special features - great teachers 2015

This year’s Great Teachers: making the grade and more

The 2015 Black Press/Staples Great Teachers honourees are (from left), Karen Oraas (elementary), Caroline Shuh (middle school) and Parker Jolliffe (high school). They were presented with their awards yesterday at Staples.

Cont. on next page

’15

In announcing this year’s honourees for the second annual Black Press/Staples Great Teachers celebration, we reflect on the immense pleasure we took in reading through the nomination letters.

Nominators, from current or past students to parents who have witnessed monumental change for the good in their children, offered up compelling stories of how the teachers in their lives have made a difference by going beyond what might be expected of them.

Such comments as, “the most dedicated,

energetic, creative teacher a parent (and child) could dream of,” and, “both my children have had the great fortune of being in his class and his wonderful manner and teaching style have been very beneficial to both … “

speak to the level of commitment shown by our nominees.

The passion for their work and dedication to their students is not surprising to Harmen Berghuis, who oversees the highly successful School Tools program with Staples.

“I think teachers always go the extra mile,” he says. “I know both from personal experience and from meeting teachers, I’m always struck by the heart they have for the kids.”

Proud to support our teachers and schoolsacross our communities

Local Staples store managers Don Routliff e and Gerry Denis.staplesschooltools.ca

2 • www.vicnews.com VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE • PENINSULA NEWS REVIEW – Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Education is one of the cornerstones of our community and recognizing teachers’ role in that is at the heart of the Black Press Great Teachers program.

That philosophy is just as important for sponsor Thrifty Foods, joining Black Press in the program for a second year.

“Education is a very important part of our community and it is at the core of who Thrifty Foods is,” says Christian Arbez, Thrifty Foods director of marketing.

“We’re really pleased with the recognition these teachers receive through the program. It’s nice to be

able to highlight the work that they do.”

It’s a topic close to Arbez’s heart. His sister is a teacher on the Lower Mainland and he knows all too well the work school teachers put in to

create an interesting, inspiring learning environment.

“I’m really proud of the work she does,” he says. “Every year it’s like she gets a new ‘family’ coming in. She pours a lot of herself into her job, and that’s how I relate to this campaign.”

Arbez says it’s for reasons like those that Thrifty Foods is glad to partner with Black Press in Great Teachers, and share inspiring stories from children

and parents about the many amazing local teachers making a difference in their lives.

When it comes to teaching young people, a little innovative thinking can go a long way.

It’s a message that comes through loud and clear for Arthur Harris, owner of the Saanich-based DriveWise Learning Academy.

A partner in the Black Press Great Teachers program, Harris likes the idea of recognizing enthusiastic educators for the work they do and the positive effect they have on young people.

It’s the first year DriveWise has been involved with Great Teachers, and as a business that works closely with students every day, “it’s a nice fit for us,” Harris says.

Drawing parallels between the work great teachers do in going above and beyond in the classroom, and the work instructors do to inspire new drivers toward safe driving habits, that extra level of dedication can make a huge difference.

“Distracted driving is a huge issue,” Harris notes. However, rather than simply lecturing students, DriveWise takes advantage of innovative techniques

like their driving simulator to actually show the students the potentially deadly effects of texting or talking on the phone while driving.

Great teachers are using their own innovative techniques in the classroom every day, inspiring their students to their own next great steps.

Harris also appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the Greater Victoria community that has supported DriveWise for so long.

“With any company it’s nice to be able to give back. This is our 40th year and we appreciate that the community has supported us for all that time.”

Thrifty Foods highlights importance of education

DriveWise commendsinnovative teaching

One of the ways he sees a direct example of teachers’ dedication is by the way they embrace technology as a way to aid learning in the classroom. Both teachers and students stop into the stores regularly for things like Chromebooks, high-end calculators or iPads, he says.

“I’m sure there’s not one school in Canada that isn’t looking for a way to integrate technology into the classroom in one way or the other,” Berghuis says.

As for this year’s honourees, the way they take their game to the next level is stunning.

An example is how Doncaster elementary teacher Karen Oraas uses a unique method that accelerates her young students’ learning of French language in preparation for their immersion into the dual-language study stream. The youngsters

emerge from her class with not only good speaking skills, they’re better prepared to learn other subjects taught in French.

Middle school honouree Caroline Shuh of Bayside school also teaches French and uses cultural activities like songs, games and skits to help her students learn better and have fun at the same time.

