Celebrating teaching excellence

TORONTO , Sept. 30 /CNW/ - As we approach World Teachers' Day, the annual OTIP Teaching Awards Ceremony will be held in Toronto on October 1, 2009 at Enoch Turner Schoolhouse.

The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) sponsors the awards which are administered by the Ontario Teachers' Federation.

The Ontario Teachers' Federation received numerous nominations for the OTIP awards from students, parents and colleagues.

"The teachers we are honouring with the sixth annual OTIP Teaching Awards, are just three of the thousands of fine teachers in our publicly funded schools in Ontario," said Randy McGlynn, Chief Executive Officer of OTIP. "In every year we at OTIP are impressed by what teachers accomplish every day with their students. We know that our honourees this year represent all of their colleagues."

OTF President Reno Melatti said, "Teachers deserve to be congratulated every day for their work. World Teachers' Day, however, gives us an opportunity to pause and celebrate the profession. Our OTIP honourees make us all walk with a little more pride in being a teacher."

The OTIP winners this year include a teacher just starting his career by teaching Kindergarten, a Grade 4/5 teacher who was nominated by parents, and a secondary teacher who develops leadership skills in adolescents and models that leadership with his colleagues.

    
    Beginning Teacher             Eyal Levine
                                  Kindergarten
                                  Ashton Meadows Public School
                                  Markham

    Elementary Teacher            Cindee Diane Davison
                                  Grade 4/5
                                  Regent Heights Public School
                                  Scarborough

    Secondary Teacher             Greg Rogers
                                  Student Leadership
                                  Brebeuf College School
                                  Toronto
    

While this is the sixth presentation of the OTIP Awards, the Ceremony will also honour the winners of two new awards - The Toronto Star Teacher Award and the Prix d'enseignement TFO. We are pleased to welcome the sponsors of these two awards recognizing Ontario's Teachers.

For more information on the OTIP Teaching Awards, visit www.teachingawards.ca.

OTIP is a non-profit organization serving education employees and their families with reliable, affordable insurance and financial solutions.

The Ontario Teachers' Federation is the advocate for the teaching profession in Ontario and for its 160,000 teachers. OTF members are full-time, part-time and occasional teachers in all the publicly funded schools in the province - elementary, secondary, public, Catholic and francophone.

For further information: Kathleen Devlin, Director, Policy & Public Affairs, [phone]