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HomeNewsTrillium Lakelands District School Board 2019-2020 Impact Award Of Excellence Winners Announced

Trillium Lakelands District School Board 2019-2020 Impact Award Of Excellence Winners Announced

KAWARTHA LAKES-Trillium Lakelands District School Board Director Of Education, Wesley Hahn presented awards to the 2020 Impact Award of Excellence winners. The Board’s annual Evening of Excellence could not take place in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Hahn congratulated each award winner as they were honoured for their contribution to student achievement and well-being.

2020 Administrative Leadership Impact Award of Excellence 

Christa BradburnChrista Bradburn, Vice Principal (VP) at Fenelon Falls Secondary School (FFSS) is a winner of a 2020 Administrative Leadership Award. Bradburn has taken on many leadership roles in her 9 years at FFSS, and is known as an administrator, a mentor, a counsellor and friend, and she puts the welfare of students and staff as her top priority. She supports and develops a respectful rapport with students, teachers, parents, and community partners. Described by many as genuine, compassionate, honest, and calm, Bradburn demonstrates her active leadership at FFSS every day.

2020 Administrative Leadership Impact Award of Excellence 

Dean Burke, Principal at King Albert Public School (KAPS) is a winner of the 2020 Administrative Leadership Award. Burke is a hard working, motivated, and energetic leader who makes KAPS a welcoming place for students and staff. An alumnus of the school, Burke’s pride shines through in all that he does. His energy to do his best each day for every student is contagious. Burke takes time to get to know each student by name and listens closely to what they have to say. This active relationship building is essential to the support that he provides, and when a student is having a difficult time, he is a calm but firm presence as he helps get their day turned around.

2020 Co-Curricular Impact Award of Excellence 

Iggi VanKootenGravenhurst High School Teacher Iggi VanKooten is a passionate teacher who inspires students to pursue learning in science and technology. VanKooten is not only an energetic classroom teacher, he is also a Link Crew trainer and facilitator, a committed basketball coach, and has launched a robotics program at the school that continues to grow and expand each year. VanKooten is known throughout the school community as a wonderful mentor. He identifies students who would benefit from belonging to a team and learning new skills, encourages them to join, and supports them along the journey. His success rate with students who are disengaged from their other classes in both academics and attitude, is a testament to his hard work, compassion, dedication, and positivity.

2020 Teaching Impact Award of Excellence 

Pam KoekebakkerTeacher Pam Koekebakker recently retired from I.E. Weldon Secondary School (IEWSS). Not only was she the lead biology teacher at IEWSS for over a decade, she was an integral member of the Visual Arts Department, and worked with International Baccalaureate students. Koekebakker provided students with rich learning opportunities, bringing her passion and dedication to everything she did. The photography and yearbook classes Koekebakker taught were engaging and challenging, inspiring her students to think outside the box, set high standards, and strive for excellence. Koekebakker was also a fierce advocate for gender equality and Indigenous rights, bringing accurate and effective inclusion of Indigenous matters into the classroom. Past graduates shared that Koekebakker was a creative, inspiring, caring light in their lives, and they felt privileged to have had her as their teacher and mentor.

2020 Support Staff Impact Award of Excellence 

Alice SorensenIn her 10 year career as Custodian and Lead Hand with Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB), Alice Sorensen, currently at Leslie Frost Public School, has proven herself to be kind, positive, and supportive. Sorensen’s work ethic and knowledge of the custodian role is exceptional. An unassuming, cheerful, and effective leader, Sorensen has the ability to put nervous new custodians at ease as she teaches them the Board’s procedures, cleaning techniques, health and safety protocols, and administrative duties. Sorensen’s positive attitude and friendly personality as she interacts with staff, students, and the school community makes her the ‘go-to’ person for anyone needing assistance. Sorensen takes pride in her work and her school, and her dedication is appreciated by everyone she helps each and every day.

2020 Support Staff Impact Award of Excellence 

Jennifer MacDonaldJennifer MacDonald is a Designated Early Childhood Educator at Muskoka Beechgrove Public School. MacDonald is a true believer that all students can succeed and she is committed to supporting her students in not only reaching their learning goals, but exceeding them. She has been recognized by her nominators for her incredible heart, her ability to reach all children no matter their needs or struggles, and her evident passion for her job as an educator. MacDonald consistently goes above and beyond in order to care for the children in her charge and to reassure worried parents. MacDonald greets all of her students, past and present, each morning with a big smile. She guides them through the day, providing love, comfort, and fun, helping them grow in confidence and learning. Many  parents/guardians have shared how lucky they feel to have had Jen in their children’s lives.

Congratulations and thank you for all you do!

Courtesy TLDSB

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Pamela Vanmeer
Pamela Vanmeerhttps://www.kawartha411.ca/
Pamela VanMeer is a two time winner of the prestigious Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Award. Her investigative reports on abuse in Long Term Care Homes garnered international attention for the issue and won the Ron Laidlaw Award. She is a former reporter and anchor at CHEX News, now Global Peterborough and helped launch the New CHEX Daily, a daily half hour talk show. While at CHCH News in Hamilton she covered some of the biggest news stories of the day.

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