Minister's Excellence in Teaching Awards 2009

District 2:  Ivan Kierstead
Caledonia Regional High School

For 33 years, Ivan Keirstead made it a personal quest to help each student learn to their best of his or her ability. He is admired for his story telling skills and his ability to instill in students a passion for learning.

Ivan sets high standards and supports all students in whatever manner possible. He believes sincerely that all students can learn and that all students deserve the best teaching he can provide. Ivan supports all of his students inside and outside of the classroom. He has continued to be an influence on many of his students as they have moved on in their lives.

Ivan has been providing specialized tutoring for Grade 11 and 12 students to help them pass their English Language Proficiency Assessment and he has offered extra help classes throughout the year to help them maintain and improve their skills. His personalized teaching techniques bring out amazing results from students. It is very rare that students are unable to achieve in his class as the respect they hold for him encourages them to do their best work

School District 6:
Hammond River Valley Elementary School Hot Lunch Volunteers

The Hammond River Valley Elementary School Hot Lunch Volunteers is a partnership between grandparents, parents, family members, school staff, students, community members, Lion's Club members, boy scouts, girl guides and community businesses.

Launched 25 years ago, the Hammond River Valley Elementary School Hot Lunch Volunteers provide students with an opportunity to eat a healthy meal in a social setting. Each week the volunteers commit three mornings to plan, prepare and serve a hot, nutritious meal to all students at an affordable price. All students are included, regardless of their ability to pay.

The Hammond River Valley Elementary School Hot Lunch Volunteers have contributed to the school's learning environment and student experiences in numerous ways. While using good manners, students learn many life skills through sharing a meal and talking with staff and friends. Students also develop leadership and a sense of responsibility by helping others under the guidance of the volunteers.

School District 8:  Allison Maxwell
St. Malachy's Memorial High School

A teacher for 32 years, Allison Maxwell believes that students learn best when they take an active role in their learning. He is described as a passionate educator who can ignite passion in students and colleagues.

Allison's classroom is cutting-edge. Students are not passive observers but active participants. For example, he does community circle activities so that every student is acknowledged and has an opportunity to have their voice heard in the classroom. Allison creates caring relationships, positive expectations and opportunities for participation and contribution that promote successful learning. He makes students want to come to school to learn and he believes in each student's ability to learn.

Allison has also taken time to share his expertise in the Tribes Learning Communities process with other teachers and students in District 8. The purpose of Tribes is to assure the healthy development of every child so that each one has the knowledge, skills and resiliency to be successful in a rapidly changing world. Allison has given his own time to lead training sessions and works very hard to share his knowledge of the program with others.

School District 10:  Jean Zazelenchuk

Retired primary teacher Jean Zazelenchuk's commitment to helping students learn to read inspires enthusiasm for learning. After 34 years in the classroom, Jean returned in 2004 to volunteer at the first school in District 10 in which she worked; Lawrence Station Elementary School.

Known to many as Mrs. Z, Jean has spent the past four years working with struggling students two mornings a week, from September until June, providing them with a much needed boost. Her quiet and efficient manner encourages the children to develop a passion for learning which translates to the classroom when they return. Every student wants to read with Mrs. Z, and often, she permits students to bring a friend to share the experience.

Mrs. Z makes learning fun. She has provided the school with an extensive library of guided reading materials from her teaching days. After retirement, Mrs. Z purchased with her Scholastic coupons an excellent collection of books for the student library; this was in addition to the boxes of instructional materials she donated.

Mrs. Z's dedication to the students of Lawrence Station Elementary School is showing results. The students are motivated, confident in learning, showing real, transferable gains and making progress every day.

School District 14:  Jocelyn Martin
Millville Elementary School

Jocelyn Martin possesses a dedication and love for learning that is evident in her student's self esteem and daily accomplishments.

Jocelyn is involved in the Arts Smarts Pilot program which uses the arts to support literacy development. She spends long hours working to "custom fit" each student's individual lesson plan in order to achieve optimum learning.

Jocelyn has taught writing and communications skills through a pen-pal program with Keswick Valley Memorial School. She has tutored several elementary and high school students after school and has served as a teacher mentor to high school students in the Co-Op program.

Jocelyn was instrumental in organizing a fundraiser to improve the school's playground and has helped with countless other fundraising projects. In addition, she worked with her students on a special Math project that resulted in placing flower beds around the school.

School District 15:  Reggie Cyr
L. E. Reinsborough School

Reggie Cyr is described by colleagues as a very positive man who is able to see the good in all individuals. He shows extreme respect for his students and his classroom management is a skill that he has mastered after a short time in the profession.

