Two Teachers Honoured with Regional Certificate of Achievement for 2024 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence

The School district 72 Superintendent was proud to announce that two of our exceptional teachers, Natalie Raedwulf Pogue and Stephen Joyce, have been awarded the regional certificate of achievement for the 2024 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

The Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence recognize exemplary elementary and secondary school teachers across all disciplines for their innovative practices and dedication to student success. “Both Stephen and Natalie exemplify the dedication, innovation, and passion celebrated by the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. Their outstanding contributions not only enhance the educational experiences of their students but also inspire their entire school community. We are extremely proud of their achievements and appreciative for the excellent impact they have had on our schools,” says School District 72 Superintendent Geoff Manning.

Natalie Raedwulf Pogue, a learning support teacher at Carihi Secondary, is a dedicated advocate for students with autism and other disabilities. Her lived experience as an autistic and disabled educator enables her to demonstrate what is possible and assist her pupils in overcoming obstacles to achieving their goals. Natalie has made important contributions to fostering inclusive and supportive educational environments. She has ensured that students’ chosen pronouns are respected in classrooms and has empowered neurodivergent, disabled, and queer students through her innovative teaching practices. Her coworkers applaud her unrelenting commitment to listening to the voices of disabled and underprivileged pupils and informing her teaching approaches.

A fellow teacher at Carihi Secondary School remarks, “Natalie wholeheartedly believes that in addition to empowering students, our responsibility as educators demands of us to ensure that students have access to inclusive, diverse, supportive educational spaces and that we listen to the voices of disabled and other marginalized people to inform our practice.”

Stephen Joyce, a high school teacher at Timberline Secondary, specializes in combining classroom subjects with outdoor activities to help students connect the curriculum to the world around them.
His experience as a competitive telemark skier and park ranger informs his teaching of subjects such as social studies, outdoor education, English, geography, and comparative cultures for grades 9-12. Stephen’s classroom is a unique blend of academic and natural worlds, featuring military uniforms, maps of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, and the stunning landscapes of British Columbia. His former pupils credit him for inspiring them with his passion for literature, history, and the outdoors, pushing them to dream of a better world and work to make it a reality.

A former student shares, “Steve has been one of my greatest role models and mentors. So much of my journey out of high school I owe to him. He shared with students the opportunities he had and the lessons he learned from traveling and exploring the world. He would implore us to have an open mind and open heart and tell us that if we could dream of a better world, then we could make it possible.”