The nominees for this year’s Inspiring Success Award of Distinction include Calmar Elementary School (CES) principal Bernadette Hawkins.

Bernadette, or ‘Berna’ as she is fondly called by her staff, has devoted her career to education at the Black Gold School Division. Through years of teaching in classrooms, in assistant principal roles, as an ECS Coordinator, and in principalships in the communities of New Humble and Calmar, she has touched countless lives.

“Berna’s passion for building relationships, creating positive environments, and working in partnership with both parents and staff, has allowed her to make immeasurable contributions to our school division,” said CES teacher Cara Auger, who co-nominated Bernadette.

As a school administrator, Bernadette leads by example. She showed tremendous grace and compassion under pressure, and dealt with the curve balls thrown by the pandemic with humour and positivity. She puts relationships first and supports students and staff both professionally and emotionally. “She is a constant source of positivity and understanding for her colleagues, covering classes when staff are ill, checking in on their emotional wellness, offering support and assistance and always having our backs in conflicts,” said CES teacher and co-nominator Sue Biddell.

Bernadette has led her teachers to hone in on small group, student-focused learning strategies to address learning gaps caused by the COVID disruptions, and by creating a positive school culture that encourages student attendance and engagement. Her focus on relationships starts out at the beginning of the day with greeting students outside the school. She has decorated the school with positive affirmations and repeats the quotes on kindness, along with acknowledging student strengths, in her morning announcements.

“Bernadette taps into our school’s collective wisdom and works collaboratively to create the most positive and successful learning environment possible,” said CES teacher and co-nominator Erin Forwick-Whalley. “She provides staff with resources, development opportunities, and encouragement to help us be the best educators we can be.”