Ohsweken, ON – Hundreds of educators and supporters of Indigenous education from across Canada will gather at a ceremony in Edmonton, Alberta on November 8, 2018 to celebrate the ten recipients of the 2018 Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Awards. The awards are presented by Indspire, a national Indigenous organization that invests in the education of Indigenous people by connecting educators of K-12 Indigenous students with programs, resources, and a professional learning community to improve educational outcomes, increase high school completion rates, and support sustained systemic change. The awards recognize the achievements of outstanding educators of Indigenous students who are leading the positive systemic change to education for our young people.
Guiding the Journey honourees are acknowledged for having innovative and impactful teaching practices, advocating for resources and culturally-based curricula, and helping Indigenous students reach their full potential. Their hard work and dedication to each of their students is what will lead Indigenous youth to success at school and ultimately to becoming the next generation of leaders across the country.
The ten recipients of 2018 Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Awards are:
| Community Service | Cort Dogniez, Métis Education Program Leader at St. Michael Community School, in Greater Saskatoon Catholic School, Saskatchewan |
| Rachel Mishenene, Executive Assistant in First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education at the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario | |
| Innovative Practice | Lori Pritchard, Principal at Sir John A Macdonald School in Calgary, Alberta |
| Language, Culture and Traditions | John Elliott, Language and Culture Teacher and Advisor at the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board, Brentwood Bay, BC |
| Starr Paul, Grade 2 Mi’kmaw Immersion Teacher at Essissoqnikewey Siawa’sik-l’nuey Kina’matnewo’kuo’m, (Eskasoni Immersion School) in Nova Scotia. | |
| Leadership | Rebecca Hainnu, Principal at Qikiqtani School Operation in Clyde River in Nunavut |
| Leona Prince, District Principal of Aboriginal Education at School District 91 – Nechako Lakes in British Columbia | |
| Partner in Indigenous Education | Lisa Howell, Grade 5 & 6 Teacher at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Ottawa, Ontario |
| Role Model | Kimberly Sommer, Cultural Support Worker and Aboriginal Education Presenter at Abbotsford School District in British Columbia |
| Indigenous Organization Award | Kehteyak (The Old Ones) Education Society in Edmonton, Alberta that works with First Nations, Inuit and Métis students to reconnect them with education, elders and their culture. |
“The key to reconciliation is education, and this year’s Guiding the Journey award recipients are leading the way,” said Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire. “These outstanding educators are preserving our languages, developing culturally-relevant education resources, and creating safe places for our young people to be empowered in reaching their full potential as Indigenous people.”
Read more about this year’s recipients of the Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Awards at http://indspire.ca/for-educators/educator-awards/
