Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I speak to you today about a remarkable achievement of a very special teacher at Range Lake North School, Ms. Gayla Meredith, affectionately known as Miss M, who has joined us in the gallery with her friends.
Mr. Speaker, those of us who know her and her work have known for a long time that she is a very special teacher. Now she has been recognized as such nationally by becoming a recipient of the 2001-2002 Prime Minister's Teaching Excellence Award. Miss M was chosen among 208 nominees nationwide for her innovative teaching methods and, more importantly, for her unflinching commitment and love for children.
Mr. Speaker, having job-shadowed her grade 3 class myself, I can attest to you that her classroom is a little learning paradise for children. One of her innovative methods being recognized by this award is the book publishing activity in her class. As an individual and as a group, her children are prolific in writing and illustrating stories into books. In this school year alone, her children have published 282 books on various topics and genres.
This is one of her many fantastic methods of encouraging children to read, write and learn and channel their creative energy flow into something very memorable, and at the same time, have so much fun doing it all the way through. The pride and sense of achievement visible on the bright faces of the children show us that this works tremendously well.
Miss M has been a teacher for nine years, all of them at Range Lake North School. She left her long and successful banking career to become a teacher because she wanted to make a difference in children's lives. This award makes it very clear that she has done just that and we are so very lucky that she has chosen this path up here in the North.
She is also a very active member of the NWT Teachers' Association, devoted to enhancing positive communication between home, school and community. Her achievement is a source of pride for her, her school and all of us in the Territories, and I invite you and my colleagues to join me in expressing our congratulations and sincere thanks for a job well done, and wishing her all our best this day forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause