2009 Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient Biographies
Daniel Buchanan
Harold W. Riley School
Calgary School District
Dan Buchanan inspires his grade four and grade five students to create powerful memories and construct long-lasting knowledge by being innovative and creative. With a well-grounded belief in the ability to foster the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of students, Dan passionately believes that all students can learn.
Dan’s technological knowledge and skills are easily and seamlessly integrated into his teaching practice. He uses educational websites to amplify his own current learning, teaches the use of digital photography and video to enhance his students’ joy of learning and utilizes the school website to stay in constant contact with his students and colleagues.
As the manager of the school’s Green Team, Dan clearly demonstrates his love and care for the environment. Parents report their children are more conscientious than ever about environmental concerns as a direct result of Dan Buchanan’s influence and example.
Thomas Christensen
Olds Junior-Senior High School
Chinook’s Edge School Division
Tom Christensen has increased the opportunities for both students and staff to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically. Tom not only facilitated a pilot project for Youth Empowerment (one of five in the province geared to adolescent mental health) but also established a mentoring program pairing high school students with their counterparts in junior high school.
Tom is a respected master social studies teacher. His students consistently excel on diploma exams, but more importantly, they engage in critical thinking that prepares them for post-secondary success.
Tom has a talent for encouraging the incubation of ideas and from these come strategic plans that lead to new life experiences and success for the students. His management of the development of the Community Learning Campus, where the new Olds High School will operate on the Olds College Campus, represents a whole new era in the region’s community education.
Linda Coutts
Forestburg School
Battle River Regional School Division
Linda Coutts absolutely loves teaching as evidenced by the yearly journey she begins each September to mold her grade 3 students into positive, caring learners. As a huge contributor to Forestburg School’s Expect Respect Program, Linda insists on a high standard of behaviour from the entire student body.
Linda is an energetic supporter of school-based and regionally-based professional development activities. She works with student teachers in her classroom and mentors new teachers to ensure they have successful career-launching experiences. Linda Coutts demonstrates a true commitment to lifelong learning.
Whether her students are hatching eggs in science or singing songs to help them learn multiplication, there is a constant buzz in Linda’s classroom. To deepen her students’ understanding of the countries included in the social studies curriculum, Linda initiates web-based conversations with people overseas and connects with other classrooms via the Net to ensure her students experience those real world connections.
Janet Davies-Davis
Austin O’Brien Catholic SchooL
Edmonton Catholic Separate School District
Janet Davies-Davis teaches the Educational Experience I class for high school students who have severe mental and physical disabilities.
In addition to individual education plans, Janet ensures her students are integrated into the life of the other 800 students at Austin O’Brien. Janet’s “gang” can be seen engaging in activities in other classrooms and in the school hallways and participating in other school wide events. Each year some of Janet’s students join their peers to celebrate their successful completion of the last year of high school.
Janet uses managerial as well as instructional skills and applies them as needed inside and outside the classroom. She also is committed to the professional development of peers as well as her own continuous quest for improvement. She is an active Local District 54 ATA representative and was chairperson for the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention Association in 2009.
Trish Draper
Dr. Morris Gibson School
Foothills School Division
“Mrs. Trish Draper is the epitome of professionalism and represents what all Early Childhood Educators should be like.” This parental assessment comes from a mother whose three children all started school in Trish’s kindergarten class. It is clear to parents and colleagues that Trish truly loves what she does and the respect and affection her students have for her is proof positive.
Trish has a remarkable ability to maximize student learning through the design of innovative projects. She has been constructing digital presentations, building websites and filming student-created videos for over a decade with her kindergarten students.
Last year Trish presented to a “standing room only” session at the Digital Denizens Conference at the University of Calgary. This summer Trish is presenting at an International Kindergarten Conference in Los Angeles. Trish travels the world to share her passion of empowering young children.
Marcel Evaristo
St. James Catholic School
Edmonton Catholic Separate School District
Marcel’s lessons and field trips for all subjects are well planned and utilize a wide range of teaching strategies to meet the varied learning styles of his students.
Proof of Marcel’s comprehensive knowledge of children’s literature is his extended classroom library, his suggestions for the Book Room, and his advice and counsel to other teachers who are ordering supplemental material.
Marcel Evaristo is a lead teacher and mentor in the district’s literacy project, balanced literacy and differentiated instruction. He is also a member of the Edmonton Catholic Technology Mentor Team. He dedicates countless hours to help others reach their full potential and reach their goals. He is a lifelong learner searching and developing best practices to further educate himself, his students and his peers.
