacta™, the educational wing of
the Danish toy company, resulted in a project called "Au boulot... avec la
techno" (Let's get to work with technology). Using special Lego™ blocks
and a computer, Mr. Fillion's students make models that can move manually
or have their motion simulated on a computer. The students made a number
of objects that taught them important lessons in physics, such as a
roulette wheel, which demonstrates some basic concepts of motion and
velocity.
Susan Fisher of North Bay's Chippewa Secondary School did
not wait to be asked when the need to develop the school's information
technology program became apparent. After attending the Ministry of
Education's Updating Workshops in 1986, she initiated a new Grade 11
information processing course for advanced and general-level students.
This course is the foundation of Chippewa's Grade 12 Information
Technology Management Program, which she started in 1996. It is evident
that, with a combination of creativity and leadership, Ms. Fisher
continuously initiates teaching practices that spark the enthusiasm of her
students and lead them to high achievements, whether it is their increased
grasp of information technology or their improved entrepreneurial and
managerial skills.
Dena Hansen, Blair Hilts and Diane Lessels of
Georgian Bay Secondary School in Meaford are a model of teamwork
for their students. The three led the development of an English, history,
communications and business studies publication entitled Canada Learns:
Canada Remembers, a history of World War II designed, written and
published by students for students taking general-level Grade 10 courses.
Many of the members of the publication team had weak reading, writing and
speaking skills. This project gave them a context in which to develop
their critical and creative thinking, and gave them confidence in their
abilities and improved their academic and social skills. The team of Ms.
Hansen, Mr. Hilts and Ms. Lessels provided excellent organization, careful
monitoring and attention to detail, encouraging and inspiring the students
to achieve the highest standards.
When a teacher in the English Department at St. Joseph's High School
in Windsor is stumped by a literary question, invariably a student
will run down to room 131 to get the answer. Anthony Johnston, in
room 131, seems always to have it. Classically educated in Ireland, Mr.
Johnston's lifelong love of literature and for learning is immediately
evident whether he is answering an obscure question or making the
characters and plot of a classic novel come alive for his students. He is
an inspiration to students of all ability levels; he spent several years
teaching at an alternative high school and had remarkable success getting
students there to finish school. Graduates now working in a variety of
fields consider Mr. Johnston a friend and, more importantly, as the person
that set them on their successful life path.
Bob Malyk has taught biology at Ridley College in St.
Catharines for 15 years. During that time, biology has become the most
popular program in the Science Department. In a school with only 480 high
school students, there are nine classes of biology in grades 11 through
OAC, largely because of his enthusiasm, innovations and class projects,
such as field trips to New Brunswick, Costa Rica and Galápagos. Mr. Malyk
developed software so students could do remedial work on their own time,
and as university-bound achievers emerged, established Ridley's Advanced
Placement Program in biology (an international program with directors at
Princeton). Most recently, his senior students have become involved with
an American facility in original research aimed at isolating the human
gene for deafness.
Penny McLeod has spent 25 years watching good and bad ideas for
teaching chemistry come and go and has unfailingly found the better ones.
She has spent her entire career sorting out the methods that work, and her
students at Thornhill Secondary School in Thornhill have benefited
immensely. They get to take advantage of a wide variety of options, from
working with industry and science professionals to taking part in special
programs for girls. Ms. McLeod has shown that she can help students from a
wide range of backgrounds: she is able to help gifted students excel and
is also commended by her colleagues for her determination to see weaker
students succeed. All the while, she continues to experiment with new
ideas, having recently brought integrated curriculum and new technology to
her teaching.
David Mowat, a biology teacher at Haliburton Highlands
Secondary School in Haliburton, has taken his students out of the
classroom and into the woods, literally. Five years ago, he started ELM
(Energy, Lifestyles, Matter), a program based in environmental science and
the humanities designed to place students in an outdoor environment that
becomes a theatre for nurturing their commitment to the human community.
