École Our Lady of the Rosary School's Grade 2 French Immersion Teacher, Kaela Masikewich, has been awarded the prestigious Alberta French Educator of the Year Award.
Masikewich received the award in front of her students and colleagues at the conclusion of the school's Christian Leadership Awards Ceremony on the morning of Tuesday, June 17.
"I think just to be nominated alone is such an incredible honour. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude because I have been teaching for almost 10 years now, and over that time I've learned so much and so many different ways of helping my students really be successful in French," Masikewich said.
The Alberta French Educator of the Year Award is presented annually by Canadian Parents for French (Alberta branch) and the Alberta French Language Education Consortium and recognizes outstanding contributions to French language education.
"With over 30 applicants across the province this year, Kaela's application stood out because of her passion and commitment to French Immersion instruction. Congratulations Kaela," Manager of Programming for CPF Alberta and NWT from Canadian Parents for French Trish Rognvaldson said.
Masikewich was nominated by the school's Vice Principal, Joel Peterman.
"Kaela is an exceptional educator and leader, deeply committed to student success not only in learning French, but in developing confidence, resilience, and a love for the language," Peterman said.
"She has empowered her students to believe in themselves, embrace challenges, and strive for excellence in their language-learning journey. I was happy to recommend her, and now I am so proud to congratulate Kaela for this award."
Receiving the award was truly a meaningful and unexpected moment, Masikewich said.
"I had been told a couple months ago that I was nominated as more of a heads up just in case I was contacted for anything but as time went by and things got busier as the end of the school year approached I honestly didn't think much of it because I hadn't heard anything."
"So when Trish came to our school and began speaking during our year-end celebration, and then our Vice Principal began speaking about the nomination, it was at that moment that I realized I was the recipient. To make it even more special, my Principal Andrea had reached out to my husband ahead of time and invited him to attend, which was a surprise too."
Since receiving the award, the whole community has been extremely supportive, she added.
"I have received so many kind and encouraging messages, not just from staff or family and friends but also members of the community. There's been a lot of excitement over the past week, and I truly feel so surrounded by warmth and celebration from everyone."
Being able to teach French Immersion is such a gift, Masikewich said.
"Even students who don't come from French-speaking homes can become fluent so quickly, and by November, many of my Grade 2 students with the work that happens in our classroom are already speaking confidently, which is really amazing to witness because they're only seven and eight years old."
"Language immersion really builds real-world skills, mental flexibility, problem solving, strong communication, and learning a second language really opens doors and broadens how students see the world," she added.
"Personally, getting to mentor these kids at the beginning of their French language journey and to see them grow into these bilingual, confident individuals is such a privilege."
Receiving the Alberta French Educator of the Year Award also acts as a meaningful encouragement and a reminder that the work does matter, Masikewich said.
"Earlier this year, I presented at the Central Alberta Teachers Conference, and I spoke on promoting oral French skills in the classroom, so next year I'm planning on expanding my sessions on writing and reading in French. I'm also starting to explore leadership opportunities in French Education. I want to keep growing not just my own teaching, but how I can support and collaborate with other teachers across the province."
Many people have helped throughout Masikewich's teaching journey.
"I would like to thank my Vice Principal, Joel, who nominated me for the award. This year has shown that he believes in me, has encouraged me, and has helped me to recognize my capabilities while exploring other leadership opportunities. I'm also grateful to my Principal Andrea, who is consistently speaking so much wisdom into my career, and guiding me in my education," she said.
"I would also like to thank my husband. The earlier years of teaching are so tough and those hours are long, and the learning curve is huge, and definitely there's seasons later on that are challenging but he's been with me through it all and he has been such a steady, supportive, encouraging person to me through all those years."
