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Students at McNally High School in Edmonton celebrate teacher Mary-Ellen Perley-Waugh’s Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.—Photo by Koni Macdonald
Koni Macdonald
A creative and innovative Edmonton teacher is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Mary-Ellen Perley-Waugh, an English language arts teacher at Edmonton’s McNally High School was among the winners announced December 5 by the government of Canada. The awards honour the overall accomplishments of outstanding educators in all disciplines at the elementary and secondary levels.
Perley-Waugh was nominated for her high energy, enthusiasm and working relationship with her students, which reflect her positive attitude and commitment to teaching. She is known for welcoming experts from the community into her classroom and encourages the use of communication and technology to facilitate group learning.
Among her outstanding achievements, Perley-Waugh developed a curriculum course on ancient civilizations; was nominated for the University of Alberta’s Distinguished Thesis Award; co-authored and presented "The Cultural Factor in English-Language Acquisition" to the Thirteenth International Symposium on English Teaching in Taiwan; and encouraged students to submit poetry to Edmonton’s Poetry on the Bus—one student’s winning poem was displayed on buses throughout the city.
Certificates of excellence are awarded to 15 top-ranked nominees from across Canada. A financial award of $5,000 is provided to each winner’s school or teaching institution to fund professional development, purchase computers, software, audiovisual and laboratory equipment, resource materials, websites, teaching aids or other tools to improve teaching and student learning.
2006 Certificate of Achievement recipients in Alberta
Certificates of Achievement are issued to the next 50 top-ranked nominees. A financial award of $1,000 is provided to each recipient’s school or teaching institution to fund projects or purchase equipment.
David Case, McNally High School, Edmonton; Heather Csikos, National Sport School, Calgary; Robert Dmytruk, Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts, Edmonton; Sandy Feigel, Henry Wise Wood High School, Calgary; Shane Thomas Grundy, Meyokumin School, Edmonton; Margaret Harris, Onoway Junior-Senior High School, Onoway; Christopher Heard, Rites of Passage, Edmonton; Jennifer Johnson-George, Prince of Wales School, Calgary; Darwin Roscoe, Hunting Hills High School, Red Deer; Joan Simpson, Rites of Passage, Edmonton; Linette Smith, Eastglen High School, Edmonton; and Frances Soanes, Rites of Passage, Edmonton.
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