KRISTINA STAWSKI and LORRAINE ILAGAN, of Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute in the Winnipeg School Division, are the recipients of the Team Collaboration Award.
Ms. Stawski, Guidance Counselor and Head of the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Department, and Ms. Ilagan, Intake and Resource Coordinator and Grades 9 and 10 teacher, lead the EAL team of dedicated educators. Their mandate is to address the needs of the school’s diverse community. More than half of the student population of 1,200 comes from new immigrant and refugee families with diverse cultural backgrounds, languages and educational experiences. The EAL student demographic alone is composed of 28 different ethnic groups.
Under Ms. Stawski’s and Ms. Ilagan’s leadership, the EAL team has created an efficient and successful three-day reception process complete with an initial assessment and an orientation process which includes a variety of workshops by the EAL teachers and testimonials from present and former EAL students. Working together as a cohesive unit, the EAL team participates in a continuous cycle of evaluation, reflection and collaboration to ensure that all EAL students are given every opportunity to graduate successfully and to develop the skills necessary to become outstanding citizens. Over the years, the EAL team has been called upon to share its innovative, cutting edge teaching methods and resources with other schools both in the school division and throughout the province.