THE PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE - Brian Leonard
Child Care in BC: Learning from an Expert

Greetings colleagues,

One of the great honours of my role is the opportunity to celebrate some of the great people that work in BC’s education sector. On October 28, in a ceremony at Government House in Victoria, I represented our 2,700 members at the 2023 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education. The event is in its fifth year, and Premier David Eby presented awards which acknowledged the exceptional contribution of education professionals within the BC education system

To quote Premier Eby, “As educators, you have the incredible responsibility of nurturing young minds and empowering them to reach their full potential… Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for the exemplary commitment and heart you bring to education in our province.” 

This year, awards were given to three recipients in each of ten categories. The Outstanding Team Collaboration category had multiple recipients per team. In total, thirty-four education professionals received an award this year.

Congratulations to all of the recipients, and to the following BCPVPA members who were honoured:

• Community Engagement:
  Vanessa White – District Principal - Safe and Healthy Schools, SD 62 (Sooke)
  
  
• District Leadership:
  Dustin Hyde – District Vice Principal – Indigenous Education, SD67 (Okanagan-Skaha)
  
  
• Indigenous Education: 
  Roberta Edzerza – District Vice Principal - Indigenous Education, SD 52 (Prince Rupert) 

In addition to being feted at the wonderful ceremony, each recipient receives a $2,000 personal bursary for professional learning, and a $1,000 contribution to their school community for professional learning.

In her comments, the Honourable Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care, praised the dedication of everyone in our system when she stated, “Everywhere I go, I see teachers inspiring students to try their best, to use their imagination and to challenge themselves; I see administrators who are problem-solvers and innovators; and, I see support staff who are crucial to their school communities.”

To conclude, the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, said it best, “The young people with whom you work will go on to become leaders and innovators in our society, and it is your dedication to nurturing creative and caring thinkers that gives me hope for our future… please accept my congratulations… for your splendid work, and my gratitude to all who make our schools such wonderful places to learn.”

Clockwise: Brian with the Honourable Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care; BC Premier David Eby; Asst. Deputy Minister Jennifer McCrea, Asst. Deputy Minister Cloe Nicholls, and Deputy Minister Christina Zacharuk; Associate Superintendent of Indigenous Education (and former BCPVPA Director), Brad Baker

This celebration of public education was truly an inspirational evening, and I was grateful to share my exuberance with the Board of Directors when I returned to Vancouver early the next morning for our Board meeting.

From my visits to your Chapters, I know that for every person acknowledged at the awards ceremony last week, there are dozens more that are equally worthy. If you know an individual (or maybe that’s you!) who is doing exemplary work in their school community, consider nominating them in 2024. You can find out more here.

Cheers,
Brian
Bleonard@bcpvpa.bc.ca