“Elizabeth treats all students with love and respect,” shares Corry Raugust, Principal of J.C. Charyk School. “She has cultivated an open and welcoming classroom where each student feels safe and encouraged to grow their understanding and develop their curiosity.” 

Elizabeth is an engaged and active member of J.C. Charyk’s larger community. She works closely with her grade partner to collaboratively bring Social Studies and Science to life in their classrooms. Her warmth and pleasant greetings add to positivity in the hallways of the school. Elizabeth’s passion for coaching has benefited the school as well as she cheers and guides from the sidelines and bench for the JV and Senior Girl’s basketball teams and the Track and Field team. Seeing an opportunity to connect closely and build community further in the school, Elizabeth also created and facilitates a girls’ lunch group which meets weekly to explore topics that the girls find interesting. 

Elizabeth takes the charge of applying foundational knowledge about First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples seriously in her practice. In September, her first month of teaching, she undertook learning about historical and contemporary Indigenous issues and practices with her Social Studies classes. She brought this learning to life beautifully, culminating in the students creating a classroom Land Acknowledgment together. They could apply their understanding across the curriculum by reading The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson together as an English Language Arts novel study. This sort of careful and creative planning is Elizabeth’s trademark.

Superintendent of Schools Cam McKeage commends Elizabeth’s meticulous planning and unwavering commitment to student learning, which embody the spirit of excellence that the Edwin Parr Teacher Award celebrates and honours. McKeage added, “The Board of Trustees is proud to nominate Elizabeth for this award and have her represent the high standards of teaching excellence in Prairie Land Public School Division as our 2024 Edwin Parr Award Nominee.” 

Edwin Parr served as President of the Alberta School Trustees’ Association (now ASBA) from 1956 to 1962. To honour his memory and the profession he respected so deeply, the Alberta School Trustees’ Association established the Edwin Parr Teacher Award in 1964. For almost 60 years, these awards have been presented to outstanding first-year teachers.