The commitment of Esquimalt High’s Parker Jolliffe – our second straight high school music director to be honoured – is such that he not only teaches band, he took on directing the school’s musical theatre project this year, along with guiding the accompanying band for the production.

Staples Langford store general manager Gerry Denis counts himself as a big fan of grade school teachers.

“I’ve always been a big proponent of those who educate kids,” he says. “It’s not an easy job, that’s for sure … The teachers who donate all their time to educating kids for their future, they certainly deserve this recognition.”

Berghuis agrees.“We’re all under a lot of demands these days, with

more and more work to do and with less time,” he says. “Teachers are in the same boat. I really admire what they do and that they can still make it happen with all their busy-ness – they still manage to care about the kids and provide a good education.”

We encourage you to have a read through some of the many nominations contained in this special Black Press/Staples Great Teachers edition. You may well find someone you know on the list, but at the very least, you’ll get a sense of how highly students and parents think of the local teachers in their lives.

We know we do.

“I’ve always been a big proponent of those who educate kids …”

– Gerry Denis

Cont. from page 1

Teachers honoured

“We’re really pleased with the recognition these teachers receive through the program. It’s nice to be able to highlight the work that they do.”

– Christian Arbez

“With any company, it’s nice to be able to give back.”

– Arthur Harris,DriveWise owner

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE • PENINSULA NEWS REVIEW www.vicnews.com • 3

Celebrating this year’s recipients

HIGH SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLELEMENTARY

Karen Oraas with her kindergarten students Caroline Shuh in her classroom Parker Jolliffe outside his band room

PARKER JOLLIFFEHIGH SCHOOL

CAROLINE SHUHMIDDLE SCHOOL

KAREN ORAASELEMENTARY SCHOOL

An overwhelming number of submissions to this year’s Great Teachers competition recommended Doncaster elementary’s Karen Oraas, a kindergarten teacher whose deep commitment to her students includes helping them become bilingual before they hit Grade 1.

“My main strength with teaching really is getting the kids to speak quickly with French,” she said. “If you understand French after kindergarten, and the science and math and social studies gets harder in subsequent years, they’ll be able to follow.”

Oraas completes this feat using a training program called the Accelerative Integrative Method (AIM), and she’s the only teacher in Greater Victoria using it.

“The kids learn to speak faster in French. Their vocab-ulary is quite large, but it’s also their confidence. You always hear kids say, ‘Well, I was in French immersion but I don’t know any French.’ AIM changes that.”

On a desk, dozens of well-read, photocopied booklets sit ready for reading time by Mme. Oraas, who has pho-tos of her students doing various activities and written a short, but sweet story to go along with them.

“It’s something I do every year with the kids in order to motivate them to read,” she says. “I take seven pictures of different kids doing the same activity, and sometimes have the parents send in photos from home so there’s more variety, and I read them to the whole class.”

Oraas has taught 17 years in Greater Victoria (apart from a year in Quebec). She’s on a year-long contract with the dual-language track Doncaster, so she’ll soon find out where she’ll be next year in School District 61.

Parents praise Oraas’ commitment to coming in early and staying late for extracurricular activities like putting on two school plays in French.

But what motivates her to get up each morning and put in so much extra effort?

“Seeing the kids learn and being excited,” she says. “Every day, they’re happy to see you and they have huge smiles and all these things they want to tell you about.”

Caroline Shuh thinks she has done her job well when her students leave her classroom feeling like they, too, have been successful – even if they retain only one word or one concept in her French as a Second Language class.

Shuh is a first year teacher at Bayside middle school in Brentwood Bay. She taught Grades 4 and 5 at Keating ele-mentary last year and prior to coming to Vancouver Island, taught Grades 3 and 5 and some high school with the Van-couver School District. Shuh credits her years as a school and student support worker, or education assistant, and observing what works in the classroom for her success in front of a group of kids.

“I never thought I would fit into teaching,” she says. “I have a big personality and I never thought I could fit into the rules.”

As a support worker, Shuh worked one-on-one with chil-dren with learning needs and with mental health issues. She had the opportunity to observe and learn different teachers and their classroom techniques, and returned to school as a mature student, brushing up on the French lan-guage skills she learned from her French-Canadian mother.

Now, Shuh is very comfortable in front of a class full of kids. “Children are transparent. They’ll tell you like it is and are willing to express themselves.”

