A Grade 2 teacher from University Highlands Elementary has earned a Premier’s Award for Excellence in Education in the category of Social Equity & Diversity.
Kristina Carley is the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Lead at her school and has the distinction of creating the Burnaby School District’s first elementary Diversity Club. In building the club at her school, Carley provided students with opportunities to make community connections, celebrate learning, and to have authentic situations in which students advocated for themselves. The students sought and received permission to install a Rainbow Walkway at the school.
She is founder and president of B-Outside, a local Environmental Education Provincial Specialist Association. In addition, she was pivotal in her school earning the distinction of being the first school in BC to be designated as a Fair Trade School.
Watch the video below about Carley that was shared at the awards ceremony.
The Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education are presented annually. The province created them to recognize the exceptional contributions of teachers, administrators, and support staff who are vital to the cultural, economic and social well-being of the province. Each recipient receives a personal bursary and a contribution to their school community – both for professional learning.
In 2023, three award recipients were chosen for each of the 10 categories. Prior years involved three finalists with one winner.
Read about the District’s winners and finalists from previous years:
Anti-Racism Lead Nominated for Premier’s Award for Work in District – September 2022
Burnaby Schools’ anti-racism lead earns BC award nomination, Burnaby Now, August 2022
These two Burnaby educators won provincial excellence awards, Burnaby Now, October 2019
Our Winners: Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education – September 2019
Four Educators: Finalists for Premier’s Awards – July 2019
These four Burnaby educators are up for provincial excellence awards, Burnaby Now, July 2019
Lakeview Elementary Teacher: Premier’s Award of Excellence Finalist – October 2018
Posted October 2023