Reggie's classroom is alive with students immersed in their learning and enjoying it. His contribution to the love of learning has impacted his students. Every morning, they are anxious to enter his class. Reggie spends many extra hours planning and making sure his classroom and teaching style is differentiated. The learning environment is very positive and the students are on task immediately.

Reggie is a true educational leader and mentor. He is responsible for forming a school-based mini-basketball team, which he coached and he dedicates a lot of time organizing extra-curricular activities for the school community. Reggie was also among the first classroom teachers to pilot the one-to-one project at the elementary level in District 15, which he met with outstanding success.

School District 16:  Rick Hayward

Rick Hayward is the epitome of excellence in education. Throughout his teaching career, Rick has served in numerous roles and various capacities, as a teacher, vice-principal, principal and technology mentor; however, his number one focus has always been on doing what is best for students and providing them with the opportunity to be successful lifelong learners.

Rick constantly goes out of his way to assist others. He inspires students from K-12 on a daily basis in his current role as technology mentor and goes out of his way to support teachers throughout District 16.

Rick was one of the original technology mentors in New Brunswick and was also a driving force behind the success of provincial access centres. He has been recognized by SMART Technologies as an Exemplary Educator.

Rick also displays a passion for initiatives involving student collaboration and learning. His innovative project on community leadership in 1997 was awarded first place in the International Schools Cyberfair. He has helped lay the framework for numerous exchanges and connections between schools in District 16 and the Netherlands.

School District 17:  Dale Nash
Chipman Forest Avenue School

Those familiar with Dale Nash know him to be extremely dedicated and always searching for ways to improve the school and its overall education system. He has brought a significant amount of new ideas, programs, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities to the school.

Over the years, Dale has been devoted and committed to engaging Chipman and neighbouring schools and communities into partnerships to improve all school atmospheres. For example, he shares programs such as Restorative Justice and Mesosyndria with schools in Minto, Cambridge-Narrows and Grand Manan.

Dale has a strong desire to help all students become passionate in every course and activity they are interested in pursuing. He coaches the senior girls' basketball team and encourages each player to be the best she can be. Dale teaches music class and oversees student-teaching-student programs, such as guitar and keyboard lessons. He recently established a broadcasting group within the community and school and is currently devoting himself to the growth of this group.

School District 18: Leo Hayes Resource Department
Leo Hayes High School

Thanks to the Leo Hayes Resource Department, some of the high school's most struggling learners had the opportunity develop valuable learning and life skills.

The Leo Hayes Resource Department, with assistance from the Innovative Learning Fund, established a partnership with York Manor in Fredericton to develop a narrative biography program called Celebrating Our Stories. Resource students and manor residents worked together to produce video records of the seniors' personal biographies.

Struggling learners often experience difficulty learning in a traditional classroom setting. The Leo Hayes Resource Department established a project that caters to the various learning styles of students by providing a technologically rich experience in an alternate setting. Face-to-face interviews made local history come alive for the students and unique relationships were fostered between young and old.

Numeracy, Literacy & Science
Valerie Conrod

Over the past six years at Quispamsis Elementary School, Valerie Conrod has worked tirelessly on improving student skills in numeracy, literacy and science. Setting high standards and developing skills to support student success in Grade 5 have enabled many children to leave elementary school well prepared for the challenges they will face in higher grades.

Valerie's exceptional organizational skills and discipline allow her students to work toward meeting their goals and remain on task while achieving the curriculum outcome being taught. The International Space project, breakfast program, exemplary Peer Helper program and school Heritage Fair are some of the activities Valerie has provided as she dedicates herself to making student learning in a positive atmosphere a priority.

Designing collaborative assessment tools for her fellow teachers, sharing her expertise in differentiating instruction and reaching out to connect with struggling learners are skills that have made a difference in the lives of Valerie's students and colleagues. She has implemented SMART Board technology to ensure her students have access to a variety of resources to meet the Department of Education's NB3 goals.

Developing a Passion for Learning: 
David Ripley (District 6)  

During his 24 year career in education, David Ripley has been a music teacher, Fine Arts Supervisor, acting principal, and is currently, vice-principal of Lakefield Elementary School. David's first thoughts and goals have been consistently the enrichment of students' lives and the development of their full potential as he continues to find creative ways of involving students.

David begins each and every day greeting parents, bus drivers and the 550 students in his school-often by their first name and with a personal chat. With his vision and belief that children are the most important aspect of the school, David discovers the positive in each of student and then promotes it by engaging them in an activity or event that will highlight personal strengths.

From using a community food drive as a many faceted math lesson to his "7 Weeks at Lakefield" project specifically designed to suit the needs of students who have trouble making connections to the school community, David "has created an environment of trust and has introduced the idea that together we can do anything".