It’s the “light bulb” moments, she says, that are the most rewarding as a teacher, seeing students suddenly ‘get’ a concept or a lesson.

This year, Shuh taught Grade 6 and French as a Second Language (FSL) students and the pressure was on.

“The FSL students are here for an hour, two times a week, so it’s hard for them to adjust to a new teacher and new lessons since they only get so much.”

Yet, Shuh tries to offer each student a meaningful expe-rience and a chance to engage through cultural, age-appro-priate activities such as song, dance, games and skits.

She says seeing her students arrive in her classroom, looking forward to being there, is a tremendous compli-ment.

The jazz annex at Esquimalt High School doesn’t look like much from the outside.

It’s located across from the school in a grey portable, but when the door swings open, the red interior and “Esquimalt Music Program” sign really stands out against the background.

This portable building is what Parker Jolliffe, a music teacher at Esquimalt High, calls his second home and has become the setting for some of his greatest accom-plishments at the high school.

Jolliffe has been selected as the high school honouree for this year’s annual Staples/Black Press Great Teachers award for his ability to breathe new life into the school’s musical theatre and music programs.

“He’s been important to me and a lot of other students at Esquimalt High,” said Nick Barclay, a Grade 10 student who nominated Jolliffe for the award. “He’s really made coming to jazz band and rhythm and blues really fun and enjoyable.”

Jolliffe’s enthusiasm has rubbed off on other students. He’s been instrumental in creating R&B, rhythm and blues, and jazz bands, while also doubling the number of students involved in the musical theatre program since it was resurrected three years ago.

“None of them would really happen without him. We did a production of the Addams Family this year. he really organizes everyone,” said Barclay, who rehearses with Jolliffe almost every day of the week. “He’s a great leader — he keeps it fun and enjoyable, but we also get a lot done.”

But Jolliffe was quick to note, the success of the pro-gram is due to students’ dedication.

“I’m very touched that a student has decided to write in. At the end of the day, I always like to turn the praise back on the students,” he said.

“The successes are theirs. I’m happy to be the person to guide them.”

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 www.vicnews.com • 3

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NOMINATOR: Tricia BullTEACHER: Karen OraasSCHOOL: Doncaster ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Kindergarten

“Karen has been the most dedicated, energetic, creative teacher a parent (and child) could dream of. In this French immersion class she had the group of 5 year old’s speaking only French by November. We have had 2 amazing parent presentations, watching our children act and sing in French all by memory. She has this group of 22 small children motivated, excited, eager to get to school and learn. What a way to start off your schooling years! We are truly a lucky bunch.”

NOMINATOR: Marilyn PoutaenTEACHER: Dean BlackmoreSCHOOL: Hillcrest ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: 5

“’Mr. B.’ is a fantastic teacher with more than 25 yrs. experience and is still making learning relevant and fun, i.e. making menus to learn consumer math, building model homes to learn the geometry of trusses and building geodesic domes. The back of his classroom is a workshop and he teaches the other teachers skills they want to learn too. His room is so organized the kids know just what is expected each day and he has a chart so each child can see if they have any outstanding assignments. He helped each child make a beautiful gift for their parents at Christmas. He coaches basketball and track. He PLAYS with the kids outside every day - basketball, bump, soccer & floor hockey - and inside he stays EVERY lunch hour and indoor recess to play chess, corridor and other games. He dressed as a Leprechaun on St. Paddy’s day so the Kindies could chase him through the school’s back forest until he let them catch him and gave them chocolate coins. My older son and his friends also had him 4 years ago and still rave about him!! Please select this humble man who has made such a difference in the lives of so many children and parents!!”

NOMINATOR: Rebecca PayneTEACHER: Dean BlackmoreSCHOOL: Hillcrest ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: 5

“Mr B (as he is affectionately called) stays in on his lunch hours with his grade 5 students in order to play organized games with his students. He is sporty and has two fitness breaks a day with his students where he teaches them basketball, track, and kickball. He has a calm and

relaxed demeanour but at the same time deals very well with the more active stunts in his class. We are lucky to have him at Hillcrest!”

NOMINATOR: Kristina AndrewTEACHER: Jamie DavisSCHOOL: Spectrum Community SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: High SchoolGRADE: 1

I nominate Mr. Jamie Davis as one of the most outstanding, understanding teacher and marching band, expert. He puts everything into helping his kids and helping them succeed in achieving their life goals. He always puts his students before anything else. He loves us, he cares, and he understand. He knows what our best is and he helps us show it at every concert, performance, and parade. He can get upset with us at times when we start slacking but he knows we are trying hard.

