Awards

BCTF Maxwell A. Cameron Memorial Award

Each year, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation honours the memory of Maxwell A. Cameron with the presentation of a monetary award to selected education students who have completed their final year of education and training at one of BC’s public universities.

At UNBC, the outstanding Teacher Candidates in both the Elementary Years and Secondary Years stream are selected through a process of nomination by their Cooperating Teachers, Practicum Supervisors, and the School of Education faculty based on the evaluation of their academic and professional preparation, practicum work, and their commitment to social justice issues.

2024 Award Winners

Ariel Gilbert (L) – Elementary Years; Emily Hobley-McKosker (R) – Secondary Years
Ariel Gilbert (L) – EY; Emily Hobley-McKosker (R) – SY

Elementary teacher Ariel Gilbert is dedicated to Indigenous ways of knowing and Truth & Reconciliation. She presented research with two peers on “Teacher Wellness through Land-based Pedagogies” at several professional conferences, including the Research Forum on Educator Wellness in Kelowna and WESTCAST. She is a regular volunteer with Prince George’s St. Vincent de Paul Society, participating weekly on the sandwich line team and organizing mitten and clothing drives. Ariel was voted in by her peers as the cohort representative in the B.Ed. program, a role in which she supported peers who were struggling for a variety of personal reasons and served as a liaison to the program’s administrative team. She was an integral part of the program’s success and improvement during this time. Ariel is creative and eager to try new lesson ideas, including her weekly outdoor and the Indigenous-themed “Battle of the Books.” Her drive to contribute to her community and her passion for making a difference make her a role model for everyone she is involved with.  She continues to make a positive impact as an early career teacher at Quinson Elementary and Nusdeh Yoh Elementary as the Librarian and ELL teacher, showing an advanced ability to plan and implement interventions for students with diverse needs, carving out time for small group, one on one instruction, and whole class instruction in the timeframe of a single lesson. 

Secondary teacher Emily Hobley-McKosker has made a lasting impression in the teacher education program through her selfless sharing of her time and strengths, and modelling an ethic of care. She wastes no time in becoming a member of each learning community in which she was placed, and is intrinsically motivated to become the best teacher she can be.  The Coaching Teacher for her Summative Practicum describes best Emily’s positive impact on her final learning community in the teacher education program in this way: “Emily has become a beloved member of our school, participating in spirit week, collaborating with other teachers and has been an inspiration to myself. I have witnessed the amount of work and dedication that Emily puts into everything she does, as well as the respect that she has earned from her students.  Emily has made a huge impact on her students, spending hours outside of class to help them be successful.” The coaching teacher also provided multiple examples of these impacts on individual students and their families, some of which involved the students overcoming intense personal challenges and emerging with success. 

Past Award Winners

2023

  • Julianne Slaney - Elementary Years
  • Mikeila Oliveira - Secondary Years

2022

  • Emma Sayle - Elementary Years
  • Dakota Clapperton - Secondary Years

Fall 2021

  • Samantha Morey - Elementary Years
  • Simon Harris - Secondary Years

2021

  • Kelsey MacDonald - Elementary Years
  • Katie Hansen - Secondary Years

2020

  • Leon Erickson - Elementary Years
  • Kristina Gerk - Secondary Years

2019

  • RJay Berra - Elementary Years
  • MacKenzie Bouchard - Secondary Years

2018

  • Brianna Kozak - Elementary Years
  • Marina Campsall - Secondary Years

2017

  • Hailey Smith - Elementary Years
  • David Landrey - Secondary Years

2016

  • Brianna Potvin - Elementary Years
  • Meghan Allan - Secondary Years

2015

  • Caroline Mlynowski - Elementary Years
  • Teresa Johnston - Secondary Years

2014

  • Laura Aaslie - Elementary Years
  • Rebecca Lund - Secondary Years

2013

  • Dustin Blake - Elementary Years
  • Megan Knowles - Secondary Years

2012

  • Danielle Schroeder - Elementary Years
  • Lauren Stelmaschuk - Secondary Years

2011

  • Sarah Stratton - Elementary Years
  • Megan McLeod - Secondary Years

2010

  • Michelle Dugdale - Elementary Years
  • Janilee Olson - Secondary Years

2009

  • Holly Crandall - Elementary Years
  • Dena Gysel - Secondary Years

2008

  • Andrew Bond - Elementary Years
  • Krystal Rempel - Secondary Years

2007

  • Nicole Sarasin - Elementary Years
  • Cathy Johnson - Secondary Years

2006

  • Jennifer Dionne - Elementary Years
  • Anita Kurjata - Secondary Years

2005

  • Earl Dodds - Early Years
  • Melinda MacKinnon - Senior Years

2004

  • Harmony Watts - Early Years