ATA fellowship and scholarship recipients announced for 2011

June 14, 2011 Corinne Anderson, ATA, Professional Development
Provincial Executive Council has announced the winners of the 2011 ATA fellowships and scholarships. Applicants were judged on academic achievement, contributions to education generally, contributions to the Alberta Teachers’ Association and ­excellence in teaching.

ATA Doctoral Fellowships in Education

Recipients of the ATA Doctoral Fellowships in Education receive $15,000 to pursue doctoral studies and are required to file a copy of their dissertation with the ATA library. Members are encouraged to use this valuable research conducted by their Alberta ­colleagues.

Maureen Yates-Millions has been an educator with Edmonton Public Schools for 24 years, as a teacher, counsellor, assistant principal and principal serving in two junior high and five senior high schools. She has served on ATA curriculum circles and committees and has held the positions of president, vice-president, conference director and newsletter editor in the ATA Guidance Council. For four terms, she has been the program chair for the Western Canadian Educational Administrators’ Conference. Yates-Millions has also sat on a number of Alberta Education policy and advisory committees. She is currently enrolled in the PhD program in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, University of Alberta, and is specializing in educational administration and leadership. Her research will focus on the self-efficacy beliefs of high school principals with respect to their commitment and motivation in fulfilling their professional roles and responsibilities.

Heather Huculak is a doctoral student in the Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta. Her research interests include second language methodology, technology and citizenship education. Huculak’s doctoral research will be a qualitative study of using technology to teach second languages in International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. She teaches French as a second language and French immersion with Edmonton Public Schools. Huculak has undertaken various roles in leadership, as well as serving on school, district and ATA committees. She is also a mentor teacher.

John Mazurek Memorial—Morgex Insurance Scholarship

The recipient of the John Mazurek Memorial—Morgex Insurance Scholarship receives $1,000 to pursue an approved professional development course in the field of business education or computers in education.

Anthony Walsh is a student assessment consultant for Edmonton Public Schools. In the past 18 years, he has been a teacher, teacher associate, department head, assistant principal and consultant in various settings, including elementary, junior high and senior high schools and a cyber-school. Walsh is currently working in Central Services. He has presented workshops at schools and co-presented at the Alberta Assessment Consortium conference and the AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement) conference. He is involved with his local and served on the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention Association. Walsh is pursuing an MEd degree at the University of Alberta, where he is researching teacher and student/parent experiences with online homework.

Nadene M. Thomas Graduate Research Bursary

The recipient of the Nadene M. Thomas Graduate Research Bursary receives $5,000 to pursue graduate studies in a speciality in education at a recognized Canadian university. The research must focus on teacher health issues or teachers’ working conditions.

Bonnie Spurrell teaches with the St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic School Division, at Notre Dame Elementary School, in Leduc. For the past two years, she has been a graduate student in the University of Alberta’s blended-delivery MEd in educational studies program (leadership and school improvement stream). Spurrell’s research focuses on teacher stress and burnout, specifically the individual and organizational variables that offset stress and burnout in educators. Having taught for more than 23 years in Alberta and Newfoundland, she has remained firm in her belief that a healthy teaching profession hinges on healthy teachers. Spurrell’s areas of interest are assessment for learning, numeracy, and the reading and writing process (literacy development). She has served on her local economic policy committee for the past nine years.

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