He doesn’t give us a hard time. He knows how far we can go and what we are capable of doing performance wise. We love Mr. Davis and we hope he is proud of us. He deserves this nomination.

NOMINATOR: Madeine Dams TEACHER: Jenn HortonSCHOOL: Strawberry ValeNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 2

My son, Isaac, was fortunate to have Jenn as his Grade 1 and 2 teacher. Jenn is compassionate, caring and creative. I am impressed with her ability to foster cooperation with a class.

She is a true leader, helping children develop their own sense of responsibility and self-discipline. She helps children develop internal motivation, rather than being externally motivated by rewards and punishment. She always speaks and acts with kindness, respect and compassion. Jenn’s passion for nature is contagious. She taught an amazing unit on endangered Garry Oak Ecosystems. She used the ecosystem to teach science, art and environmental studies. My son is very active and athletic and Jenn taught him to love endangered wildflowers. More than a year later he still gets excited when we see Blue Camas and Shooting Stars growing in a Garry Oak Meadow. Jenn Horton is an exceptional teacher and I’m grateful my son was in her class for two years. Her dedication and caring shines through in everything she does.

NOMINATOR: Paul Brookes TEACHER: Kiersten BrookesSCHOOL: Strawberry Vale NOMINATION CATEGORY:Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 5

“Kiersten is my wife and has been teaching nearly 20 years. I am constantly amazed by her

dedication to her students and teaching profession. It is common for her to rise at 530AM each morning so that she can reply to parents who emailed overnight. Her lessons inspire the youth to be engaged in the community and be part of the solution rather than just observers. It is a constant goal of Kiersten’s to motivate the youth to be involved in helping the environment and be aware of their impact. She was instrumental in having

Saanich adopt a resolution that all of its citizens have the right to live in a healthy environment. Nearly half of her grade 5 class attended to be part of the Council deliberations and learned how they can have their voices heard.Kiersten also mentors other teachers during their practicums and has had over a dozen student teachers under her tutelage. She has also opened her classroom to educators from China and this year had Muslim teachers participate in the classroom. Kiersten has consistently demonstrated that she is an amazing teacher through her dedication to her students, school, and community.

NOMINATOR: Jillian Roberts TEACHER: Kiersten BrookesSCHOOL: Strawberry Vale ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 5

“Mrs. Brookes is an amazing teacher who goes above and beyond. A simple example: She collected blankets for the homeless for a blanket drive. However, she did not stop with simply collecting the blankets. She had every child write a note of encouragement and sew the messages into the corner of the blankets--teaching the children compassion and empathy. This is just one example of the amazing work Mrs. Brookes does. I wholeheartedly recommend her for this award! Sincerely, Dr. Jillian Roberts (Child Psychologist)”

“’Mr. B.’ is a fantastic teacher

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER READERS WHO NOMINATED THEIR FAVOURITE TEACHER.

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NOMINATOR: Tabitha CarlsonTEACHER: Christy JonesSCHOOL: Ecole John Stubbs MemorialNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 3

“Ms. Jones has done so much to help my daughter get to where she is today , she struggles with many subjects but Ms. Jones has put extra effort into making sure my daughter is successful to her abilities , she is patient and kind with all her students and believes that they are all her children.”

NOMINATOR:Tina Robertson-MeikleTEACHER: Christy JonesSCHOOL: John Stubbs ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 3

“Christy Jones made a huge impact on my son’s life. She listened to him when he didn’t think any adult at school would. She stood beside him (and myself) when he was being bullied and did not back down. She helped to turn his self esteem and distaste for being at school around. She is an amazing teacher and I hope all parents who have children in her class in the upcoming years realize how special she is and how lucky they are!”

NOMINATOR: Helen Scott,TEACHER: Helena EwaldSCHOOL: DoncasterNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 1

“My kids were fascinated by Madame Ewald from the moment she picked up her guitar at the kindergarten orientation session. She had such a calm presence that all the kids immediately settled down and listened perfectly. I had heard about her excellent reputation in the school rumour mill, and could easily see why she had so many devoted fans. She organizes many fun field trips and visitors to the classroom. After school, she usually circulates with parents, which may not seem like much, but goes a long way toward building a community of parents and kids as well as sorting out any little questions or events that need addressing. She produces a weekly newsletter with photos and descriptions of events and learning from the previous week. She also provides helpful comments in our son’s agenda about specific situations that needed attention such as conflict with another student or instances where he was not the perfect angel we wish him to be. This helps us know how he’s doing socially as well as academically.

