Amber Araki // Douglas Harkness

 

Amber is one of the most dedicated teachers I have ever met. When you walk into her classroom, you can see how much time, effort, money, blood, sweat, and tears she has put into her work and her students' world inside the class. She has painted the walls a soothing natural colour, incorporates plants and themed images, as well as posters around encouraging students to always be a good and kind human.  Amber spends hours planning fun and engaging lessons for her students that incorporate real-world skills, such as weaving using indigenous patterns, creating visual images of a podcast in place of a read aloud story, running a student vote allowing students to research and present all the eligible parties in an election, etc.  Amber is kind, patient, thoughtful, and cares deeply about her students. Amber uses arts and creativity to approach every lesson and her students develop a thorough and deep understanding of each lesson.  Beyond her classroom, Amber has a beautiful presence within the school. Students in every grade know her, despite teaching the highest (Grade 5/6) at the school, and all are eager and excited to meet and speak to her each day.   I haven't had a chance to speak with Amber about sharing as I liked the idea of surprising her with this feature. this year has been especially tough for a lot of us, and I was hoping this could be a sweet way to show her she is appreciated, and her efforts are not unnoticed. 

Trevor Layden // Huntington Hills

 

Mr. Layden is the captain of the ship we're trying to figure out how to sail this year! He manages and disseminates the information flood, parent concerns, ever changing division regulations, teacher concerns, student discipline issues and still finds time for scheduling, rescheduling and even more rescheduling! He gets involved with students and they love that he plays hockey and can actually "run" the whole time we do our Terry Fox Run! He is respected and loved by both students and staff. 

Bill Murray // Annie Foote

 

Bill Murray has shown us how to pursue change in the teaching profession during a global pandemic with flexibility, positivity, and leadership. Mr. Murray has been a Physical Education specialist at Annie Foote School for 13 years. He has become the thread that unifies our school community, connecting with students through his sense of humor and love of sports. Mr. Murray is an avid Flames fan and helps to coordinate their Reading Give it a Shot program, along with various extracurricular activities for students each year. When we were forced to move to online learning, through collaboration and sharing his creative ideas, we were able to keep our school community connected. Mr. Murray's Friday dance parties became a hit and the participation level was incredible!  Upon returning to in-person learning, Mr. Murray has again had to adapt how he teaches his gym classes. In addition, he has added a morning regulation/wellness session for our students. It is a pleasure to watch the students laugh, run and play, all within their cohorts. It is magical to watch how kids respond to his teaching. We see you, we appreciate you, and we applaud you. There are so many hero's in our world right now and you are one of them!  

Erin Quinn // Griffith Woods

 

Erin Quinn is an inspiring and innovative teacher in our school.  She is constantly upgrading and expanding her own professional knowledge (she has won a teaching award at the U of C) and she connects people across the continent (through moderating a Design Thinking twitter chat weekly) and in her school and classroom (she initiated a staff program for "Circles of Care" and her students are "Secret Agents of Kindness").  Erin loves to learn along with everyone and is always there to "plus" your ideas!  She has even managed to find a way to support our students' GSA in these uncertain times.  

Andrew Wilson // Lord Beaverbrook

 

Andrew wants to see every one of his students achieve success. He spends countless hours planning engaging activities, providing feedback to move learning forward, while ensuring he is available after school hours or at lunch to help them. His strength and knowledge in technology was also shared with various colleagues to support with continued online learning for sick or absent students!