Strong communities, Mr. Mowat believes, encourage young people to explore
and develop their individual talents. In ELM, students from Grade 9
through OAC work in teams to teach elementary students about nature and
the role of human society in protecting it and making it flourish. The
program is interdisciplinary, with literature, drama, biology and computer
students, beginners and seniors, typically working together.
Stavros Naxakis, a chemistry and physics teacher at Vaughan
Secondary School in Thornhill, is an inspiration to all who know him.
His rapport with his students, a gentle yet tenacious teaching style, and
leadership abilities make him a highly respected member of the school. Dr.
Naxakis is always able to relate even obscure concepts to real life or
present a visual demonstration, making otherwise stressful courses with
heavy workloads enjoyable. Under his guidance, Vaughan students
consistently score in the top five percent in an international chemistry
contest, the University of Waterloo's Chem 13 News Contest. He combines a
famous sense of humour, an impressive educational background and a genuine
love of teaching to make a valuable contribution to his school and
society.
Thanks to their geography teacher Mark Oliver, students at
Napanee District Secondary School in Napanee have the world at
their fingertips, so to speak. Beginning in 1992, Mr. Oliver introduced
Ontario high school students to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
technology, which allows them to study the "real" world to a much greater
extent than traditional tools do. Computer outreach means that students
can acquire, analyse and contribute information that is actually useful,
and feedback from community and other groups continually reinforces the
value of this educational experience. Mr. Oliver has created a GIS lab
that is the envy of educators across Canada and the United States. He is a
strong advocate of partnerships between secondary and post-secondary
institutions and the corporate world.
Stephen Oliver teaches computer science at Central Huron
Secondary School in Clinton. In his Digital Media Studies course,
students in grades 10 through 12 learn to work effectively in small teams,
drawing on the individual talents of members as they master interactive
technology and the dynamics of the creative process. But the emphasis is
not so much on tools as on understanding the context in which such tools
can best be used. Much time is spent discussing technology as it relates
to social change. To date, Mr. Oliver's students have collaborated on
multimedia productions with a wide range of educational or business
content. From Mr. Oliver's course, Central Huron graduates gain the
communication skills they need to be more competitive in pursuing
employment or advanced education.
As computer site manager and teacher, Michael Pannabecker
masterminded the introduction of information technologies at Phelps
Central Public School in the northern community of Redbridge. With an
awe-inspiring ability to circumvent roadblocks, he developed his resource
teacher's room into a state-of-the-art Internet lab, motivated and
instructed his fellow educators, and demonstrated to parents and students
what the ability to use the latest information technology can mean to
their lives. To date, he has trained more than 100 local students in Web
design and development techniques. One of these students has already won
an American Internet design award. Mr. Pannabecker is currently Program
Coordinator for the Nipissing Board of Education in North Bay.
A good teacher can use any subject matter to teach students critical
thinking, analysis and teamwork. Robert Perkins of Madawaska
Valley District High School in Barry's Bay responded to the growing
demand for changes in curriculum by showing students, parents and his
colleagues just how much can be done with an art program. He created an
art curriculum that is highly structured, but also promotes creative
thinking. Mr. Perkins encourages students to tackle complex tasks, but he
ensures that these tasks never become too daunting by showing students how
they can break them up into discrete parts and work with others to
complete them. In the end, the students learn that art is made up of a
whole range of skills that can be applied to other subjects.
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Manitoba
Although Ste. Anne Elementary School in Ste. Anne is a small
rural school with only 225 students, it is well equipped with a computer
and science lab and even a computer-operated weather station on the roof.
Daniel Forbes, the school's computer administrator, worked hard to
establish a new computer and science lab at the school when it split from
the local high school by soliciting grants and donations to bring in
high-quality technology. In addition to creating these facilities, Mr.
Forbes teaches students how to use them and has organized a leadership
team of Grade 8 students to help teachers from other grades and to teach
small groups of younger students.