In short, she is a wonderful person as well as an inspiring, talented and compassionate teacher, and I would love to see her hard work and dedication recognized with this award.”

NOMINATOR: Briana WaferTEACHER: Helena EwaldSCHOOL: DoncasterNOMINATION CATEGORY: ElementaryGRADE: Grade 5

“My name is Kieran and I am in Grade 5 now, but I still remember how much I loved being in Mme. Ewald’s Grade 1 class. She is a wonderful teacher. She taught me so much! She used singing and rhymes and we did so many new

things every day. She was really organized! We learned how to play chess, which helped us with our math too. She was fun, and made learning fun for me. I think what she taught me prepared me so well for Grade 2. She did newsletters every week too, with pictures and stories about what we were doing in the classroom. My mom really liked that.”

NOMINATOR: Zoe FyfeTEACHER: Mme. Kelsey AndersonSCHOOL: Willows ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Kindergarten

“We now live in a world where both parents frequently work. We have less opportunity to spend time with our children in the classroom so we miss out on their experiences and getting to know their classmates and teachers. My daughter entered French Immersion Kindergarten this year and I did not know what level of communication to expect between her teacher and us. What I got blew me away. Mme Anderson has made an incredible effort to keep us connected with her and our children through the use of her website. Rather than hoping that my five year old will remember what she did each day, we can spend time together going over the sounds they learned, looking at her art work, discussing the subjects of the week. The website is so valuable that we have passed it on to grandparents and friends who want to help their children improve their french at home. My daughter is learning so much every day, and sadly I miss most of it. Having this window into her world makes me feel apart of it. Thank you Mme Anderson for making this special effort, we appreciate it.”

NOMINATOR: Charlotte Alcock TEACHER: Cindy ListerSCHOOL: Keating Elementary SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 2/3

“Mme Lister is a phenomenal teacher. She is warm, welcoming, supportive and a great educator. She loves, enjoys and appreciates the individuality of each and every child in her classroom, whilst challenging her students to be all that they can be. In return, the students love her back, frequently showing their affections through hugs and handmade gifts. She goes out of her way to make their school days interesting, exciting, and different. The children love their weekly “”Nature Walks”” where caring and sharing nature not only helps them feel more connected to nature but gives them exercise, fresh air and extra time to connect with one another. They also had new and fun learning experiences when Mme invited parents to talk about their professions. The children are practising for a choir performance with a local singer during a charity concert downtown. The parents and children of the class feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful teacher this year, words are not enough to express our gratitude for all her hard work and determination in making this year a success.”

NOMINATOR: Flora StanleyTEACHER: Philip JungenSCHOOL: Deep Cove ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary School GRADE: Grade 3

“We’re lucky this year, both my kids have great teachers. However, I want to nominate Philip Jungen for igniting a spark in my third grader. From the first week of school, my son came home excited about school and what he was learning. For the first time ever, he told me what he did at school without having to be asked. Mr.Jungen challenges his mind, pushing him to explore concepts and investigate on his own. When I’ve been in the class, I see that he makes learning fun. He uses games to enforce math concepts, takes the class on nature walks to incorporate science lessons and uses technology to discuss current events. It’s quite something as a parent to see your child excited about learning, to see them challenged without being overwhelmed. Mr. Jungen has made a learner out of my son and I think he should be recognized for his efforts.”

NOMINATOR: Kara GoetzeTEACHER: Mrs. LuntSCHOOL: Northridge ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 2

“My daughter would like to nominate Mrs. Lunt because she is creative, kind, and funny. Mrs. Lunt uses rewards and innovative teaching strategies to keep her students engaged and eager to learn. One method that deserves mention is the “Star of the Week”. Each student is presented with a handmade booklet that describes how special they are to their classmates. This booklet is something my daughter can look back on when she is feeling sad or insecure about friendships. It is a keepsake that she will cherish forever. I would like to thank Mrs. Lunt for instilling confidence

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NOMINATOR: Ekaterina GregoryTEACHER: Sarah LynchSCHOOL: Lakewood ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 4

“This teacher is amazingly active and forward-looking, innovative, works hard to engage even the most reluctant or challenging students. She keeps in touch with parents regularly and is an example of positive disposition. She is an inspiration for students to do better at school and at home, for other teachers to try innovative teaching approaches and for parents to contribute to their children’s successes. I wish every child experiences a teacher like this at least once in their life. They will love school forever!”

