A crowd of 100 teachers and teacher candidates from RRC Polytech’s Bachelor of Education programs were honoured at the annual Cooperating Teacher Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday night (May 3, 2022). The hosts from Teacher Education were thrilled to pay proper tribute with an in-person banquet for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.       

Cooperating teachers are an integral part of Bachelor of Education programs that host and mentor student teachers in their Applied Commerce Education, Industrial Arts Education and Technical Vocational Education classrooms.

RRC Polytech’s President and CEO, Fred Meier was in attendance and formally opened the evening’s festivities, while Dr. Jeanine Webber and Kerri Caldwell Korabelnikov brought congratulatory messages on behalf of the College’s School of Education, Arts and Sciences. The University of Winnipeg’s Dean of Education, Dr. Laurie Hellsten also lent her support, while the Manitoba Teachers’ Society was represented by Raymond Job.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of four student awards.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society bestowed bursary awards of $3000 each to a pair of RRC Polytech teaching candidates; Kevin Ireland (After-degree Industrial Arts Education) for outstanding academic performance, and Brody Plouffe (Integrated Industrial Arts Education) for outstanding academic performance by a candidate of Indigenous ancestry.

The two other program awards were presented to candidates who displayed great teaching potential during courses and practicum, as chosen by faculty. The Applied Commerce Education award was presented to Jaime Wong (After-Degree) and the Industrial Arts Education award was presented to Josef Neufeld (Integrated).

Over 12 school divisions and 50 schools are participating in the College’s student practicum program this year. The banquet is a highlight event for the program, that cooperating teachers, students, and faculty look forward to, so they can network and share successes of the past year.

Almost all attendees are students and alumni of Red River College Polytechnic.

“The attendees were all student teachers at one time who have grown into the role of cooperating teachers, so being recognized at this dinner instills a sense of pride and helps develop a legacy among peers,” said Daryl McRae, Chair, Teacher Education. “It’s incredibly rewarding to catch up on the careers of those I have taught and mentored and celebrate their accomplishments in the past year.”