The ATA News , February 3, 2026 ❚ 7
affirms her long-standing commitment to learning that feels relevant and meaningful to students. The award includes a $2,500 prize for Quinn and $1,000 for Parkdale School, funds she hopes will support future opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. “I’ve always wanted to make learning meaningful, connected and authentic,” said Quinn. “This just reinforces that drive.” Wetaskiwin vice-principal receives prestigious award
Lindsay Yakimyshyn ATA News Managing Editor H istory isn’t just something you read about in books; it’s something to which we are all connected. That’s the core lesson of Erin Quinn’s Discovering Our Roots project, a hands-on, community-based initiative for which she is now receiving one of Canada’s most prestigious teaching honours. Quinn, vice-principal at Parkdale School in Wetaskiwin, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching. The national award recognizes teachers who demonstrate excellence and innovation in teaching Canadian history—like Quinn, who developed the idea for Discovering Our Roots two years ago while teaching Grade 7 social studies. “The curriculum on Canadian history covers all the way from precontact to the 1950s and mostly focuses on events in Eastern Canada,” said Quinn. “I was looking at that and thinking, where are the opportunities to connect this to my students?”
“The museum was really great about providing us with primary sources,” Quinn explained.“Students used those first-hand accounts to learn about what drew people to this area and the impact on the Indigenous people who lived here.” As part of the project, students curated an exhibit for the museum, giving them the opportunity to share their learning with the broader community and deepening the connection between students and local history. “In some cases, the people they were learning about were direct ancestors of students in my classroom. That connection made the learning feel real.” The exhibit remains on display at the museum two years later, serving as a lasting reminder of the students’work and its impact. “They learned that history isn’t something you receive, but something you create,” Quinn said. “They learned that history is not neutral, that the stories we tell matter and that history happened here, where we live.” Now in her first year as vice- principal, Quinn says the recognition
Administered by Canada’s History Society, the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching is presented annually to teachers and schools across the country. This year, eight teachers, including Quinn, representing six schools nationwide are being honoured. Information on the award and the 2025 recipients is available at www.canadashistory.ca/ awards/governor-general-s- history-awards.
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That question led her to take a “hyperlocal” approach. Quinn reached out to the Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre and the City of Wetaskiwin Archives to explore a partnership that would allow students to investigate local history. Erin Quinn, recipient of the 2025 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching
Weather in the Classroom project engages students
Mark Milne ATA News Staff F or many Alberta students, the daily forecast is no longer just background noise that their parents pay attention to; it’s become a hands-on look into the natural forces that shape the world around them.TheWeather in the Classroom project, a long-standing joint initiative of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and CTV, brings the fascinating world of weather directly to the next generation of learners.
The program is designed to align with the Alberta Grade 5 curriculum, where students explore weather patterns and earth systems. Rather than simply reading about barometric pressure or the water cycle in a textbook, students get to engage with professional meteorologists, like CTV’s Josh Classen in Edmonton or Danielle Savoni in Calgary. These experts provide real-world context to classroom theories, explaining how data is collected, how forecasts are built and how shifting climate patterns affect our local environment. To accommodate the diverse needs of students, the project offers several interactive formats: • In-studio experiences: Classes can visit CTV studios to see the magic of the “green screen” first-hand and learn how a live broadcast comes together. • In-class visits: CTV’s meteorologists travel to schools, bringing specialized equipment and engaging stories from the field. • Virtual lessons: Using digital
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CREDIT: SUPPLIED Students learn from the CTV News team at the Calgary studio as part of the Weather in the Classroom project.
platforms, the program reaches rural and remote Alberta communities, ensuring that geographical barriers don’t limit educational opportunities. The partnership between CTV and the ATA highlights a shared commitment to public education. By sponsoring morning weather
segments and encouraging teachers to submit student photos and work for air, the project celebrates the amazing work happening in Alberta’s public education system. It turns the local news into a digital gallery of student achievement, fostering a sense of community pride.
Web guides support Black History Month learning
ATA News Staff F ebruary is Black History Month and teachers can access several ATA library web guides to support their learning and teaching, now and throughout the year. Black History Month (February) https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/ blackhistory This guide features resources about the history of the Black community in Alberta as well as information about the Underground Railroad and the history of Black Loyalists in Canada. Teachers will find fascinating biographies of famous Black Canadians and influential non-Canadians, as well as teaching resources focused on Black History Month. Both the achievements of the
Black community and the struggle against racism in Canada are included throughout the guide. Mois de l’histoire des Noirs (février) https://teachers-ab. libguides.com/histoiredesnoirs Ce guide présente l’histoire de la communauté noire en Alberta ainsi que des informations sur le chemin de fer clandestin et l’histoire des loyalistes noirs au Canada. Les enseignants trouveront des biographies fascinantes de Canadiens noirs célèbres et de non- Canadiens influents. Les réalisations de la communauté noire et la lutte contre le racisme au Canada sont abordées tout au long du guide. Diversity and Inclusion https:// teachers-ab.libguides.com/diversity The Diversity and Inclusion guide includes a collection of new books
available in the library, as well as resources on immigration, racism and acceptance. Diversité https://teachers-ab. libguides.com/diversite Notre guide de la diversité comprend des ressources sur l’immigration, les brimades et les droits de la personne. Antiracism https://teachers-ab. libguides.com/antiracism The Antiracism guide includes some of the new books available in our library. It also has links to Canadian and American antiracist materials as well as links to lesson plans,TED Education videos and ATA-produced materials. Lutte contre le racisme https:// teachers-ab.libguides.com/ antiracisme Notre guide sur l’antiracisme
comprend des liens vers des documents antiracistes canadiens ainsi que des liens vers des plans de cours, des vidéos et des documents produits par l’ATA. New Canadians in the Classroom https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/ immigrantstudents The guide on New Canadians in the Classroom has excellent online resources for teachers working with immigrant and refugee students. Find these guides—and others full of free online materials to support teachers’ professional development— on the library’s website at library. teachers.ab.ca. If you need more information about any of these topics, please contact our library staff at library@ata.ab.ca.
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