NOMINATOR: Jenni Switzer TEACHER: Hellen HolleySCHOOL: Brentwood ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 2

“When a teacher inspires a young person to want to learn, she has given them the best tool they will ever have. I thank this special lady for this gift she gave to me a long time ago. (1977) I still use it and always will.

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NOMINATOR: Anna ChaybaTEACHER: Mrs. Paula GuzmanSCHOOL: St.Patrick’sNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary School GRADE: Grade 1

“Never have I trusted my children with anyone like I trust

their Gr.1 teacher, Mrs. Guzman. I have twin daughters in her class and I wish she would be their teacher every year. Mrs.Guzman has a way about her that brings out the fun and love of learning. The children spend their days learning through song, dance, art, play and a little desk work. Every couple months she puts on a 15 minute presentation for the parents that has the kids showcase their new knowledge through dance and song. The raised Salmon from fry’s and released them into Goldstream River. At Christmas the kids made Christmas crackers for the homeless shelters dinners. She makes sure the kids learn life skills and compassion as much as reading and writing. Mrs. Guzman is soft spoken and loving, she has an open communication wit the parents where you can emil any time or drop in to chat any school day. I feel so thankful to have her be a part of my daughters life and excited my son will soon be in her class.”

NOMINATOR: Jacqueline OuldaliTEACHER: Diane FranceschiniSCHOOL: Frank Hobbs ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY:

Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 5

“Diane is an inspiration. Not only does she love and respect and fully support each and every child in her classroom, she is also a great mentor to learn from as a student-teacher. I am a student-teacher and I just finished my 6-week practicum in Diane’s class. She is dedicated to her students’ success and to sending them to middle school well-prepared with solid academic skills, real life problem-solving and social skills, and a strong work ethic. Diane is the self-described “Queen of Again”, meaning she gets students to do their best effort in their work, or do it over again if she knows haven’t done their

best. As a result, Diane’s students learn what it means to work hard and to get great results. As a mentor to me, Diane was fantastic in both her support and her flexibility which allowed me to try lots of fun activities with the students to help with their learning and with mine. I hope to become an inspiring teacher like Diane as I grow into my career. Thank you for this opportunity to provide valuable recognition to hardworking teachers who inspire us all to aim higher and continue striving to be our very best every day.”

NOMINATOR: Grant SjervenTEACHER:Mrs. Chris LeeSCHOOL: Keating Elementary SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 4/5

“Mrs. Lee makes learning fun and exciting. She demands respect and attention at all times, providing an excellent learning environment. She is involved with all the school sports and promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. She is “”simply the best”” teacher in the district.”

NOMINATOR: Megan BergmannTEACHER: Olivia AynsleySCHOOL: Ecole Willows ElementaryNOMINATION CATEGORY: Elementary SchoolGRADE: Grade 4/5

“We have had the privilege of having Madame Olivia as a teacher twice now … and she is “extraordinaire” (en francais)! She strives to create a respectful and cohesive community in her classroom, and draws on the individual gifts of each student to make that occur. She ensures that students are exposed to the maximum amount of interaction possible: numerous field trips to support current learning plans

and interests, raising baby chicks and salmon fry in the classroom, and getting them outdoors. When my son broke his dominant arm (for the second time this year) and it was devastating physically, emotionally and mentally to him. He had one goal this spring: to join rugby to show he could be on a team and wouldn’t get broken. Initially, he wasn’t able to join due to liabilities and a restriction for contact sports. But Mme. Olivia, recognizing how important it was to this young man, pressed and pressed, and when there was no other way she appointed him junior manager. I wish I had the words to express how profoundly we are in awe of Mme. Olivia and how totally amazing, sensitive, kind, inspiring, beautiful and timeless she is. We’ve had several fabulous teachers....but she is absolutely incomparable in this world!

NOMINATOR: Olina TrelfordTEACHER: Caroline MackenzieSCHOOL: Colquitz Middle SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: Middle School GRADE: Grade 7

“Mrs. Mackenzie single handedly teaches sr .band, sr. choir, art, drama, jr. choir, musical, jazz band and she hand rights and directs the sr.play. Somehow Mrs. Mackenzie manages to always keep things fun with a smile on her face. She

directs the whole musical with over 100 student by herself and she is the best ever teacher that has inspired many many people with fine arts!!!!! SHE ROCKS!!!!”