Diane Fischer
Harry Ainlay School
Edmonton School District
Through her coordination of the largest IB program in a public school in Canada, Diane has the opportunity to work with extremely talented teachers and students. She has a unique ability to recruit the best and brightest students and inspire them to achieve their full potential.
Diane challenges her own biology students by encouraging them to reach beyond academics and incorporate artistic, athletic and community service activities into their lives. She emphasizes not merely memorizing facts, but striving to develop skills and attitudes that enable lifelong learning.
There is no greater service a teacher can offer than to cultivate student dreams, guide their energies, and prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow. One student wrote, “ Ms. Fischer has made a huge impact on my high school education and my academic and personal development beyond school. She has done the same for countless others and she continues to inspire students and teaching colleagues to do their absolute best.”
Sherri-Lynn Fricker
Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School
Elk Island Public Schools
Sherri Fricker weaves technology creatively and purposefully throughout her daily instructional practices. Using technology she develops lessons directly linked to curricular outcomes and also provides endless opportunities for her students to construct and comprehend information in ways that are meaningful to them.
Sherri’s studies and her continued work in the field of technology earned her designation as a SMART Exemplary Educator. She spends much of her free time honing her skills through online learning activities. She recently won a Gold Medal Award for her skills in pursuing a challenge on “Teachers Love SMART Boards”, a site well respected by educators.
Sherri has the patience to help both students and adults learn about the many different applications and programs in today’s educational setting. She has also presented sessions at district professional development days, in addition to providing more informal sessions at the school for staff.
Grant Gosse
St. Patrick’s Community School
Red Deer Catholic Regional Division
As the Resource Room Co-ordinator and the Challenge Program Leader, Grant Grosse is approachable to all of his grade three to grade nine students. His kindness is infectious and his laughter contagious. He excels at encouraging the development of students and their intellectual, emotional and physical well-being.
Grant works with a diverse group of students, some of whom face a variety of learning challenges. He sets high standards for all students. In fact, the students themselves are often surprised when they see how much they are capable of accomplishing. Through the use of positive reinforcement and encouragement he celebrates even the smallest achievements. He is a seeker of “progress, not perfection”.
As the Learning Coach he meets regularly with kindergarten to grade nine staff to assist them with new curriculum, innovative resources and effective teaching strategies. He acts as relief principal, Technology Coordinator, Report Card Coordinator and ATA representative. Grant is a terrific utility player on a winning team.
Lisa Hailes
Anne Fitzgerald Catholic School
Edmonton Catholic Separate School District
Lisa is a talented, loving grade two teacher. She creates a classroom community that is rich in literature and helps her students make personal connections to what they read. This was apparent when she set up her classroom to resemble a train and served hot chocolate for the reading of The Polar Express.
Technology is a regular part of Lisa’s classroom activities. She has her own website where her students are able to log on and practice their skills as well as further investigate the curriculum. The personal connections she builds with all of her students and their families makes all her students feel very special.
Lisa is a leader in her school community and has made many important contributions to her school and district in a short period of time. She is deeply involved in many extra-curricular activities and mentors new teachers. Lisa helped develop resource materials for the Teacher’s Guide for the new social studies curriculum and recently became a Site Literacy Coordinator.
Joshua Hill
Langdon School
Rocky View School Division
Joshua’s classroom is a model of collaborative learning at its finest. A quick glance around his grade seven classroom reveals students working on laptops on chairs, the floor, even out in the hall. All are eager to share their assigned tasks with any interested passerby. His class connects with other classes through the use of web-based technologies such as iChat, Google Docs, Voice Thread, Elluminate, CMaps, and OI-Intelligence Online.
Joshua is a highly dedicated, innovative professional who is very passionate about infusing technology into all of his classes and throughout the school. He also travels to other schools in the Division to share his ideas and expertise with other teachers.
As part of Rocky View Schools’ Breaking Down the Barriers project, Josh has worked closely with members of the Galileo Group at the University of Calgary and members of Rocky View Schools’ Student Services Technology Teams establishing himself as a Lead Teacher at the school level.
Anuradha Kurup
Avonmore School
Edmonton School District
Anu Kurup teaches in the Community Skills, Behaviour Learning Assistance Program at Avonmore School. Her class consists of students with severe cognitive, physical, social, emotional and behavioural disabilities. Anu’s classroom is a place where children with many challenges seem to transform not by magic, but from the daily routines, the varied and dynamic programming, and the exceptional use of technology. For as diverse as the needs of these children are, such is the depth of Anu’s determination and skill as a teacher.
