(AGENPARL) – ven 19 aprile 2024 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
MANITOBA’S EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
AWARDS RECIPIENTS 2023-2024
Teaching Excellence Award: Saul Correia, Collège Churchill High School, Winnipeg
School Division
As an educator for over 20 years, Correia has consistently demonstrated an unwavering
commitment to excellence in education, ensuring students engage in rich and meaningful
learning that support the development of both hard and soft skills.
Correia has transformed his Grade 7 to 12 woodworking program into a dynamic and inclusive
learning environment where all students, including those with exceptional needs, can thrive. By
applying Universal Design for Learning principles, he intertwines the development of practical
skills and theoretical knowledge of woodworking with the learning of complex mathematical
concepts, resulting in more competent mathematicians and woodworkers.
Correia fosters a sense of autonomy among students and encourages a proactive and selfdirected approach to learning through the use of QR codes on machines that link to safety
guidelines, instructional videos and other relevant information. During the COVID-19
pandemic, Correia adapted the program by creating scale model kits that allowed students to
continue to engage in safe, hands-on woodworking projects from home.
In partnership with northern communities, his students built and donated dog houses to
provide essential shelters for animals, fostering a sense of community engagement and
empathy in students. As a coach of numerous sports, Correia instills in students the values of
teamwork, perseverance and sportsmanship that go beyond athletics and contribute to a
positive and respectful school culture.
Teaching Excellence Award: Miroslawa Demko, Ralph Brown School, Winnipeg School
Division
As a Grade 1, 2, and 3 classroom teacher, Demko is well-versed in differentiating instruction to
meet a wide range of student needs. Her students are immersed in inquiry-based learning that
nurtures collaborative communication and investigation to draw on their curiosity and
strengthen critical thinking. For instance, buckets of soil samples in the classroom resulted in
the study of underground creatures and the development of a compost program at the school.
In addition to being heavily involved in Ukrainian family events at her English-Ukrainian
bilingual school, Demko celebrates all student cultures and beliefs by including, for example,
Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing in her teaching.
…/2
-2To increase student engagement, she started a before-school coding club, provides special
student leadership opportunities and co-ordinates a school and community garden initiative.
Demko, an exceptional yet humble teacher, is an inspiration to colleagues as she puts heart
and soul into creating an environment for wonder and discovery where students feel safe,
excited and empowered.
Teaching Excellence Award: Tara Tuchscherer, St. James Collegiate, St. JamesAssiniboia School Division
Tuchscherer’s contributions to the St. James Collegiate community over the past 20 years
have made a lasting and positive impact. She is a driving force in shaping an inclusive school
culture where students feel valued and empowered to make valuable contributions to the entire
school community.
As a humanities teacher, Tuchscherer’s thoughtful and engaging teaching style makes
learning highly relevant and compelling. Students are supported to achieve their best
outcomes and personal self-growth. The result is made evident by the numerous student-led
initiatives, many receiving special recognition such as the Manitoba Indigenous Youth
Achievement awards and the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation’s Outstanding
Take Action Project awards.
With boundless energy and passion, Tuchscherer co-ordinates and obtains funding for many
school-wide initiatives in the areas of human rights, sustainability, literacy and Indigenous
allyship. She also develops monthly lessons focusing on truth and reconciliation for her
colleagues to incorporate into their teaching. Under her leadership, engagement opportunities
are plenty – from the EcoJimmies and Culturally United student groups to Indigenous and
Women’s Day events. Her influence reaches further through her role in making St. James
Collegiate Winnipeg’s first Fair Trade School in 2017.
Outstanding New Teacher Award: Rachel Robinson, Victor Mager School, Louis Riel
School Division
Currently while only in her second year of teaching, Robinson has distinguished herself as an
exceptionally caring, engaging and enthusiastic new teacher. She effortlessly builds rapport
with her students while incorporating creative and interactive lessons and projects that capture
their interests.
In her Grade 5 and 6 classroom, she builds students’ sense of belonging, independence and
generosity by using the Circle of Courage model. Students make use of numeracy and literacy
groups and the class’s “affirmation station.” She engages her students through outdoor
learning workshops, science, technology, engineering, art and design, and math (STEAM)
challenges and presentations by guest speakers.
…/3
-3Robinson builds a positive school culture through initiatives such as the Community Helpers, a
student advocacy group that responds to needs in the school while providing leadership
opportunities. These helpers assist with organizing meals-to-go, a school-wide spirit week, a
student newsletter, bulletin boards as well as eco-friendly activities. These initiatives foster
ingenuity, develop compassion and build communication and collaboration skills.
Robinson also set up a Grade 6 skating program, for which she consulted with various
organizations, solicited equipment donations and obtained grant funding to pay for ice rentals
and transportation. With a strong commitment to her profession and the school community,
Robinson has demonstrated the qualities of an outstanding new teacher.
Outstanding School Leader Award: Karen Duffield, Shamrock School, Louis Riel School
Division
Duffield began as principal in 2022 at Shamrock School which at the time was merging with
Grade 5 and 6 students and staff from a nearby overpopulated school. Understanding the
impacts of this change on school culture, Duffield prioritized cultivating a sense of belonging
and ensured the entire school community felt heard, valued and supported. With a clear vision
and a calm, friendly disposition, she built a strong foundation of trust and safety by introducing
professional development for staff to promote equity, diversity and conclusion. Her leadership
helped the school navigate through incidents of discrimination among students through difficult
yet meaningful conversations with families.
Duffield also established a student group that now encourages and empowers students to take
risks by starting various initiatives to create positive changes among their peers and
community. Under her leadership, there has been a positive shift in staff morale and employee
collaboration, making Shamrock a welcoming place. Despite the magnitude of her
responsibilities, she cultivates relationships with students, families and staff, which has led to
her successful transformation of the school culture.
Premier’s Award for Excellence in Education: Rebecca Okemow, Strathclair Community
School, Park West School Division
Okemow brings a holistic approach to enhancing the educational success and well-being of all
learners as a Grade 9 to 12 guidance counsellor and teacher in a school with a predominantly
Indigenous student population. As a Cree woman, she is not only an invaluable role model and
resource to the school community, but also inspires students to succeed despite the
intergenerational impact of residential schools and the effects of personal trauma.
She has taught a variety of courses, from social studies to Spanish, and she uses various
strategies and cross-disciplinary assignments to accommodate different learning styles.
Okemow developed four student-initiated courses focusing on Anishinaabe identity through
language and land-based learning, while learning Anishinaabemowin herself.
…/4
-4Her love of the outdoors has led her to organize fishing and kayaking trips, snowshoeing and
cross-country skiing excursions, and she coaches a successful basketball program. Okemow
helps students see their potential after high school by ensuring that graduating students have
the resources and connections they need post-graduation.
Okemow promotes and supports Indigenous perspectives within and beyond the school. She
gives presentations to community organizations and pre-service teachers. She is a catalyst
teacher for treaty education, an active member of her division’s Indigenous Education
Committee and a contributing member of Manitoba Teacher’s Society’s Indigenous Voice and
Action Standing Committee. Okemow’s strong expertise combined with her gentle leadership
and dedication inspires many students and the colleagues she works with.
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