Palliser’s Pascal nominated for Edwin Parr Award

First-year Kindergarten teacher Elisabeth Pascal was overwhelmed to find out she has been named the Palliser School Division’s nominee for the Edwin Parr Award right out of the gate.

The award, named in honour of Edwin Parr, former president of the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA), was established almost 60 years ago to recognize outstanding first-year teachers.

“This is my first year teaching, that’s why I think it is a little bit overwhelming because I am a recent grad and to come out and then all of a sudden to be recognized as you are doing something special, and for me it is just I do what I do, you know?” said Pascal.

She said that she believes she was a bit overwhelmed by it, because she feels like she just goes in to the classroom and does what she feels any teacher should do.

Pascal teaches Kindergarten at Sunnyside School and she said she takes it very seriously as they are at a very impressionable age.

“I think Kindergarten is such a fun group to teach because they are just so raw and honest with their emotions at that age.”

She said she feels very honoured that the parents are trusting her with their children at such an important age.

“These are five-yearolds that one day will be 30-yearolds, so we are teaching them the life skills necessary in order to be compassionate and empathetic people, how to work as a team. These stepping stones are all established in Kindergarten in my mind,” said Pascal.

She said she just goes in and tries to make their days as full, entertaining and engaging as possible as well as building relationships with them.

“I love Kindergarten, I think it takes a special person to be in Kindergarten, there is a lot of little people and a lot of little things that a lot of people don’t realize when you are teaching Kindergarten, or that they take for granted in older grades.” Pascal says that moving forward the nomination has inspired her to work even harder.

“The nomination is inspiring in a sense that you are being highlighted for already doing a great job, and for me I like a challenge. So I just think how can I be better now, what else can I do to make this more of a full day for them,” said Pascal.

Sunnyside School Principal Mitchell VanDyk, in a statement on the Palliser School Division website, said Elisabeth is one of the most enthusiastic teachers he has ever met.

“She passionately invests in her students daily and they absolutely love being in her class,” reads the statement.

Pascal said that for her something to highlight is the fact that she works with such wonderful people, who are a strong team with great mentorship.

“I just feel really blessed to have the opportunity to be a first-year teacher and work at a school that really aligns with my values, as we are really big into outdoor learning and wellness at Sunnyside and I think that is so crucial for students especially in the younger grades and moving forward,” said Pascal.

She said she feels blessed to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing team right out of the gate as she believes sometimes it takes people time to find where they fit in.

“I think it is really amazing that I found it right away,” said Pascal.

The Edwin Parr Awards are on May 18 at the Heritage Inn in Taber.