Current Award Winners
Juanita Redekopp - Art Forgay Award of Recognition of Administrators - 2020
Juanita Redekopp has been the Regina Public Schools’ Supervisor of Instruction since 2008. She oversees a large and diverse portfolio including Curriculum and Renewal, Citizenship Education, EAL, Home-Based Education, Early Learning, Kindergarten, Locally Modified Courses, and New Teacher Supports. Prior to her career with Regina Public Schools, she was a Curriculum and Learning Consultant with Prairie Valley School District and taught a range of subjects in Balgonie, Swift Current and Provost, AB including Biology 30, Special Education, and Music.
Juanita’s leadership in school libraries is demonstrated in her oversight of Lending & Library Services, School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians, Literacy and Numeracy, Copyright and Textbooks and Learning Resources.
Juanita understands that the school library is the centre of learning and leading in a school. She ensures that all new teacher librarians are paired with mentors in the system and facilitates structured mentorship opportunities throughout the year. Because the strength of a teacher librarian comes from opportunities to grow and learn, Juanita schedules regular PD and meeting time for teacher librarians to gather and learn more about media literacy, division purchased resources, technology and collaboration. She supports teacher librarians in their action research and their collaboratively developed learning. She is tireless in her commitment to supporting teacher librarians to fulfill their roles.
Juanita works with Lending and Library Services to support their work in preparing materials for schools including purchasing for new builds and dealing with school closures. She is aware of the challenges of reduced budgets and comes up with creative solutions to work with and around problems. In addition to all of this, she encourages active collaboration between division library services staff and teacher librarians to ensure that there is direct personnel support in school libraries to ensure that tasks such library inventory and collection development can occur in a timely manner with as little disruption to the school library operations as possible.
As she oversees the different areas of her portfolio, she regularly sees ways that school libraries and teacher librarians can support division initiatives and needs. Juanita makes every effort to ensure that teacher librarians have the professional development needed to be leaders of division initiatives in their schools and that school libraries have the resources required to support both students and teachers with the initiatives. With this type of advocacy Juanita continues to promote the important role that school libraries and teacher librarians play in schools within the division.
Juanita values the opinions of the teacher librarians under her direction. She encourages teacher librarians to voice their thoughts and concerns about issues that directly concern them and the school libraries. Recently she asked for input from Teacher Librarians about issues such as the purchase of a new school library management system for the division and the guidelines for the use of school libraries during and moving beyond the pandemic.
Juanita supports Teacher Librarians in their pursuit to provide access to learning resources for all students and families within the school division. When Teacher Librarians expressed a need for an easier way for students and families to access online learning resources, Juanita facilitated meetings between a group of interested Teacher Librarians which resulted in the development of a Library Resources Hub. Students, families and teachers can now use this hub to easily access a variety of online resources, whether they are provided by Regina Public Schools or the Ministry of Education, through any division school website.
Juanita is committed to ensuring that learning resources that are provided for teachers and students are of the highest quality. Juanita was part of a group of provincial educators and a Ministry of Education representative who contributed to the development of the most recent Ministry of Education Learning Resources Evaluation Guidelines.
Maybe the most important reason that Juanita Redekopp should receive this award is because there is not a single teacher librarian or Lending and Library Services staff member with Regina Public Schools, who ever doubts that Juanita cares. We all know that if we need anything or have any concerns she will always go above and beyond to help. Her passion for her role and her staff is beyond compare, and we are all grateful to have her on our side.
Terri Parsons - Connie Acton Award of Merit - 2020
The Guy Vanderhaeghe Library has a reputation for offering timely, quality learning resources to students and staff. Without a doubt, one of the most highly prized resources in Esterhazy’s school library is their teacher-librarian, Terri Parsons. Terri goes beyond fulfilling the job description of a teacher-librarian to play a much more complex role in creating a learning community at EHS. Terri’s library management skills are unparalleled in the Good Spirit School division. With careful attention to the curricular and personal interests of students and staff, Terri has carefully curated a collection of resources to suit the learning needs. As an instructional leader, she collaborates with teachers to provide value-added inquiry units for the students. However, it is her work beyond the walls of EHS that should also be noted.