As Head of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department of Sisler
High School in Winnipeg, William Korytowski's dedication to
student development is apparent inside and outside the classroom. He
integrates concepts from business, engineering and computer science into
his lessons to make them interesting and relevant. His ability to draw on
each student's existing skills and strengths when teaching challenges his
advanced students while still encouraging others to learn. Mr. Korytowski
coaches students for the national mathematics contest, gives after-hour
tutorial sessions, initiated a partnership with the University of Manitoba
enabling Grade 12 students to take university-level calculus for credit,
created and funded the Sisler High School Math Award, and wrote,
co-authored or reviewed numerous textbooks and curricula.
Corinne Kutcy of Silver Heights Collegiate in Winnipeg
leaves nothing to chance. Every moment of her basic French, French
immersion or advanced placement French classes is planned with care and
executed with enthusiasm. She presents new concepts in a consistent,
organized way, using a variety of innovative instructional methods. Her
love of French and learning is transmitted to every student; students look
forward to French class. Ms. Kutcy's energy and dedication extend beyond
the classroom. She coaches the girl's basketball team, prepares students
for a provincial French speaking contest, and directs the school's annual
musical, in addition to organizing activities for her gifted education
class. Twelve of her former students are now French teachers
themselves.
Lynwood Madder of Earl Grey School in Winnipeg has high
standards, and his students rise to meet them. Responsible for a pilot
all-girl science, math and technology program, he had a direct role in its
success. His classroom management eliminates discipline problems, and his
enthusiasm for the curriculum captivates the students. This yields
impressive results: attendance in his classes exceeds 96 percent, and
students' grades are higher than average, both for the school and on the
Canadian Test of Basic Skills. Mr. Madder gives pre- and post-lesson tests
to highlight the students' learning, brings science to life with hands-on
experiments in almost every class, and leads many field and overnight
trips.
Kristin Peterson of Sisler High School in Winnipeg has
influenced educational practices in her school and province. She was
instrumental in creating several innovative programs at Sisler. Single-sex
classes for compulsory courses have resulted in substantial grade
increases for students. A modified math course using individualized
learning programs, specialized texts, and frequent skills testing reduces
early failure in this important subject. Her latest project is an English
program to improve students' communication and literacy skills. Ms.
Peterson also works to improve education in Manitoba, promoting the
teaching of literature, the Mathematics Fair and Gifted Student Institute.
She has co-authored English curriculum support documents and
home-schooling reform legislation.
It is largely due to Lesley Peterson that university-level
calculus and English courses are taught at Sisler High School in
Winnipeg. As Head of the English Department, she has pioneered curriculum
development, teaching methods, school-community relations, and the
promotion of student achievement. Sisler's Self-Directed Learning Program
embodies her vision of how learning can be different: more personal,
relevant, challenging and successful. She introduced innovative reading
and writing techniques, started a full-credit creative writing program
(now in its 11th year), stimulated the school's arts program, and
developed, with science educators, a Grade 12 course called The Language
of Science and Technology. Most of all, Ms. Peterson is able to instil in
students the love of learning and ideas.
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Saskatchewan
A French immersion, science and physical education teacher at École
Henry Kelsey in Saskatoon, Marcia Klein's motto is "Reach for
the stars." Her love of nature and learning is obvious to students and
fellow educators alike. To develop her own expertise, she regularly
attends workshops, conferences and training sessions. She uses a wide
range of innovative instructional techniques to help students discover
their natural world. For example, to create a butterfly garden, Grade 2
students researched and chose plants attractive to butterflies, designed
and planted the garden, then gave detailed tours to schoolmates, parents
and other visitors, explaining their work. Ms. Klein has written or
co-authored several field guides as well as course material for science
programs in the field and classroom.
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Alberta
Dawne Marie Aune thinks girls in vocational programs get a raw
deal from the education system. Determined to do something about this, she
turned the cosmetology program at Bowness Senior High School in
Calgary into a retail business and showed her students how they could get
personal and professional fulfilment in this field. Before undertaking
this latest challenge, Ms. Aune pursued a teaching career that began in
social studies and quickly branched out into curriculum reform. She took a
leading role in implementing new curriculum and played a major part in
helping her colleagues adapt to change. This enthusiasm and drive
continues today -- Ms. Aune now teaches 400 students in grades 10, 11 and
12 with the help of only one aide.
