Melissa Viveiros started kindergarten this year as a first year teacher and came out a winner.
The Bertha Kennedy School teacher was one of two finalists to win the provincial Edwin Parr Award for Zone 2/3 region, which represents 29 school divisions in the Greater Edmonton Region.
“This award is given out to a novice teacher that exemplifies initial teaching proficiency and speaks to the work she has already done with children in a very short time,” said Carol Bruineman, communications manager with Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools.
Viveiros was recognized at last week’s Catholic school board meeting and will be presented with a gold watch at a more formal Alberta School Boards Association meeting next November.
But on Wednesday it seemed to be business as usual for Viveiros, who led her 15 young charges outside to plant petunias in front of Bertha Kennedy School. She showed the youngsters how to use their hands to dig a small hole for each flower. Some of the little girls worried because their fingers were getting dirty.
“Learning is messy sometimes. It’s supposed to be,” she told the children. Soon some of the holes in the planter were so deep the petunias were virtually buried in soil, but Viveiros straightened that out too and showed the children how to nurture and help the flowers to grow.
In much the same way, she feels supported by staff at the school where she began her career as a University of Alberta graduate just last spring.
“It feels great to be supported. My co-worker Kelly Raypold helped me to learn how to teach early literacy strategies. She showed me how to use resources and how to plan,” Viveiros said.
Principal Joan Tod, who recommended Viveiros for the Edwin Parr award, is full of praise for the young teacher.
“She is truly exceptional! She goes out of her way to work with students as individuals and works with their strengths and weaknesses,” Tod said.
Viveiros is especially proud of the fact all her students can read simple sentences and are ready for Grade 1.
“When they started reading poems, that was such a great feeling for me,” Viveiros said, adding her first year as a teacher was a huge learning experience, not just for the students, but also for her.
“I learned that I had to have balance in the classroom and I learned the power of play. It’s so important for the children to have free-choice time in addition to structured time because they develop social skills. They need both,” she said.