NOMINATOR: Kathleen RobertsonTEACHER: Ms Cheryl NighSCHOOL: Gordon Head Middle SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: Middle SchoolGRADE: Grade 8

“Ms Nigh... the silent under the radar science guru of Gordon Head Middle School. She tirelessly gives her students a class of excellence. Ms Nigh challenges the students to go above and beyond their level of commitment and will always be in the classroom to meet them on the other side for guidance, understanding and support. Ms Nigh gives freely of her time, always accessible after school hours, on school holidays, lunch hours and evenings! Always available to explain, reiterate and challenge you to challenge yourself. She ensures the students have extracurricular field trips, financing and arranging to ensure children also get to play, engage and be children. Ms Nigh is the teacher that you will remember for being thorough, committed to learning, and helps the students navigate the middle school years with aplomb and mutual respect.”

NOMINATOR: Sandra ArthurTEACHER: Caroline ShuhSCHOOL: BaysideNOMINATION CATEGORY: Middle SchoolGRADE: Grade 6

Caroline Shuh is new to the school and has been a wonderful teacher (French immersion). She definitely makes learning FUN! All teachers know that approximately 10 per cent of their class will have dyslexia and children with dyslexia learn differently and need multi-sensory experiences

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to really learn.Ms Shuh has implemented some extremely interesting learning techniques that ensure everyone has fun and, most importantly, everyone remembers the lesson and no one is left behind. It is also a fact that boys, in particular, find it hard to sit still. So ahead of any test, the kids have to run around the school or classroom so that when they sit down to do the test they are “”tired”” and ready to rest and write. To help kids learn their French grammar - kids must stand to say aloud phrases in the present tense, they must sit down for past and stand on chairs for future tense practice! To work on French grammar even further, they have had exercises to write phrases in shaving foam on a board. You can guess that all these multi-sensory activity is a big hit with the kids and boy do they learn. I definitely believe Ms Shuh should be awarded the prize “Great Teacher” as she inspires, achieves respect from kids and teachers alike and receives genuine affection from everyone due to

NOMINATOR: Leanne BauerTEACHER: Rob GreavesSCHOOL: North Saanich Middle SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: Middle SchoolGRADE: Grade 8

“Mr. Greaves is by far the best teacher my daughter has ever had. He doesn’t just make the students read out of textbooks,

he lets the students do more fun things like work on experiments. If the students are working really hard, he takes them outside to play in the playground. He also lets the students go play outside for five minutes to burn energy prior to writing the test. He lets students sit wherever they like in the classroom, and if it’s not working out he will move them. If one person in the classroom isn’t understanding what they are learning, he provides other examples until they all grasp the concept. If someone has an idea for a concept they are learning about, he will always consider it. Mr. Greaves isn’t always serious, he keeps it fun and makes the kids laugh. Everyone listens to him with respect because he never yells, as he makes it clear what he wants them to do and to learn. My daughter recently told me she wished she could take Mr. Greaves to high school so he would teach her for the next four years. Mr. Greaves deserves this award and recognition as an outstanding teacher.”

NOMINATOR: Ekaterina GregoryTEACHER: Duncan McIndoeSCHOOL: John StubbsNOMINATION CATEGORY: Middle School GRADE: Grade 7

“This teacher has been teaching late French Immersion for a few years and has the reputation of being an extremely diligent and organized instructor. He is very patient with his students and encourages them to do their best. He uses creative approaches to engage his students into a world of new language and makes them comfortable in their quest to overcome their worries of making mistakes. He is an intelligent mentor and shares his life experiences as a guidance to his pupils. He makes learning fun!”

NOMINATOR: Mark StoerTEACHER: Mr. HoweSCHOOL: Arbutus Global Middle SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: Middle SchoolGRADE: Grade 8

“At my school, I have many teachers but one teacher stands out from the rest. His name is Mr. Howe. The reason why Mr. Howe stands out from the other teachers is that he connects learning to real life. For example while we were learning percents, Mr. Howe showed us a receipt with the taxes calculated separately to helps us see how percents connect to day to day life. During one of our math classes, Mr. Howe made us research how much it would cost to rent a place in Victoria to buy groceries and other necessities so we could calculate how much income we would need to make to live in Victoria. Lastly, Mr. Howe shows us how learning and listening you now can save you time in the future. Overall, Mr. Howe is an extraordinary teacher who connects learning to real life.”