Terri has always made herself available to mentor other teacher-librarians in the school division including the curriculum coordinator. Whether it was being shadowed by a new teacher-librarian or hosting groups of teachers or library technicians to share her knowledge, Terri is the first person Charlotte calls. Because Terri places a high priority on staying aligned with the latest research in education, she is always at the leading edge of best practice whether it be the shift to a learning commons model for libraries or leveraging online platforms to benefit student learning. A long-time member of the Saskatchewan School Library Association, she has participated in learning events presented by the greatest thinkers of teacher-librarianship and then evaluated their presentations to determine what is worthwhile to incorporate into her practice.
Aside from her skill set, it is Terri’s compassionate approach to her colleagues that is so highly valued. She is such a good listener, and before you know it, you have confided all your angst and troubles to her. Terri always responds with assurance, empathy, and support. When you talk to Terri, you always leave feeling better than when you got there. From Gord Erhardt, Principal and Tracy Huckell, Vice-Principal, Esterhazy Central High School: Terri is seen as our wise den mother at EHS. Many staff (including us) go to her for wisdom, a listening ear, and advice. You know you will get an honest ‘say it like it is’ answer which makes her greatly respected by staff. She is a mentor and a leader in the way she helps her colleagues learn and grow in a supportive way. She goes above and beyond, often sensing things we need to plan for or address often before we, as administrators, think of it. She spent many sleepless nights during the pandemic stressing over how she could get more technology into the hands of students (both in spring and in fall), and taking the lead in organizing who had or needed what to have access to learning. Terri is a fabulous teacher librarian. She has worked diligently to create a welcoming comfortable atmosphere in our library that draws students to it. Not only can they experience rich literacy experiences, but they also go there to socialize, play games, and enjoy various activities that help them feel connected to school and their peers. The atmosphere in our library is so different from the ‘so quiet you can hear a pin drop’ libraries many of us experienced growing up.
From Dawn Helmeczi and Aimee Unchulenko, grade 6 teachers, Esterhazy Central High: Terri has played an integral part in our grade 6 balanced literacy program. Every year, she slots the grade 6 students into her schedule to support independent reading. This is just one example of the ways she supports the students and staff at our school. From Shayna Zubko, senior high teacher, Esterhazy Central High: Terri has been a mentor to me since I started here. She has always stopped to take the time to brainstorm and bounce ideas back and forth even when she is herself wading through a waist deep pile of nonsense. Not only that, she is observant and empathetic and notices the second you are off your game. She is constantly seeking ways to improve her teaching for her students and will always get even the most challenging cases through her classes. The number of hours she puts in is incredible. She is one of the first people in the building and one of the last to leave. She is almost always here until 5pm often because she is mentoring others rather than completing her own work. There isn't a day that goes by where you don't see one of the staff in the library discussing either a teaching issue, and ESA issue, an awards issue, or jut dipping into the well of wisdom that comes from Terri's varied years of experience as classroom teacher of so many grades, administrator, teacher-librarian, or the kind, calming voice of reason that needed to be heard. Her humour and experience are so appreciated by our staff, especially since she will call people on issues if it needs to be done.
Sherry Landry - Connie Acton Award of Merit - 2021
Few schools see their gyms erupt in excitement and applause at the entry of their librarian but at Holy Family School this has been the norm! Mrs. Sherry Landry has been a dedicated and beloved school librarian for many years. Her passion for students and literature is beyond compare. She has created a library that is a safe haven for students, staff and parents. It is alive with reading, conversation and human connection. Sherry uses her deep love and knowledge of literature to reach every person with compassion, enthusiasm and kindness. She has a talent for matching students to the right book and she never gives up until she has found it. Our school family and community seek Mrs. Landry out for her expertise and approachability. She leads initiatives that surpass school expectations - evenings in pajamas with flashlight reading in tents, getting students to vote on Willow awards and introducing Battle of the Books, just to name a few. She works tirelessly to create engaged lifelong readers. Every year, Sherry waits in eager anticipation to learn the winners of the Caldecott and Newberry awards. In a descriptive essay called "Crazy Book Lady" a class of grade one students wrote, "she is the best librarian... as kind as an angel... she is a book maniac... [plus] she is as funny as a monkey and we go bananas over her jokes!" Holy Family School is so blessed to have her limitless love and support. This year, with COVID impacting so much of what we do, Mrs. Landry has removed barriers and found innovative ways to reach young readers. Though, Mrs. Landry never looks for recognition, our school and community would be so excited to see her honored with this award - she has truly earned it!
