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Bert Church High School English teacher Andrew Smith has been nominated for a Canadian Family Great Teacher Award. The winner will be announced in August.

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Airdrie educator finalist for award

A teacher from Bert Church High School (BCHS) in Airdrie is one of 13 finalists in the Canadian Family Sixth Annual Great Teacher Awards.

The awards are put together by Canadian Family, a print and online lifestyle magazine for parents featuring articles on parenting advice, style, food and more.

Smith was nominated for the awards by colleagues Pam Davidson and Derek Keenan, who noted his “exemplary focus on learning, sharing and collaborating.”

“Once the initial excitement passed and the reality settled in, I was very flattered,” Smith said. “I was happy to be recognized and also happy that companies outside of education are doing positive things and shining a positive light on education.”

Smith, who has been teaching English at the school for three years, founded the BCHS Slam Poetry Troupe, and is actively involved in many aspects of the school community.

He said he was motivated to become a teacher to combine his passions for working with people and English.

Smith was chosen to be a final nominee from more than 500 educators by a committee of education specialists, however, the winner is chosen as a result of an online voting campaign.

Until June 30, users can visit the Canadian Family website to cast their vote for the most outstanding teacher. The three teachers who have the most votes when the competition closes will be awarded with a cash prize of $2,500 each to put towards programming and supplies for their school. One vote can be cast per IP address every day.

The winners will be announced in the magazine’s September 2012 issue, which will be available on newsstands nationally in August.

To learn more about Smith or to vote, visit www.canadianfamily.ca