The Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Awards celebrate exceptional dedication within school communities in supporting students with dyslexia. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of various individuals, schools or school boards who showcase remarkable commitment and innovation in ensuring equitable education for students with dyslexia while empowering them so they can achieve their goals.
We received nominations from across Canada and the Dyslexia Canada Board members selected the winners from those entries.
It is with great pleasure that we congratulate this year’s winners. Please join us in celebrating their remarkable efforts by listening to their stories of success in their schools and classrooms.
Alicia Smith
Dyslexia Canada’s Executive Director, Alicia Smith, offers congratulations to the winners and insight into the origin of these awards.
Dr Linda Siegel
Linda’s impressive resume as a psychologist and lecturer, publications and ongoing efforts to bring understanding and awareness to dyslexia have earned her the first annual Dyslexia Canada Lifetime Achievement Award.
Andrea Van Hoof
With a dedication to evidence-based practices in early reading acquisition, Andrea actively shares her knowledge on structured literacy methodologies, contributing insights in professional development and research to break barriers in Alberta.
Charles MacTavish
As an Academic Support Teacher for foundational reading and numeracy skills, Charles is committed to learning and improving instruction in the classroom using systematic-explicit foundational reading instruction in New Brunswick.
Cowichan Valley SD
Located on Vancouver Island, Cowichan Valley School District has introduced universal screening and implemented
evidence-based reading instruction, despite it not being a provincial requirement, to target student’s learning needs.
Evergreen School Division
The Evergreen School Division serves as a model in Manitoba for their commitment to raising awareness through professional development,
supporting teachers in implementing evidence-based practices and providing impactful interventions.
Lauren Clare Duggan
Working as a school psychologist in Nova Scotia, Lauren has taken a strong interest in advocating for evidence-based reading instruction and intervention for students with reading difficulties.
Melanie Baerg
For Melanie equity in education and effective instruction for all learners have been paramount throughout her career, as psychologist and instructor at the University of Northern BC and Vancouver Island University.
Melanie Brethour
As a passionate advocate for dyslexia awareness and the science of reading, Melanie is driven by her desire to support others as the founder of Dyslexia Quebec and ‘Soar with Dyslexia’ on social media.
Mike McMann
With over 25 years working in the Alberta education system Mike has a passion for research and moving the dial on every child in their learning in his role as Superintendent in the Fort Vermilion School Division.
Near North District School Board
The literacy team at Near North District School Board has been committed to evidence-based reading instruction and screening for several years, and has invested heavily in professional
development.
Read and Talk Professional Learning Community
Joanna Rowe is the lead at Read and Talk and has been a instrumental in driving change in Nunavik, Quebec. A key to their success is the collaboration of members in advancing knowledge of reading science and screening.
Saskatoon Public Schools
Saskatchewan Public Schools began
implementing evidence-based reading instruction approximately 10 years ago and they continue to shift to evidence-based practices to lead the way in Saskatchewan and encourage others to be bold and dream big!