Top marks for local teachers; win Premier’s Excellence Awards

Two Vernon teachers have been honoured for their outstanding achievements in finding creative ways to help students learn.

Alan Gee from Clarence Fulton Secondary and Brendan Robertson from Beairsto Elementary were presented with Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education at an award ceremony Friday in Victoria.

This year’s 10 winners, who were chosen from 140 nominations received between January and April 2019 and narrowed down to 30 finalists, were announced at the ceremony.

Premier John Horgan, Rob Fleming, Minister of Education, and Lt. Gov. Janet Austin attended the annual ceremony, held at the same time as World Teachers’ Day on Oct. 5.

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Gee received his award in the category of Community Engagement.

“In his 32 years as a teacher, Gee has worked hard to support his students to cultivate both classroom and community connections. Passionate about experiential learning, he has created educational opportunities for his students at both local and global levels. He regularly invites community members into his classroom to share their unique perspectives, including a Holocaust survivor, a refugee and a hypnotherapist. He has created a global education course highlighting civic and global issues and a Japanese language program, as well as organized a canoe project in partnership with the local First Nation. In all his work, Gee challenges his students to be independent thinkers,” said a government news release.

Robertson, from Beairsto, a French Immersion school, was awarded in the category of Technology and Innovation.

“A tinkerer at heart, Robertson is a natural fit in his district leadership role as technology innovation co-ordinator, as well as a Grade 4 teacher. He is committed to integrating emerging digital technology tools into the classroom to enhance learning and engagement for all students. For example, he has taken students on virtual field trips to a refugee camp in Jordan and to the Museum of Modern Art, has students use augmented reality, has incorporated drones into physics and math classes, and has regularly used coding and robotics. His use of technology in the French immersion setting has given primarily English-speaking parents a unique perspective into the French-language learning that their children do daily. He was also pivotal in early pilot work experimenting with multiple platforms of electronic assessment, said the release.

The awards were launched last year to honour the outstanding achievements of public, independent and First Nations school teachers, principals, vice-principals, administrators and support staff in the K-12 school system.

“All British Columbians benefit from the outstanding efforts of teachers, administrators and support workers,” said Premier John Horgan. “The education professionals honoured through the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education are exemplary in their commitment to student success, making schools safe and welcoming places for all, innovative learning approaches and strong leadership, and having made lasting impacts on peoples’ lives.”

Click here for the complete list of winners.