Monica Etherington, a Kindergarten teacher at Swan Hills
School in Swan Hills, thinks children should know now some things that
their parents only learned much later in life. To Ms. Etherington, a
positive approach to a rapidly changing future requires that children be
aware of the impact of human society on the environment. It also means
that from an early age they should be comfortable with technology, and her
students use the computer regularly. She provides opportunities for them
to learn by play, organized activities and cooperation with others, while
encouraging flexibility and the willingness to make the best out of every
situation. Most of all, she hopes to instil in her students the confidence
to say "I'll try" rather than "I can't."
Laurie Jewell teaches Grade 10, 11 and 12 Career and Technology
Studies at Harry Ainlay High School in Edmonton. This is a somewhat
misleading description of her work, however, because she does more than
teach. She equips her students with the necessary business and
technological skills to succeed in the modern workplace. Interviews,
consistent constructive feedback, and an emphasis on organization and time
management skills keep students focussed and motivated. Ms. Jewell's main
talent is linking the curriculum with life outside the classroom. She uses
community resources, creates partnerships with businesses and invites
guest speakers into the classroom. She also sponsors the school's Skills
Canada Club and Junior Achievement Business Challenge Club. Club members
have won medals at provincial and national business competitions.
Sandra Ogrodnick has led her students at Leduc Composite High
School in Leduc on field trips to locations ranging from the physics
laboratory at the University of Alberta to "Galaxyland." The latter is a
local theme park where students analyse the physics behind five rides.
They use triangulation to measure the height of each ride and then
determine the kinetic performance of the moving parts. In all these
activities, Ms. Ogrodnick's goal is to make students curious about the
world and to show them that they can achieve. She firmly believes that
students will not learn to love mathematics or the sciences unless someone
shows them they can succeed at it. She has done just that and her students
have responded with superior performance on provincial exams.
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British Columbia
Mitchell Barnes is a teacher at Strawberry Vale Elementary
School in Victoria who makes it possible for young children to work
with scientists to create educational software. The latest of a number of
such rewarding projects is Tree Tales, a CD-ROM about forest
ecology and forestry science. It was produced by 19 Grade 6 and 7 students
with the help of research scientists from federal and provincial forestry
ministries. In the process, Mr. Barnes' students had fun learning not only
about photosynthesis, decomposition and the carbon cycle, but also about
computer technology. Tree Tales is now being used in schools
throughout the province. Other offerings in the CD-ROM series focus on
freshwater fish and traffic safety.
Mathematics and sciences were never strong points for Agnes L.
Mathers Elementary Junior Secondary School in Sandspit, but that
changed with the arrival of Peter Gajda. He quickly put in place a
program that combines learning at the students' pace with higher
performance standards, and students responded enthusiastically. His
students today can do mathematics at their own pace but they know they
have to master 80 percent of the subject matter. Mr. Gajda transformed the
school's computer lab, making more and better computers available to
students. He did this without an increase in budget, often upgrading
computers and wiring networks himself. In response, his students are doing
better in mathematics and reaching levels in science fairs that are
unprecedented for the school.
Why would a 78-year-old grandfather take the time to put together a
Prime Minister's Awards nomination package for his grandson's teacher?
Because he is a former educator himself who appreciates the incredible
efforts Peter Guzzo of James Whiteside Elementary School in
Richmond makes for students. The school runs a French immersion program
and Mr. Guzzo specializes in encouraging students to develop the
self-respect and creativity necessary to succeed in this special
environment. His approach is based on involvement -- everyone from
students to parents has a place -- and hard work. Those who take up the
challenge find themselves completing integrated curriculum involving
everything from reading exercises and music to mathematics and computer
training.
