The Foothill School Division's nominee for the Edwin Parr Award for first-year teachers is Jessie McCauley.

She got her love of teaching from her mother and from a high school teacher.

"Originally when I was young my Step-mom was a principal with FFCA (Foundations For The Future charter school) and I got a chance to participate in her school and talk to the kids and read to the kids and I really enjoyed working with the kids and then when I got older and I got into high school there was a teacher who I met named Mr. Mooney who was amazing," she says. "He greeted every student by their name at the very start of class and in a school of 2,000 that was unique and that was special.

She says the feeling he gave every student about feeling important and being welcomed into the classroom was very inspiring and something she set out in her career to make those same kinds of connections.

She taught at Senator Riley middle school in High River until the pandemic hit and then returned to classes at Meadow Ridge in Okotoks.

"The best thing about having a challenge like this is that it's a fabulous learning opportunity and I feel like I've learned more than I could have ever learned without this experience," McCauley says.

She says as difficult as the past year has been everyone is in the same boat and helping each other through it.

McCauley teaches all four CORE subjects in grade eight at Meadow Ridge school.

The Edwin Parr Teacher Award is presented to six outstanding first-year teachers across Alberta.

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