FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Linda Brant announced as Educator of the Year
Award to be presented at the Education Week Breakfast on Monday, May 2nd

April 26, 2005, Belleville, Ontario—Congratulations to Linda Brant who has been chosen as the 2005 Educator of the Year! The award is presented each year at the kick-off celebration for Education Week, an annual event celebrated by school boards and schools across Ontario. It is a time for students, educators, support staff and parents/guardians to celebrate teaching excellence and student achievement. The Ministry of Education has established the theme for this year’s Education Week as Read to Succeed!

Ms. Brant has been a teacher in Tyendinaga Territory for 34 years. Throughout her teaching career, she has exemplified teaching excellence and a dedication to children. She has been involved in extra-curricular activities including leading dance classes, coaching the chess club, sewing costumes for children and making decorations for Grade 8 graduation ceremonies.

“I am honoured to have been chosen to receive the Sir Mackenzie Bowell Award, for Educator of the Year. I have always considered my career, as an educator, to be a blessing in my life. Reading and the teaching of reading are two of my greatest passions, so I am especially thrilled that I was chosen in this year with the theme Read to Succeed!” remarks Ms. Brant.

In and outside the classroom, Ms. Brant is a distinguished educator. She is dedicated to children and to whole school initiatives. She is a teacher who teaches for the love of teaching and for the love of learning. Ms. Brant has demonstrated excellence over her years as a professional instructor in all areas of education. She has been a leading innovator in classroom methods and techniques, within the computer lab, by advising colleagues and first-year teachers, and by working diligently on curriculum development projects.

The nomination letters are testaments to Linda’s accomplishments. One letter states: Linda started on a one-room school house where an oil burner stood inside the classroom. She entered the teaching profession at a time when few Native women could overcome racial barriers to pursue higher education. She was one of the few Native teachers in reserve schools in Canada at the time. Linda has been a mentor for new coming staff and has coached numerous teacher candidates from the Aboriginal Teacher Education Programs at Queen’s University and Manitoulin Island. Through her examples and leadership past students have returned to the school as teachers.”

In another nomination letter, the nominator describes Ms. Brant this way: Ms. Brant inspires enthusiasm for learning and sets high expectations and helps students to meet them. She shows genuine respect and concern for students. She demonstrates thorough knowledge for current practices and is able to communicate clearly and effectively. She is open and willing to try new ideas and new approaches to teaching while providing a positive role model for students and staff alike.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA ARE INVITED TO INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPH MS. BRANT AT THE EDUCATION WEEK KICK-OFF BREAKFAST ON MONDAY, MAY 2ND, 7:30 a.m. AT LOYALIST COLLEGE.

Anyone wishing to attend the breakfast should contact Julie Kezar, Administrative Assistant, 966-1170, ext. 2237 to purchase a $7 ticket.

In early March, members of the educational community and general public were invited to submit nominations for any person who has made a valuable contribution to education in Hastings and Prince Edward counties. The nominee must have been active in education during the current school year.

History of the Sir Mackenzie Bowell Award
This year marks the 39th anniversary of the Sir Mackenzie Bowell Award. Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1823–1917) was a strong supporter of education and an active promoter of Hastings County. An outstanding Canadian, he was primarily a self-taught man who earned a teaching certificate. In 1854, he was elected to the Belleville Board of Education and served as chairperson of that board from 1856 to 1867. He was also a successful businessman who served as editor and proprietor of The Intelligencer for many years, and helped form the Belleville Board of Trade (now Chamber of
Commerce) in 1865. In his editorials, he stressed education as a key to development and championed the growth of Belleville and Hastings County as a whole.

In addition, Sir Mackenzie Bowell was a man of steadfast character, courage and integrity, placing principle before political party. He held the highest positions in the Orange Lodge and served “on the frontier” with the militia when Irish-Americans threatened invasion in the 1860s. Politically, he distinguished himself as a federal cabinet minister, a senator, and Canada’s fifth prime minister (1894–1896).

For information, contact:
• Kathleen Manderville, Principal, Quinte Mohawk School (613) 966-6984
• Julie Kezar, Administrative Assistant, (613) 966-1170, or 1 800 267-4350, ext. 2237