RCGW & MRA Celebrate Excellence in Literacy

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg and the Manitoba Reading Association joined together to honour literacy leaders from around Manitoba at their annual awards evening, held virtually at the end of May 2021.

Holly Cumming was awarded the International Literacy Association's Celebrate Literacy Award in recognition of her passion, dedication, and commitment to literacy. Holly recently retired from her role as a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader. Over her 40-plus-year career, she facilitated, coordinated, and presented and numerous conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. Congratulations, Holly!

The Certificate of Merit was awarded to Talia Paetsch, a first-year teacher at the New Directions Inc. School, which supports sexually exploited girls and women. She centres strategic literacy in her teaching and finds creative ways to make learning relevant to her students. Her approach engages her students and keeps them coming to school, reducing their safety risks and increasing their opportunities for graduation. Congratulations, Talia! 

RCGW Scholarships were awarded to Jessica Neudorf and Carrie Miller, students at the University of Manitoba. Jessica's scholarship citation described how she sees literacy's role in empowering students to express their voice and advocacy. Carrie's explored the importance of language, student needs, and supports for refugee and newcomer students. Read more about these exemplary new teachers. Congratulations, Jessica and Carrie! 

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg welcomes award nominations each year. The nominations package for next school year's awards will be available in the fall. 

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