David is highly regarded by students, colleagues and parents as "an inspiration and a gift to the students in our schools".

Inclusion :
Patrick Scully (District 16)

As a teacher in the classroom, athletic director in the gymnasium, or volunteer in the community, Patrick Scully has dedicated his entire career to inclusive education. By focusing on the students' strengths and working in a collaborative manner, he creates an environment where students, teachers, administrators, mentors, and parents feel safe and supported.

Patrick has high expectations for all students and has the ability to see all students for who they are and what they can do rather than what they cannot. Patrick has gained recognition within District 16 as a trendsetter and role model for Methods and Resource teachers. With his calm demeanor and quiet confidence, and through his compassion and commitment during his 23 years at Bonar Law Memorial School, Patrick has earned the respect of parents, staff, and students.

Accepting all students unconditionally, Patrick expects them to be fully involved in the classroom and in the extracurricular life of the school. He has successfully challenged his students to push themselves to succeed beyond their initial expectations and, as a result, all students have made significant gains in academic achievement as well as become well-rounded citizens.

Community Engagement and Partnerships: 
Susan and Ernest McFadzen & Brian Johnson
(District 17 & 18)

Susan and Ernest McFadzen, and Brian Johnson strongly believe that young people who are struggling in their personal, social and school environments can turn their lives around.

In 1993, Susan, Ernest and Brian initiated the Turnaround Achievement Awards to recognize and honour students in Districts 17 and 18 who have shown great effort in turning around some aspect of their lives-behaviour, attitude, and/or academic achievement. Over 350 students in Districts 17 and 18 have received this prestigious award.

Other districts in New Brunswick have recognized the importance of the Turnaround Achievement Awards and have adopted this annual celebration of student testimonial and success. Susan, Ernest and Brian have seen thousands of students, parents, and educators take part in ceremonies which reflect the positive impact schools and communities have on supporting youth through their own personal struggles.

Susan, Ernest and Brian's vision of celebrating the turnaround successes of youth has had a powerful impact. As one award recipient states, "The award gave me confidence in myself and I felt really special".

To Ensure School Readiness
Student Services Literacy Team (District 16)

The District 16 Student Services Literacy Team recognizes that school readiness plays a major role in the successful transition to kindergarten.

For the past 10 years the District 16 Student Services Literacy Team has conducted the Teddy Bear's Picnic for students eligible to enter kindergarten in the fall. The Teddy Bear's Picnic is an assessment tool of school readiness. This programme is carried out in partnership with the extra mural hospital teams of the Miramichi and Rexton areas with the assistance of the First Nations communities in the district. The assessment is done individually at the child's home school. This screening is used to assist kindergarten teachers in assuring that all students get a positive and successful start to school.

The District 16 Student Services Literacy Team truly demonstrates a passion for school readiness. The team has created partnerships and made connections that help young children and their families make a successful transition to kindergarten.

International Engagement:
Linda Lowe and Joan Manuel (District 10)

Linda Lowe and Joan Manual offer international students within District 10 a well-rounded learning and living experience that goes well beyond the classroom.

Together Linda and Joan have created an atmosphere of learning, respect, and hospitality that has benefited not only the international students, but has reaped lasting rewards for District 10, the community of St. Stephen, and the host families.

Linda and Joan are passionate about promoting cultural identities and transforming international relationships. Thanks to their dedicated work, students in District 10 benefit by hosting international students in their homes, hearing presentations in their classrooms, sharing their schools and forming lifelong friendships with students from all corners of the world. The international students continue to stay in contact with Linda and Joan as well as their host families even after returning to their home countries.

Linda and Joan have gone above and beyond to welcome and engage international students. Their dedication and commitment to welcoming and hosting international students is a shining example of what international students should experience while staying and studying in New Brunswick.

Lifetime Achievement:  Doug Falconer
(District 10)

For the past 35 years, Doug Falconer has made a significant impact in developing an inclusive, safe and healthy learning environment at all levels of the New Brunswick public education system.

In his role as a District 10 school psychologist, Doug works directly with children, developing programs and strategies that address severe behavioural and disruptive situations. His behavioural consultations and intervention plans have helped many students learn pro-social behaviours and reduce disruptive behaviours.

About five-years ago, Doug suggested the Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing Program (LiPS), an intervention system the Department of Education has since begun to support in all districts. He has also assisted in the development of several provincial documents including Keeping Our Schools Safe as well as guidelines and standards for educational and behavioural planning. Doug is active in the School Psychologist Association and was instrumental in the development of Guidelines for Professional Practice for School Psychologists, a consultative model accepted as the gold standard for psychological service delivery in schools.

Doug has made exemplary contributions of outstanding significance to the field of education and has truly given his professional lifetime to generations of students.