Juanita Redekopp has been the Regina Public Schools’ Supervisor of Instruction since 2008. She oversees a large and diverse portfolio including Curriculum and Renewal, Citizenship Education, EAL, Home-Based Education, Early Learning, Kindergarten, Locally Modified Courses, and New Teacher Supports. Prior to her career with Regina Public Schools, she was a Curriculum and Learning Consultant with Prairie Valley School District and taught a range of subjects in Balgonie, Swift Current and Provost, AB including Biology 30, Special Education, and Music.
Juanita’s leadership in school libraries is demonstrated in her oversight of Lending & Library Services, School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians, Literacy and Numeracy, Copyright and Textbooks and Learning Resources.
Juanita understands that the school library is the centre of learning and leading in a school. She ensures that all new teacher librarians are paired with mentors in the system and facilitates structured mentorship opportunities throughout the year. Because the strength of a teacher librarian comes from opportunities to grow and learn, Juanita schedules regular PD and meeting time for teacher librarians to gather and learn more about media literacy, division purchased resources, technology and collaboration. She supports teacher librarians in their action research and their collaboratively developed learning. She is tireless in her commitment to supporting teacher librarians to fulfill their roles.
Juanita works with Lending and Library Services to support their work in preparing materials for schools including purchasing for new builds and dealing with school closures. She is aware of the challenges of reduced budgets and comes up with creative solutions to work with and around problems. In addition to all of this, she encourages active collaboration between division library services staff and teacher librarians to ensure that there is direct personnel support in school libraries to ensure that tasks such library inventory and collection development can occur in a timely manner with as little disruption to the school library operations as possible.
As she oversees the different areas of her portfolio, she regularly sees ways that school libraries and teacher librarians can support division initiatives and needs. Juanita makes every effort to ensure that teacher librarians have the professional development needed to be leaders of division initiatives in their schools and that school libraries have the resources required to support both students and teachers with the initiatives. With this type of advocacy Juanita continues to promote the important role that school libraries and teacher librarians play in schools within the division.
Juanita values the opinions of the teacher librarians under her direction. She encourages teacher librarians to voice their thoughts and concerns about issues that directly concern them and the school libraries. Recently she asked for input from Teacher Librarians about issues such as the purchase of a new school library management system for the division and the guidelines for the use of school libraries during and moving beyond the pandemic.
Juanita supports Teacher Librarians in their pursuit to provide access to learning resources for all students and families within the school division. When Teacher Librarians expressed a need for an easier way for students and families to access online learning resources, Juanita facilitated meetings between a group of interested Teacher Librarians which resulted in the development of a Library Resources Hub. Students, families and teachers can now use this hub to easily access a variety of online resources, whether they are provided by Regina Public Schools or the Ministry of Education, through any division school website.
Juanita is committed to ensuring that learning resources that are provided for teachers and students are of the highest quality. Juanita was part of a group of provincial educators and a Ministry of Education representative who contributed to the development of the most recent Ministry of Education Learning Resources Evaluation Guidelines.
Maybe the most important reason that Juanita Redekopp should receive this award is because there is not a single teacher librarian or Lending and Library Services staff member with Regina Public Schools, who ever doubts that Juanita cares. We all know that if we need anything or have any concerns she will always go above and beyond to help. Her passion for her role and her staff is beyond compare, and we are all grateful to have her on our side.
Terri Parsons - Connie Acton Award of Merit - 2020
The Guy Vanderhaeghe Library has a reputation for offering timely, quality learning resources to students and staff. Without a doubt, one of the most highly prized resources in Esterhazy’s school library is their teacher-librarian, Terri Parsons. Terri goes beyond fulfilling the job description of a teacher-librarian to play a much more complex role in creating a learning community at EHS. Terri’s library management skills are unparalleled in the Good Spirit School division. With careful attention to the curricular and personal interests of students and staff, Terri has carefully curated a collection of resources to suit the learning needs. As an instructional leader, she collaborates with teachers to provide value-added inquiry units for the students. However, it is her work beyond the walls of EHS that should also be noted.
