Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence —
2012 Recipients List

2012 Recipients List

Province/ Territory	School Community	Teacher Community	Name of School	Name of Teacher	Grades and Subjects Taught	Highlights
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Airdrie	Airdrie	Ralph McCall School	James Brian Jackson	Arts, math, science, social studies, health, physical education, robotics and rocketry for grades 6 to 8	Ten-four: amateur radio aficionado, teacher makes connections with astronauts onboard the International Space Station and videoconferences with explorers at the base camp of Mount Everest.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Calgary	Calgary	Bowness High School	Paul André Jean Allard	Construction technology for grades 10 to 12	With the bang of a hammer, and the twist of a screwdriver, construction technology teacher opens up a world of possibilities and opportunities for his students.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Calgary	Calgary	Glendale School	Jennifer Grimm and Darren Vaast	English language arts, math and social studies for grades 5 and 6	Local photography exhibit inspires school project and has students working so hard that they have to be reminded to go outside for recess.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Calgary	Calgary	Juno Beach Academy of Canadian Studies	Leanna Darling	Social studies, military history, environment and outdoor education for grades 7 to 12	In paperless classroom, students create podcasts, videos, and take tests online.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Calgary	Calgary	Lord Beaverbrook Senior High School	Robert Clayton Hicks	Biology for grades 11 and 12	Teacher finds ways to teach science in a way that makes sense to students by turning a mop into a motor neuron, or stuffed vegetables into neurotransmitters in a relay race.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Calgary	Calgary	St. Clare Elementary School	Shivaun Miele and Suzanne Skytt-Schmidt	Kindergarten	School's out for the summer and students want to stay: kindergarten teachers give students a head start, literally.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Calgary	Calgary	William Aberhart High School	Dianne Leong-Fortier	Digital literacy, career and life management for grades 10 to 12	From art, to mentorship and leadership, to English as a second language teacher makes education accessible to all personalities, backgrounds and learning styles in five different schools.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Cold Lake	Cold Lake	Cold Lake High School	Jennifer Dusyk-Johnson	Art and drama for grades 9 to 12	Passionate leaders born in school: Alberta teacher creates links with school in Nicaragua, shows students to act from the heart.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Cold Lake	Cold Lake	Cold Lake High School	Jared Nichol	Media arts for grades 9 to 12	Brainchild of teacher, live television broadcasts turns classroom into newsroom.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	Edmonton	Dovercourt Elementary School	Joyce Sneddon	Language arts, math, social sciences, health, art and physical education for grades 2/3	More than one recipe for success: teacher uses food to encourage students to open lines of communication and learn to describe different attributes, colours and tastes.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	Edmonton	Harry Ainlay High School	Yanick Jean-Proulx	French immersion and physics for grades 11 and 12	High-school French teacher honoured as alumni creates performance and raises money to fund studies for their younger peers in a second language.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	Edmonton	McNally High School	Scott Couprie	Computer science, multimedia and design for grades 10 to 12	Video games teach students computer programming and problem-solving skills.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	Spruce Grove	S. Bruce Smith School	Cheryl Devin	Science for grades 7 and 9	Science for everyone: creative science teacher makes school fun, punishes pickles.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	Edmonton	Strathcona High School	Jeffrey Goldie	General science, and physics for grades 10 to 12	Science teacher organizes Advanced Placement conference, 250 students attend.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	St. Albert	Victoria School of the Arts	Sherryl Clelland	Social studies, art and discovery for grades 7 to 9	Teacher uses art as a vehicle for learning as well as an open-ended way for students to show what they know.
Alberta Certificate of Achievement	Edmonton	Edmonton	Windsor Park Elementary School	Elissa Woolnough	All subjects for grade 3	Neglected rubber chickens inspire school-wide project. Students become engaged thinkers and ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Abbotsford	Langley	Margaret Stenersen Elementary	Patricia Jane Evans	Primary curriculum for grade 1	Sign language and mentorship programs: grade 1 teacher turns school into an experience students never forget.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Campbell River	Campbell River	Timberline Secondary School	Diana Camerin	Business, accounting, French and co-op for grades 10 to 12	Teacher obtains one grant after another to build community partnerships and fund innovative projects that enhance student learning and motivation.