Anu is an active and influential member of the Instructional Leadership Team and a strong advocate for special education. She spends time working with colleagues from other schools to help implement successful special education programs.
Anu’s knowledge and expertise make her a valuable asset to the school, but it is her warm personality, open-minded attitude, and passion for children, teaching and learning that create and maintain a positive and productive school environment.
Jianyi Li-Mitra
Ross Sheppard School
Edmonton School district
Jenny has been the driving force behind the very successful implementation of the Chinese Bilingual Program at Ross Sheppard High School and numerous other schools in the Edmonton area. She also assisted with writing the curriculum and selecting resources to support the program.
Jenny feels strongly about the sharing of her culture and organizes biannual cultural learning opportunities through trips to China with student groups. It works both ways! She has also planned and currently is involved in a cultural exchange with teachers and students coming to Canada from China.
Jenny is all about passion: passion for the program, the students, and success. Jenny’s passion is reflected in her receiving the Chinese Language Education Excellence Award from the Chinese Bilingual National Congress, and yearly awards and commendations from the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver. She is responsible for forging partnerships with key schools in China and maintains those relationships.
Trenton Lunde
Grand Centre Elementary School
Northern Lights School Division
Trent is currently a grade three teacher and reading intervention teacher for grades three and four. His technology expertise, sound teaching practices and highly motivating activities bring a very positive synergy to his classes and to the entire school.
Trent’s students develop intellectually as they read, write, view, research, communicate and make presentations using a variety of technology. Students have created animal slideshows, created poems and stories on glogster, created a school newspaper, done reading homework online, designed web pages, read and listened to music, created scripts for the school broadcast radio show, and created graphic organizers.
Trent has very patiently guided colleagues in moving along the technology continuum. In the same supportive manner that he works with students, he has been the mentor guide for other teachers. Trent is always introducing new materials to his colleagues and is most encouraging as he helps them with implementation.
Rona MacEachern
Westmount Charter School
Westmount Charter School Society
Rona teaches at Westmount Charter School, the mandate of which is to provide qualitatively differentiated programs for gifted and talented students from kindergarten to grade 12. Hired as Westmount was establishing its high school, she was the foundation for the English Department and continues as its Curriculum Leader. In her role as facilitator of instruction, Rona continually explores new ways of addressing the diverse learning profiles of her students.
Rona is a strong contributor to the professional learning community within the school. Her professional growth has focused on creating authentic assessment in the Humanities while addressing student diversity in evaluation formats.
In the spring of 2006, Rona and three colleagues co-authored The Human Condition, a locally developed course curriculum that focuses on human rights, sustainable development and international relations. These courses have culminated in biannual humanitarian initiatives in Ecuador. Rona MacEachern “walks the talk.”
Susanna Makale, Principal
Ben Calf Robe: St. Clare Catholic School
Edmonton Catholic Separate School District
Susanna Makale is a very hard working, committed and creative teacher and administrator. Ben Calf Robe: St. Clare Catholic School serves First Nations, Metis and Inuit students from kindergarten to grade nine. As principal, Susanna has guided the implementation of special individualized programming in order to meet the needs of all of the students.
In order to help each student reach his or her potential, Susanna has introduced many supports and broadened the school’s counseling / nurturing team to include an elder, a school psychologist, a school team advisor of youth, a counselor/social worker, a family service liaison worker, and a breakfast/lunch program.
The atmosphere and environment that Susanna creates and nurtures in the school focuses on safety, respect, care, learning and fun. Her skills in the area of managerial leadership have helped facilitate an increase in the school’s resources and updated facilities for the benefit of the students’ learning and growth.
Cathryn Rae Miller
Dr. Gordon Townsend School
Calgary School District
Rae Miller teaches in a “special setting” school located in the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She provides the educational programming for students in the middle to high school grades in one of the rehabilitation classrooms. She accommodates six to eight medically fragile students between the ages of 10 and 17 years, all with remarkably diverse learning needs and abilities.
Rae continuously seeks professional development opportunities that contribute to her understanding of the medical conditions impacting her students and assist her in implementing appropriate teaching strategies. She is also an active member of her school’s professional learning community.
Students leave Rae’s classroom with a newfound confidence not only in their academic abilities but also with skills and strategies for success in life. She provides a refuge for her students while they need it. Perhaps her greatest lesson to them is the realization of how positive things can be in their world after they leave her class.
Daryl Price
Paul Kane High School
St. Albert Protestant Separate School District
Since Daryl Price was invited to build the Paul Kane High School fine arts and music programs, student and staff participation has greatly increased and there are waiting lists of students trying to get into his courses. While Daryl is a classically trained musician, he is the first to say, “You have to meet the students on their level.”