Terri has always made herself available to mentor other teacher-librarians in the school division including the curriculum coordinator. Whether it was being shadowed by a new teacher-librarian or hosting groups of teachers or library technicians to share her knowledge, Terri is the first person Charlotte calls. Because Terri places a high priority on staying aligned with the latest research in education, she is always at the leading edge of best practice whether it be the shift to a learning commons model for libraries or leveraging online platforms to benefit student learning. A long-time member of the Saskatchewan School Library Association, she has participated in learning events presented by the greatest thinkers of teacher-librarianship and then evaluated their presentations to determine what is worthwhile to incorporate into her practice.
Aside from her skill set, it is Terri’s compassionate approach to her colleagues that is so highly valued. She is such a good listener, and before you know it, you have confided all your angst and troubles to her. Terri always responds with assurance, empathy, and support. When you talk to Terri, you always leave feeling better than when you got there. From Gord Erhardt, Principal and Tracy Huckell, Vice-Principal, Esterhazy Central High School: Terri is seen as our wise den mother at EHS. Many staff (including us) go to her for wisdom, a listening ear, and advice. You know you will get an honest ‘say it like it is’ answer which makes her greatly respected by staff. She is a mentor and a leader in the way she helps her colleagues learn and grow in a supportive way. She goes above and beyond, often sensing things we need to plan for or address often before we, as administrators, think of it. She spent many sleepless nights during the pandemic stressing over how she could get more technology into the hands of students (both in spring and in fall), and taking the lead in organizing who had or needed what to have access to learning. Terri is a fabulous teacher librarian. She has worked diligently to create a welcoming comfortable atmosphere in our library that draws students to it. Not only can they experience rich literacy experiences, but they also go there to socialize, play games, and enjoy various activities that help them feel connected to school and their peers. The atmosphere in our library is so different from the ‘so quiet you can hear a pin drop’ libraries many of us experienced growing up.
From Dawn Helmeczi and Aimee Unchulenko, grade 6 teachers, Esterhazy Central High: Terri has played an integral part in our grade 6 balanced literacy program. Every year, she slots the grade 6 students into her schedule to support independent reading. This is just one example of the ways she supports the students and staff at our school. From Shayna Zubko, senior high teacher, Esterhazy Central High: Terri has been a mentor to me since I started here. She has always stopped to take the time to brainstorm and bounce ideas back and forth even when she is herself wading through a waist deep pile of nonsense. Not only that, she is observant and empathetic and notices the second you are off your game. She is constantly seeking ways to improve her teaching for her students and will always get even the most challenging cases through her classes. The number of hours she puts in is incredible. She is one of the first people in the building and one of the last to leave. She is almost always here until 5pm often because she is mentoring others rather than completing her own work. There isn't a day that goes by where you don't see one of the staff in the library discussing either a teaching issue, and ESA issue, an awards issue, or jut dipping into the well of wisdom that comes from Terri's varied years of experience as classroom teacher of so many grades, administrator, teacher-librarian, or the kind, calming voice of reason that needed to be heard. Her humour and experience are so appreciated by our staff, especially since she will call people on issues if it needs to be done.
Sherry Landry - Connie Acton Award of Merit - 2021
Few schools see their gyms erupt in excitement and applause at the entry of their librarian but at Holy Family School this has been the norm! Mrs. Sherry Landry has been a dedicated and beloved school librarian for many years. Her passion for students and literature is beyond compare. She has created a library that is a safe haven for students, staff and parents. It is alive with reading, conversation and human connection. Sherry uses her deep love and knowledge of literature to reach every person with compassion, enthusiasm and kindness. She has a talent for matching students to the right book and she never gives up until she has found it. Our school family and community seek Mrs. Landry out for her expertise and approachability. She leads initiatives that surpass school expectations - evenings in pajamas with flashlight reading in tents, getting students to vote on Willow awards and introducing Battle of the Books, just to name a few. She works tirelessly to create engaged lifelong readers. Every year, Sherry waits in eager anticipation to learn the winners of the Caldecott and Newberry awards. In a descriptive essay called "Crazy Book Lady" a class of grade one students wrote, "she is the best librarian... as kind as an angel... she is a book maniac... [plus] she is as funny as a monkey and we go bananas over her jokes!" Holy Family School is so blessed to have her limitless love and support. This year, with COVID impacting so much of what we do, Mrs. Landry has removed barriers and found innovative ways to reach young readers. Though, Mrs. Landry never looks for recognition, our school and community would be so excited to see her honored with this award - she has truly earned it!