Edith Illes has spent her entire career looking for trouble and
then doing what she can to make it go away. Right out of teacher training,
for example, she spent two years teaching on a reserve where the school
had no running water. Since joining the staff at Signal Hill Elementary
School in Pemberton, she has taught a young boy recovering from a
gunshot wound to the head, and then a class of students with behavioural
problems. She reached them through food, integrating food preparation into
the curriculum and cooking with the class each Friday afternoon. Her
services will continue to be valuable as the school struggles to meet the
needs of a rapidly growing community. Signal Hill's classes are all
bursting with students from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Kyle Kirkwood of the South Hill Education Centre in
Vancouver is not only an educator, but also an advocate and mentor. He
quickly develops a rapport and mutual respect with his adult students,
many of whom are taking English as a second language. His classroom is
friendly and interesting, and his lessons include many hands-on
activities. Mr. Kirkwood encourages his students to learn from everything
around them, pointing out free sources of information, such as libraries,
parks and government agencies. Despite their previous school experience or
the language barrier, the students do well. Several have achieved perfect
scores on provincial exams; others have earned scholarships and entered
university programs all over the world.
Among his peers at West Vancouver Secondary School in West
Vancouver, John Klassen is considered to have been a major force in
bringing about much-needed change to the school's mathematics program.
This includes a 20 percent increase in participation in Math 12 between
1991 and 1997, and a steadily decreasing rate of failing grades. Among
other things, Mr. Klassen designed and introduced a highly successful
remedial learning program for incoming Math 10 and Math 11 students who
have previously had difficulty in math courses. With typical
determination, he also has been a leader in the use of graphical
calculators in mathematics departments, an effort finally rewarded by
British Columbia's decision to integrate this technology into new
senior-level curriculum beginning in September 1998.
David Vandergugten teaches computer studies in the remote
northern community of Fort St. John, where he himself went to school. His
students at Bert Bowes Junior Secondary School benefit from his
philosophy of educating the whole person, for Mr. Vandergugten has taught
art and French as well as math and computer science. In the latter, he
makes a phenomenal contribution, guiding the integration of technology
into all the school's curricula, designing computer courses, establishing
local networks and providing students and faculty alike with access to the
latest technological tools. In 1997, he prepared the school for its very
successful involvement in the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)
Conference in Vancouver. APEC representatives visited the school to make a
presentation.
Sandy Wohl of Hugh Boyd Secondary School in Richmond
believes that science education requires a broad range of thinking skills,
cooperative learning, time management and a career perspective. In the
course of his 25-year career, he has developed activities combining
science, language arts, art, history and career education. A typical
project might require a student to write a mystery using symptoms of a
disease as the clues. This type of assignment reaches students of all
language and ability levels and makes plagiarism difficult. Mr. Wohl's
commitment to science education has led him to share his creative
techniques with other educators. He runs workshops, contributes to many
committees and has written dozens of papers, teaching manuals and
textbooks.
Joseph Wood's students distinguish themselves with impressive
performance in mathematics. Whether it is provincial exams, on which they
regularly outperform other schools, or the Pascal, Cayley and Fermat
mathematics competitions, in which they place in the top levels, the
students of Killarney Secondary School in Vancouver are a force to
reckon with. They get that way by completing a wide variety of learning
activities. Some of Mr. Wood's techniques are tried and true and others
use new technology, such as graphical calculators. These approaches have
helped students at all levels to succeed. He makes his classroom equally
welcoming to boys and girls; the latter comprise half of his classes.
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Northwest Territories
As a northern teacher for nine years, Elizabeth Tumblin is aware
of the challenges facing her Grade 6 students at Joamie School in
Iqaluit. Mostly Inuit with low levels of literacy in English and
Inuktitut, they are caught in social and economic upheaval that undermines
their own culture. In classrooms where student apathy, disruptive
behaviour and erratic attendance were the norm, Ms. Tumblin has had
extraordinary success in increasing learning achievement. She uses
telecommunications technology and unique teaching methods, such as highly
interactive small group study, geared to local cultural circumstances, to
create an exemplary learning environment. Students contribute to a
database of research on subjects such as racism and the history of the
Thule and Dorset peoples.
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