A teacher with Yellowknife’s Education District No. 1 was one of four people to receive a literacy award in Yellowknife Tuesday.
Caroline Roux, who works as a French immersion literacy coach with the school board, was honoured with the Ministerial Literacy Award for Professional Educators for her “outstanding dedication to literacy.”
The awards were presented by Education Minister Jackson Lafferty during the annual learner’s luncheon at Northern United Place as part of NWT Literacy Week.
“Literacy underpins everything we do,” said Lafferty in a statement.
“The recipients we celebrate have overcome challenges, have contributed to other learners’ journeys, have volunteered their time and worked together to provide literacy programs for learners of all ages.”
Roux was the only instructor from Yellowknife to be recognized Tuesday. She spoke to Moose FM about where her passion for teaching literacy comes from.
“My first souvenir as a student was when I was in kindergarten and I remember my teacher always reading stories to us and I remember those stories,” she said.
“There’s many years I don’t remember but I remember my kindergarten teacher and her stories and the passion she shared with us.
“Well I actually found her last year almost 40 years later. She was retired of course but I was really proud and happy to say ‘thank you’ and tell her about the difference she made in my life.”
Since Roux came on board with YK1 five years ago, she says literacy has been at the heart of the school board’s curricula.
“We want our kids to reach the best potential they can reach and we’re trying to bring the best out of them.”
Fellow award recipients Tuesday included:
- Carol Elanik (Beaufort Delta): Council of the Federation Literacy Award
- Catarina Owen (Sahtu): The Ministerial Literacy Award for Volunteer Educators
- South Slave Divisional Education Council Leadership for Literacy Initiative (South Slave)