Daryl has developed a locally approved course titled Rock and Pop that allows students to learn about and be part of their own rock bands. Students are coached in all areas of performance and produce and participate in several shows throughout the school year.
Daryl’s creative and challenging learning environment stimulates those students who might otherwise have difficulty finding a comfortable place in the high school setting. He demonstrates the importance of allowing students the opportunity to pursue their passions, and gives them many opportunities that go above and beyond what would normally be required by the classroom teacher.
Susan Richards
Spirit of the North Community School
Fort Vermilion School Division
Susan Richards teaches grade six students and her in-depth knowledge of curriculum content allows her to consistently deliver exceptional lessons in all subjects. She is always looking for new ways to communicate the material to students and takes time to explain concepts thoroughly.
A former principal, Susan returned to the classroom for the joy and challenge of direct instructional interaction with students. Her professional development is an ongoing activity as evidenced by her attending a Social Studies Summer Institute in preparation for the most effective delivery of that new curriculum.
Susan is a natural team leader. She is easily approachable and readily available to assist fellow teachers. Susan serves as first Vice President of the Executive of the Northeast Teacher’s Convention Association. She is also the school’s ATA representative and is a member of the Spirit of the North Community School Balanced Literacy Team.
Lois Spate
Ponoka Elementary School
Wolf Creek School Division
Lois Spate is a grade one teacher, and an assistant principal, who inspires both students and colleagues. Parents describe her as a gentle and energetic teacher who makes learning (especially math!) fun. Her colleagues describe her as having admirable leadership qualities, excellent curricular knowledge and a caring teaching style.
Whether engaging her students in “The Snowball Fight” exercise or ensuring that all students have a daily dose of physical activity, in Lois’ classroom everybody participates. She is a highly skilled critical thinker, and utilizes research to guide her classroom decisions and her mentoring of colleagues as well.
Lois has recently been selected as one of twelve provincial Regional Assessment Advisors for the Alberta Assessment Consortium. As a figure skating coach Lois continues to support both past and current students within the district. Her approach in the classroom and the community is a great model of how to effectively support the whole child.
Julie Stover
Glenbow Elementary School
Rocky View School Division
Julie Stover is a grade one teacher who truly connects with her students. “Ms. Stover lets us ask any questions. She lets us have as much time as we need to finish work.”
Julie develops child-centred programs that are curriculum-based while embracing an inquiry learning method and encouraging critical thinking. She constantly adapts her programs to the changing needs of her class. Her innovative use of a Mac Book and the “Garage Band” software program allowed a child with severe autism to produce his own music.
Julie has served as Glenbow Elementary’s Health and Wellness representative for many years and was chosen to be Rocky View’s lead facilitator for the implementation of the new Program of Studies for Health. She gives both school and divisional workshops to share her expertise with colleagues and she is unanimously acknowledged by her peers as a master teacher.
Marcie Syme
George P. Nicholson School
Edmonton School District
Marcie’s grade three students believe she is “amazing and funny and so so so nice.” They claim, “Things that we don’t want to do in class she makes fun.” One example of this kind of fun is turning her classroom into a dark cave and her students into geologists to explore the various rocks and minerals found inside.
Marcie develops learning centres in the classroom, hallways and learning “studios” and circulates from room to room posing pointed questions and urging her students to ask even more challenging questions of themselves.
Marcie is an integral part of her school leadership team, and a notable contributor to Off Campus Inquiry Schools that operate throughout Edmonton. The PetroCanada Zoo School and the YMCA Active Living Program are two examples of where and how Marcie helps connect young people to the world in which they live and models for them the importance of contributing to the world in order to make a positive difference.
Karen Vanderwater
Annie L. Gaetz Elementary School
Red Deer School District
Karen Vanderwater is not only the Principal but also the School Librarian and makes a special point to know every student in the school and creates for herself the opportunity to teach each one. She serves as an integral member of the school’s Learning Team and as the designated special education liaison, maintains an in-depth understanding of the needs of each of the school’s special education students.
Karen personally enables, promotes and sustains the school-wide focus on learning through the arts. A daily music appreciation activity exposes students to a variety of music and information about the music and /or instrument, all while being entertained. She implements practices such as a school-wide “drop everything and read” time to promote and support independent reading among students and staff.
As a sessional lecturer in the University of Alberta Collaborative B.Ed. Program at Red Deer College, Karen has the opportunity to share her skills and talents to positively impact ‘future’ teachers.
