Star studded alumni
Science community boasts impressive list of members
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, April 30, 2014
KIVALLIQ
The list of award winning teachers is an impressive one.
Jim Kreuger of Baker Lake has been involved in one form or another with the Kivalliq Science Educators' Community for the past 20 years. - photo courtesy of Brandon Otway |
Names such as Bill Cooper of Baker Lake, Glen Brocklebank of Chesterfield Inlet and Kristen Sawyers of Rankin Inlet are instantly recognizable as past winners of the coveted Prime Minister's Award for teaching excellence.
And, the three share something else in common.
They are all past or current members of the Kivalliq Science Educators' Community (KSEC).
Jim Kreuger is a program consultant with Kivalliq School Operations in Baker Lake, and has been involved directly or behind the scenes with KSEC for the past 20 years.
Kreuger said there have been about 120 teachers associated with KSEC during its 20year history.
He said KSEC can lay claim to an impressive list of alumni members.
"We had people like Bruce McKitrick of Coral Harbour start with KSEC many years ago," said Kreuger.
"He was a very impressive person at the time: a rookie when he started, left a leader, and went on to become a great leader in the sport of wrestling."
"Bill (Cooper), Glen (Brocklebank) and Kristen (Sawyers) all came to KSEC as rookies, and they weren't Prime Minister Award winners when they began.
"They were teachers looking for ways to make their teaching meaningful and, through the process of KSEC, by the time they left they were all award-winning teachers."
Kreuger said all four of the teachers were awesome people when they came to KSEC.
He said while KSEC didn't create them, it certainly provided the space and mentorship to play to their strengths.
"KSEC gave them permission to develop their own way to teach.
"Barb Legacy-Porter of Rankin Inlet is another who belongs on the list of impressive teachers we've had with KSEC during our first two decades.
"In addition to the Prime Minister Award winners, KSEC has had numerous Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG) Science Teacher of the Year award winners, as well as people like Katharine O'Connell of Rankin, who earned a NAPEG Science Teaching Award.
"It is an impressive list of KSEC alumni and we're very proud of that."