NOMINATOR: Nick BarclayTEACHER: Parker JolliffeSCHOOL: Esquimalt High SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: High SchoolGRADE: Grade 10

“Parker Jolliffe has built an excellent music and musical theatre program at Esquimalt High. Now in my second year at Esquimalt, I have been involved in many of the groups he has dedicated a lot of time and resources into creating and growing. From the ground up, he has started an R&B group, which has encouraged a lot of students to join the music program who previously haven’t been involved. As a director, he has created an excellent class for a group of wonderful musicians.

In jazz band, jazz combos, R&B and musical theatre he is an extremely friendly, personable, and enthusiastic teacher who passes those qualities along to his students. He is held in high regard by the students and teachers at our school who continue to thrive in the program he works so hard to improve. If it wasn’t for Mr. Jolliffe, our Junior and Senior Jazz Bands would never have the opportunity to perform in the community and compete in the West Coast Jazz Festival every year in Nanaimo. Coming up in May is the Esquimalt High production of the musical comedy “The Addams Family,” which would never have been possible without him. Through his passion he has directed the actors and actresses, the stage production, the set design and the Pit Band, yielding wonderfully memorable musicals for the past three years. In all, Parker Jolliffe is a wonderful teacher who has dedicated so much of his own time to creating a music program that gives the student one of the most successful and encouraging environments to learn and develop musical skill, faculty, and passion.”

NOMINATOR: Melissa CampbellTEACHER: Debbie Lodewijk SCHOOL: Westshore LearningNOMINATION CATEGORY: High SchoolGRADE: Grade 12

“Not only does Debbie stay after class to spend extra time

and efforts with students such as myself, but on her days off she will answer emails when we have questions. Her classes are more then informative and if you do not understand something she will make time in her busy schedule to make sure you get the help and attention you need. She listens to her students and takes feedback and criticisms with honest interest, and creates a class environment that makes you feel not only welcome but wanted. I feel that as a teacher at an alternative school it would be very difficult, and some of the students can be more then trying, but she makes sure that everyone is accepted. She wants to see everyone succeed and further their lives. I feel that Debbie is one of the most open-minded and confident teachers I have dealt with and I honestly feel she is just amazing. If everyone had as much compassion and honesty as her, I do not think that anyone would would want to leave school. I have never had such an amazing teacher and I hope she can continue to make differences in other students lives as she did in mine.”

NOMINATOR: Samaa SpaceyTEACHER: Barbara CampbellSCHOOL: Reynolds Secondary SchoolNOMINATION CATEGORY: High SchoolGRADE: Grade 12

“Barbara Campbell was the best foods teacher ever because she is a really kind & caring person. She also makes my day a lot better. Even though she makes great recipes that I loved in Foods class. I get to be her TA in the class how sweet she is that’s what Great Teacher are for.”

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DEFENDERTM TIRE• Stops up to 9 metres shorter than a leading competitor1

• Lasts up to 33,000 km longer than a leading competitor2

• Can save up to $336 worth of fuel at $1.25 per litre3

1 Based on internal wet braking test results versus the Goodyear® Assurance® ComforTred® Touring tire,

size 185/65R15.2 Based on commissioned third-party wear test results versus Continental® ProContactTM with EcoPlus

Technology tire, size 215/60R16.3 Based on fuel efficiency estimates from rolling resistance testing versus the Yokohama Avid TRZ tire,

size 215/60R16, over the warranted 145,000 km tread life of the MICHELIN® DefenderTM tire. Actual on-road savings may vary.

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PRIMACYTM MXV4® TIRE • Get more miles for your money1

• Get better control when you need it most• Enjoy a quiet, comfortable ride 1 Comparison among MICHELIN® Performance Touring products.

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LTXTM M/STM 2 TIRE• Longest lasting tire in its class - 32,000 more kilometres1

• Great traction, great confidence• Built strong - 3 MICHELIN® steel belt strong 1 Based on p-metric wear test results versus Bridgestone® DuelerTM H/T 684 II, Goodyear® Fortera TT.

This summer, relax with MICHELIN®

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The “Michelin Man” is a registered trademark licensed by Michelin North America, Inc.

special features - great teachers 2015

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