Education Minister Don McRae presented three distinguished British Columbians with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal today in recognition of their service to the public education system in B.C.

Anne Cooper, Laura Verhoeven and Steve Cardwell joined McRae in his office for the medal presentations, along with Shuswap MLA and former Education Minister George Abbott.

Cooper is a former superintendent of the Revelstoke school district, Verhoeven is a Sooke school teacher and Cardwell is superintendent of the Vancouver school district.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty's accession to the throne. Medal recipients have made a significant contribution to a province, territory, region or community within Canada, or an achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.

Anne Cooper - Recently retired as the superintendent in Revelstoke for 13 years, Anne is regarded as one of the outstanding educational leaders in British Columbia. Revelstoke is a small district but performs very high academically in areas such as graduation rates, literacy and the link between early childhood education and primary school. Anne has been instrumental in spearheading a very successful capital project that includes a new secondary and elementary school as well as Neighbourhood Learning Centres for a theatre, gymnastics area and early learning hub.

Laura Verhoeven - Laura teaches a sustainable resource class at the Metchosin Technical Centre of Pacific Secondary school in the Sooke school district. She is a recent Canadian recipient of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence. Laura has been teaching for only five years, but in that time she has managed to inspire her students immensely. Laura puts herself in the place of the learner; her philosophy is that students and teacher learn together, explore together and pose questions together, therefore building a special, collaborative relationship.

Steve Cardwell - Steve is a long-standing supporter of public education in B.C. and recently joined the Vancouver school district in 2010 as superintendent. The last two years have seen Steve serve as president of B.C. School Superintendents' Association and he currently serves on the Ministry of Education Capital Advisory Planning Committee, BC Council on Admissions and Transfer, Technology Education and Careers Council as well as many additional provincial committees. He continues to be widely known as an advocate of ethical leadership, building and fostering strong working relationships, and demonstrating exemplary communication skills.

(flickr.com)

Quotes:

Education Minister Don McRae -

"Anne, Laura and Steve epitomize the sacrifice and dedication the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal represents, and I am very honoured to present them this award. Their contributions to our education system have been phenomenal, and I thank them for their service."

Quick Facts:

• The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country.

• During the year of celebrations, 60,000 deserving Canadians from across the country will be recognized.

• The government of B.C. is presenting approximately 760 medals.

• All MLAs and ministers have been involved in awarding the medals, ensuring they reach as many deserving people in our province as possible.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee visit: http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14019&lan=eng

Flickr photo set: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjE5BLNw

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963