British Columbia Certificate of Excellence	Campbell River	Campbell River	Timberline Secondary School	Dave Coad	3D animation, game design and digital photography for grades 10 to 12	Star Wars is never the same after class with computer animation teacher who tailors lessons to each and every student.
British Columbia Certificate of Excellence	Chilliwack	Chilliwack	Highroad Academy	Julie Lade	Social studies, English, history and law for grades 10 to 12	Teacher with a heart of gold leads by example and teaches active citizenship.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Delta	Delta	Sacred Heart Elementary School	Wanda Hicks Graham	All subjects for grade 6	From reusable bag business to Zumba dance class, teacher has students active in mind, heart and body, making sure that no two days are alike.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Port Coquitlam	Pitt Meadows	Westwood Elementary School	Jonathan Sclater	All subjects for grades 4 and 5	Carpe diem! Teacher lets students guide his teaching by incorporating their ideas and interests into each and every lesson.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Richmond	Richmond	R.A. McMath Secondary School	DiAnne Simonson	Leadership, human services, peer tutoring and career prep work experience for grades 10 to 12	All aboard the leadership! Neighbourhood-wide volunteer opportunities and uncanny activities have students laughing their way through thought-provoking scenarios.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Summerland	Summerland	Summerland Secondary School	Trevor Knowlton	Work experience, dual credit and apprenticeship for grades 9 to 12	From Australia to Tuktoyaktuk, world traveling teacher believes that education was made for you and me and uses technology to allow every student to access educational programs.
British Columbia Certificate of Excellence	Surrey	Langley	North Surrey Learning Centre	Jonathan Rempel	English, communications, physical education and work experience for grades 10 to 12	From glacier hikes to rope courses, teacher turns lessons into adventures.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Terrace	Terrace	Thornhill Elementary	Patricia Kolterman	All subjects for grade 5	Legendarily long field trips, hands-on style and quirky ways make a gardener the teacher to have.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Vancouver	Vancouver	Florence Nightingale Elementary	Gina Wong	Full-day kindergarten	In a colourful and dynamic classroom, a resourceful teacher can make a lesson out of anything and encourages students to explain thinking, provide opinions and analyze outcomes.
British Columbia Certificate of Excellence	Vancouver	North Vancouver	Tecumseh Elementary School	Marie Chomyn	All subjects for grades 6 and 7	Cleopatra, Amelia Earhart, Aristotle and Arthur Erickson: history teacher has students learning through contemporary role-play and community partnerships.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Vernon	Coldstream	Clarence Fulton Secondary School	Terry Downton	Planning, accounting and entrepreneurship for grades 9 to 12	Making business school business: teacher develops extensive program for budding entrepreneurs and through local partnerships gets them out into real world where they can make their businesses start working.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Victoria	Victoria	Belmont Secondary School	Miriam Vos-Guenter	Geology, earth science, science and technology, and science for grades 10 to 12	Newspaper in hand, science teacher links lessons to current events, opportunities and controversies.
British Columbia Certificate of Excellence	Victoria	Victoria	Lansdowne Middle School	Kristy Kilpatrick	Language arts, science, social studies and ESL for grade 6	Ships ahoy! Arctic-exploring teacher turns students into explorers too.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Victoria	Victoria	Mount Douglas Secondary School	Barry Edward Janzen	English, photography and media arts for grades 9 to 12	Modern-day wizard renders students spellbound as they travel through an online web of discovery, creativity and endless possibilities of social engagement.
British Columbia Certificate of Achievement	Westbank	West Kelowna	Sensisyusten House of Learning	Maynard Lloyd McRae	Language and culture for JK to grade 6	Teacher engages group of tactile and visual learners through opportunities to work on the land, learning traditional Aboriginal activities and teachings.
Manitoba Certificate of Achievement	Brandon	Brandon	École New Era School	Linda Dinsdale	French immersion for grade 1	An apple for the teacher and each and every student! Teacher secures access to iPads and uses web apps to get students thinking critically.
Manitoba Certificate of Achievement	Oak Lake	Kenton	Oak Lake Community School	Devon Caldwell	English language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, information communication technologies (ICTs) and special education for kindergarten	Teacher tweets with other classrooms around the world and shows students a world that exists beyond the classroom walls.
Manitoba Certificate of Excellence	Winnipeg	Winnipeg	Garden City Collegiate	Jeffrey Cieszecki	Career exploration and space education for grades 7 to 12	Teacher turns physics class into a space academy by communicating with satellites and with rockets and high altitude balloon launches.
Manitoba Certificate of Achievement	Winnipeg	Winnipeg	Miles Macdonell Collegiate	Zane Zalis	Music production and choral for grades 10 to 12	Students perform for the Queen and learn teamwork, accountability and commitment through music.
Manitoba Certificate of Excellence	Winnipeg	Winnipeg	Shaftesbury High School	Adrian Deakin, April McKnight and Robert Streimer	Science, chemistry and physics for grades 9 to 12	Team of teachers assumes ground control and mentors students in the design, creation, launch and recovery of high-altitude balloons and their payloads.
New Brunswick Certificate of Achievement	Fredericton	Fredericton	Kingsclear Consolidated School	Matthew McGuire	Literacy, math, science, social studies, art, health for grades 3 to 5	Connecting students to the rest of the world, teacher builds classroom without walls.
Newfoundland and Labrador Certificate of Excellence	St. John's	St. John's	Holy Cross Junior High	Christina Cox	Language arts for grades 7 to 9	Techie-teacher seizes every opportunity to get students involved in activities that will get them trying new things.
Nova Scotia Certificate of Achievement	Fall River	Lower Sackville	Lockview High School	Joseph Cormier	Explore Music, instrumental music for grades 9 to 12	It's not just teaching students, it's building great citizens: music teacher inspires students to become risk-takers and encourages them to move beyond what they currently know.
Nova Scotia Certificate of Achievement	Halifax	Halifax	Armbrae Academy	Stephanie Sajatovich	Math for grade 7, science for grade 9 and physics for grades 11 and 12	Grade 9 teacher transforms classroom into hub of research and discovery and where science becomes second nature.
Nunavut Certificate of Excellence	Rankin Inlet	Rankin Inlet	Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik	Lisa Kresky	English, math, science, health, social studies, computers and tourism for grade 7 and high school	In Rankin Inlet, teacher trains well-rounded young minds to explore the world not just beyond the classroom, but far beyond their town.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Aurora	Aurora	St. Andrew's College	Robert S. Perrier	Math for grades 11 and 12	A little extra help can go a long way: dedicated veteran teacher helps students place internationally at prestigious math competitions.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Barrie	Barrie	Eastview Secondary School	Clint Lovell	History for grades 10 and 11	Local cenotaph inspires series of high school research projects and publications, uncovers family mysteries.
Ontario Certificate of Excellence	Georgina Island	Georgina Island	Waabgon Gamig First Nation School	Tanya Leary	Language, math, science, social studies, physical education and health for junior kindergarten to grade 3, and arts for grades 4 and 5	Teacher transports two-room schoolhouse back to the future and helps Aboriginal students in remote community access opportunities for success.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	London	London	School Within A College Program (Alternative Education)	Matthew Sereda	All subjects offered in self-study model for alternative education (students ages 17 to 20)	Starting from scratch, adult high school teacher develops local partnerships for relevant experience and builds a community instead of a classroom.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	New Liskeard	New Liskeard	École secondaire catholique Sainte-Marie	Jules Bonin-Ducharme	Grade 9 mathematics, theatre for grades 9 and 11, computer technology for grades 10 and 11	Cultural identity, environment, Francophonie: weekly themes for a teacher, his colleagues and his community but especially for his students.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Oakville	Hamilton	T.A. Blakelock High School	Vanessa Pick	Math for grades 10 and 12	Beach Ball Math, scavenger hunts and glow-in-the-dark classrooms: math teacher takes students on wild ride, exploring a universe of numbers, fractions and equations and how they all come together in the world outside the classroom.