SSLA Award History
The Saskatchewan School Library Association, a special subject council of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, proudly announces its awards recipients:
Dr. Alixe Hambleton Bursary |
Art Forgay Award of Recognition of Administrators |
|
Frances Luther (1994)
Elizabeth Roberts (1996) Colleen Mitchell (1997) Cindy Betrell (1998) Kim Steele (2000) Diane Barsi, Irene Kindrachuk, Denise Rossmo-Weigers, Bev Sheirer (2001) Shirley Krueckl (2002) Karen Walliser (2003) Chris Arnstead (2004) Karen Walliser (2005) Carol Jensen (2006), Donna DesRoches (2007) Erin Walton (2008) Tracy Woodward (2009) Tracy Woodward (2010) Carol Wilkinson (2011) Laurie Hnatiuk and Hali Hamel (2012) Sheena Hushagen (2013) Dawn Opheim and Rachel Florence (2014) Anita Hammond (2015) To nominate a candidate or for more information... (pdf) |
This award was formerly entitled the SSLA Award of Recognition (for school-based and system-based administrators).
Davidson School Division (1994) Hon. Pat Atkinson, Minister of Education (1998) Prince Albert Roman Catholic School Division (1999) Eleanor Matz (2000) Jackie Bradley (2001) Colette Fischer (2002), Bill Macfarlane (2003) Qu'Appelle Valley School Division (2004) Maureen Erlandson (2005) Delee Cameron (2006) Lois Smandych (2007) No Recepient (2008) Saskatchewan School Boards Association (2009) Patricia Jamison (2010) No Recipient (2011) Hélène Préfontaine (2012) Judy Nicholson (2013) Charlotte Raine (2014) no recipient (2015) To nominate a candidate or for more information... (pdf) |
Connie Acton Award of Merit |
John G. Wright Distinguished Service Award |
|
Grace Munro (1992)
Marion Perry (1993) Marilyne Earl (1994) Donna DesRoches (1995) Joanne Beltramini (1996) Lori Murphy (1997) Elsbeth Dormuth (1998) Shari Martin (1999) Charlotte Raine (2000) Linda Cairns, Gail Huber, Ingrid Kamineski (2001) Carolyn Yaskowich (2002) Beverley Pacholik (2003) Naomi Kral (2004) Judy Nicholson (2005) Karen Walliser (2006) Violet Smotra-Cook (2007) Lucielle Dubé (2008) Joan Miller (2009) Ruth Garnett (2010) Dawn Morgan (2011) Rhonda Wills (2012) No Recepient (2013) No Recepient (2014) Diane Barsi (2015) Denise Rossmo-Wiegers (2017) To nominate a candidate or for more information... (pdf) |
John G. Wright (1987)
Louise Fisher (1988) No Record or No Winner (1989-90) Elizabeth Roberts (1991) No Recepient (1992) Viktor Fast (1993) Dalelene Yelland (1994) Dr. Alixe Hambleton (1995) Pat Taylor (1996), Verna Demers and Ione Langlois (1997) Stephanie Olson (1998) Ellen Bechard (1999) Marion Perry (2000) Sylvia Gunning Birnie (2001) Carol Thiessen (2002) Janet Merkosky (2003) Ann Gagnon (2004) Linda Cairns (2005) No Recepient (2006) Deanna Gruending (2007) Carlene Walter (2008) Florence Barton (2009) Colette Fischer (2010) Maureen Erlendson (2011) Kim Johnson (2012) Chris Arnstead (2013) Joanne Beltramini (2014) Donna DesRoches (2015) To nominate a candidate or for more information... (pdf) |
Honourary Life MembersLyle Evans (1971)
Sylvia Bernie (1976) Enid Cooke (1977) Effie MacLean (1981) Art Forgay (1982) Shirley Andrist (1990) Linda Cairns (2005) |
SAEMS Award of MeritDr. Alixe Hambleton (1987)
SSLA Award of MeritKen Moore (1988)
Connie Acton (1990) Eleanor Matz (1991) |
