From sandy beaches in Cuba to a one-on-one with Justin Trudeau: Whirlwind period for local teacher
It’s been a busy few weeks for Donna Armstrong in the best way possible, and things are now getting back to normal.
The Crescent Heights High School Grades 7-12 multimedia and communication technology teacher went from sandy foreign beaches, to spending time in Ottawa with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in just a couple of weeks.
“I was in Cuba, so no, I did not see this coming,” said Armstrong. “It was spring break and they were trying to get a hold of me, and I wasn’t even in the country.
“They left me a bunch of messages and our principal eventually contacted me, and let me know I had some people to contact.”
Armstrong eventually found out that she would be one of 11 national-level recipients of a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and that she would be flying to the nation’s capital to meet the prime minister. She says she was not expecting national recognition.
“When I phoned back I didn’t know anything about winning the award, and the person on the other end started to congratulate me,” said Armstrong. “I actually had to ask them to say it all again, because I wasn’t expecting it.
“I didn’t know how to process it all at the beginning, so I just said ‘oh, I won?’ and the person laughed and told me I had won, and that they needed all the paperwork and forms as soon as possible — I guess I was the only one who had spring break that week.”
Armstrong has been teaching for around 20 years, all of which have been spent at Crescent Heights. She says it was a real life highlight to meet the prime minister.
“This was the first time the prime minister actually came out and spoke to the recipients before the ceremony,” she said. “We waited for a while and then he came in and gave a speech about the impact of teachers, and how he was a teacher, and that he enjoyed teaching a lot, but didn’t like doing report cards.
“He then came around to every single individual, shook our hands and spoke to us like there was no one else in the room. He was very kind and personable.
“I don’t think I had thought of that moment before it had happened, and that’s when it was real. We spoke about my grandmother, who was one of the first teachers in Alberta — and I told him it was an honour to be recognized for a career I love, where I have students that inspire me every day.”