The Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, is extending congratulations to Jo Anne Broders, a teacher at Smallwood Academy in Gambo, on receiving the Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Throughout her career, Ms. Broders has championed the understanding of Newfoundland and Labrador's rich history and culture. Recently, Ms. Broders' Grade 8 students consulted archives and worked with Saqamaw Mi'sel Joe, then-Chief of Miawpukek First Nation, and Fred Jeans of the local area's heritage committee to explore the identities of the 13 people believed to be buried in a Mi'kmaq cemetery in their town.
Students used their learnings from the project to help design a plaque to honour the individuals and then collaborated with the town to erect signage at the cemetery. As a testament to Ms. Broders' approach to fostering lifelong learning, the students committed to continue visiting the site in the future and share its history with others.
The Governor General's History Awards recognize excellence in five categories: Teaching, Museums, Scholarly Research, Community Programming, and Popular Media. Each award category has its own jury, selection process, and prize structure. Each award is accompanied by a $2,500 prize as well as $1,000 for the teacher's school.
Ms. Broders is a past recipient of the 2023 Premier's Award for Teaching recognizing her work on this initiative with her students.
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"Congratulations to Ms. Broders on this well-deserved recognition for her work. Ms. Broders dedication is helping to respect the culture of our province as students learn about important facets of our history in Newfoundland and Labrador. Her work is a wonderful snapshot of the commitment that our educators demonstrate each and every day."
Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education
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