Scholarship Winners

Honouring Exceptional Dedication

The Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship Program recognizes excellence in teacher education through the awarding of scholarships, bursaries and prizes to assist in the education of teachers or those wishing to become teachers.

2013 Joseph W. Atkinson Scholarship for Excellence in Teacher Education

Hélène Lefrançois, a teacher candidate in the consecutive education program at the University of Ottawa, is known as an accomplished researcher with a passion for teaching today’s youth.

Lefrançois is the 12th recipient of the Joseph W. Atkinson Scholarship for Excellence in Teacher Education.

Her vast experience, which includes teaching primary grades in Québec, helping immigrant children who were learning French, and planning and leading a course on the power of language at the University of Ottawa for high school students, taught Lefrançois to always keep an open mind and to show respect for others.

“Nowadays, young people are very inspired and strongly encouraged to succeed,” she explains. “When the adults in their lives believe in them, they can make rapid progress; their potential never fails to amaze me.”

Before coming to Canada, Lefrançois lived in France where she worked with underprivileged youth aged four to 25. In her role, she co-ordinated theme-based interactive activities for 4,000 visitors, organized a carnival for 2,000 children and led three-week vacation trips. She is particularly fond of a visit she organized one winter in the mountains of Jura, France, with several children who had never seen snow before.

Lefrançois has received numerous awards and distinctions throughout her academic career at the University of Ottawa, where she earned an honours bachelor of arts in French Literature (summa cum laude) and a bachelor of arts with a minor in Religious Studies (summa cum laude).

The College awards the Atkinson scholarship annually in honour of its second registrar, Joseph W. Atkinson. To win, teacher candidates must study at a faculty of education in Ontario and achieve outstanding academic success in their undergraduate studies while demonstrating a high level of preparedness for teacher education.

Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship — Primary/Junior or Junior/Intermediate

By the time she was 11 years old, Rosalind McCanny, a teacher candidate in the consecutive education program at Queen’s University, had lived in four different cities — Saskatoon, Montréal, Winnipeg and Ottawa — and was exposed to multiple teaching styles. She developed a deep appreciation for teachers who foster respectful, nurturing and inspiring learning environments, and wants to create similar positive learning experiences for her students.

McCanny is the recipient of the Ontario College of Teachers Primary/Junior or Junior/Intermediate Scholarship.

“I aspire to stay true to my morals, to always act with respect and care for my colleagues and students, and to try to leave all situations a little better than I found them,” she says.

McCanny has worked passionately with children and teens in a variety of contexts including as caregiver, private tutor, camp counsellor and workshop facilitator.

Throughout high school, she worked with a family who had four children. She encouraged them to build new skills through activities like creating stories, inventing outdoor games and baking new recipes. All four children had special needs: two boys had severe Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), one girl was blind, and one boy was blind and had cerebral palsy.

This experience made McCanny strive to create her future classroom as a caring environment and design lessons that are adaptable to different needs and levels of understanding.

“As future teacher I will strive to provide shared experiences to help foster a welcoming environment where all class members, teachers and students alike, are recognized as valuable contributors,” she adds.

Deeply interested in ecology, she has been volunteering with a non-profit organization called The Otesha Project, helping to lead educational cycling tours throughout Canada, presenting workshops and plays to students about sustainability and social justice. As part of this project, she once cycled from Calgary to Vancouver with a group of young adults to present the project’s ideas to various communities.

McCanny has received numerous awards including Carleton University’s Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement for excelling in her courses within her bachelor of arts, a degree she designed herself on the theme of culture and imagination.

Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship — Intermediate/Senior level

Stephanie Lum, a teacher candidate in the consecutive education program at the University of Ottawa, is committed to positively impacting children’s lives. She has been a summer camp activity leader in science and engineering, and a science teaching assistant.

Lum is the recipient of the Ontario College of Teachers Intermediate/ Senior Scholarship.

She has a bachelor of science in biopharmaceutical sciences with medicinal chemistry, and received the Faculty Plaque for achieving the highest standing in her program.

Lum will strive to promote a diverse and inclusive environment in her future classrooms to facilitate her students’ success. Her volunteer work has led her to Germany, on missions trips to Guatemala and to Manitoulin Island. Her interactions with aboriginal children from impoverished and broken families helped her to gain their trust by treating them with respect.

“There is power in a smile, a kind word and a listening ear. I strive to be a caring teacher, and dream of making a positive difference in the lives of my students,” she says.

Every Sunday morning, for the past four years, Lum has taught Bible studies to 30 two- and three-year-olds, including some with developmental delays.

“Educating children isn’t always easy; it takes a lot of hard work and dedication,” she admits. “But at the end of the day, it’s all worth it to see students succeed and feel good about their learning. Teaching is truly a rewarding career.”