Ontario Certificate of Excellence	Oakville	Oakville	White Oaks Secondary School	Carmen Gassi	Music and computers for grades 11 and 12, instrumental music for grades 9 to 12	Caution: teacher's passion for music is contagious. Students line up to get to class before 7 am. Teacher dedicates himself to providing countless opportunities for his students to thrive.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Ottawa	Ottawa	First Avenue Public School	Viviane Gaudreault	All subjects except English language arts for grade 2	Creativity as important as literacy for grade two teacher who uses art to infuse passion in all subjects.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Pembroke	Chapeau	Fellowes High School	Suzanne Kelly	Developmental curriculum development - Life skills for program leader for special education for grades 9 to 12	Special education teacher makes sure all voices are heard, uses pictures to communicate with students.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Peterborough	Peterborough	Crestwood Secondary School	Salvatore Sinopoli	Mathematics for grades 9 to 12	Veteran high school math teacher and football coach makes people feel important and has a keen ability to empathize with students.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Tilbury	Pain Court	École élémentaire catholique Saint-Francis	Anne-Marie Pinsonneault	Computer science, literacy, learning coach, grade 3 and 8 math	40% computer science, 40% special education and 20% learning coach: teacher gives 120% to all her jobs and promotes French in a primarily English-speaking area.
Ontario Certificate of Achievement	Toronto	Toronto	Beverley Public School	Stacie Carroll and Sabrina Tayebjee Morey	Special education and developmental disabilities for junior and senior kindergarten	It's all in the palm of your hand: teachers use everyday digital devices to revolutionize how teachers of students with communication disorders look at socialization.
Ontario Certificate of Excellence	Toronto	Toronto	The Bishop Strachan School	Harriet Simand	Math, science, language and social studies for grade 6	Ban the bag: campaigning initiatives bring students, teacher to the Toronto City Council to ban plastic bag use.
Quebec Certificate of Achievement	Baie D'Urfé	Pointe-Claire	Dorset Elementary School	Francine Perkal-Scott	English, math, French, science and technology, and geography for grade 3	From robotics to social justice, grade 3 teacher keeps students spellbound throughout the year.
Quebec Certificate of Achievement	Kuujjuaq	Kuujjuaq	Jaanimmarik School	Edward Snowball	Inuktitut for secondary 4 and 5	Inuktitut teacher ensures student pride in mother tongue. Students learn syllabic typing, design billboards and improve overall linguistic ability.
Quebec Certificate of Excellence	Lavaltrie	Lavaltrie	École secondaire de la Rive	Jean-Marc Perreault	Science and technology, physics in grades 7 and 11	Teacher builds an actual simulation space capsule flight deck in the classroom and transforms his course into space conquests.
Quebec Certificate of Excellence	Sainte-Marguerite	Breakeyville	École l'Étincelle de Sainte-Marguerite	Johanne Morin	French, math, science and technology, society, plastic arts, ethics, dramatic arts in grades 5 and 6	Visionary teacher creates innovative, captivating projects that pique her students' curiosity and lead them to develop critical thinking skills.
Saskatchewan Certificate of Achievement	Regina	Regina	Campbell Collegiate	Sherry Van Hesteren	English and world literature	Classroom knows no boundaries as teacher creates a stimulating environment where students can voice opinions in open discussions related to current events.
Yukon Certificate of Excellence	Whitehorse	Whitehorse	Wood Street Centre	Greig Bell	Grade 10 Achievement Challenge Environment Service	Experiential education pioneer has students learning in the moment who quickly become responsible and self-confident citizens ready to take on challenges.