The Western Cape Education Department tonight are honouring the 44 regional and provincial winners of the Western Cape 2010 Teaching Awards at a ceremony in Stellenbosch.

The awards follow a rigorous selection process in all eight education districts of the province and regional finals involving clusters of districts.

The awards form part of the National Teaching Awards programme managed by the Department of Basic Education (DoBE).

The eight Western Cape winners are among 44 district and regional finalists. About 32 000 teachers in the Western Cape were eligible for nomination. The names of the provincial winners will now go forward to the national competition.

The provincial adjudication panel spent many hours identifying the winners according to strict criteria provided by the DoBE.

The 21 members of the panel included representatives of all sectors of the education community, including all teacher trade unions, school governing body associations and WCED officials.

The awards recognize excellence in eight categories of teaching and education leadership. They also provide an opportunity to showcase and celebrate excellence throughout the education system.

The WCED will present a certificate and a computer netbook to each provincial winner. The department will forward their names to the DoBE for the national awards, for presentation on a date to be announced.

Profiles

The adjudication panel has provided the following profiles on the eight winners of the Western Cape 2010 Teaching Awards.

Category: Excellence in Grade R Teaching
Ms Juanita van der Merwe
Piketberg High School
Piketberg

Ms Juanita van der Merwe is a vibrant and dedicated Grade R teacher who is confident and committed to making every day a fun-filled day for herself and her young learners. She is enthusiastic and passionate about Grade R teaching and believes that every day is a day full of possibilities. Juanita engenders a stimulating, relaxing and creative environment to give her learners the best opportunities to develop holistically.

From 2000 to 2010 she has been selected by her curriculum adviser as a lead teacher and a cluster co-ordinator. She loves to be part of other people's growth and development. She has initiated and organized parent workshops in school readiness. She engages in continual professional development which impacts positively on her classroom activities. She works closely with the Foundation Phase teachers in order to enhance the schools literacy and numeracy results.

Juanita is actively involved in raising funds for the school for school tournaments in France and Argentina.

In 2009, Ms Van der Merwe's Grade R site was chosen as a model site for the West Coast Region because of her excellent practice, knowledge and skills.

Category: Excellence in Primary School Teaching
Ms Micheline Ashley
Kirstenhof Primary School
Kirstenhof

Ms Micheline Ashley is a positive and motivated teacher who strives for high standards in all that she does.

Over the past 20 years at Kirstenhof Primary, she has nurtured, guided and moulded many student teachers, learnership students and colleagues in curriculum matters, teaching methodologies and assessment strategies. She believes that she can share her experiences and her expertise with others to make teaching a valued and worthy profession.

She is the grade head and a head of department at her school. She has been selected as a lead teacher in her education district and she is responsible for the co-ordination of cluster meetings with all heads of department in her cluster.

Ms Ashley is a meticulous teacher who keeps detailed records of her learners' assessments on a programme she has designed, called Teach Data.

She has worked relentlessly on a project with an under-privileged school in her community, namely Lourier Primary School.

Ms Ashley is an inspiration to other teachers and heads of department, as well as in her cluster. She delivers presentations at workshops, symposiums and principals' conferences on the needs of the child and the teacher. She has received rave reviews for this.

Her principal says, "She is any headmasters' dream". He also says that she is his best example of good practice at the school.

Ms Ashley is a dynamic class teacher and a leader. She is extremely hard-working, loyal and committed to education in South Africa.

Category: Excellence in Primary School Leadership
Mr Imtiaz Adams
Surrey Primary School
Surrey Estate

Mr Adams has been instrumental in bringing about a culture of teaching and learning in the school under his leadership. He is determined, and sets reasonable and achievable goals for the staff and parents.

This he proved when, in 1999, a tornado destroyed the school building. This horrific disaster tore the staff, the learners and the community apart. They were left desolate and with no hope. The Western Cape Education Department decided that the learners and the staff would be deployed to other schools in the area. Mr Adams fought to keep the vision and mission alive at Surrey Primary.

He has made many contacts in the business community and in the education sector for the benefit of the school. As a leader and a visionary, he believes in leading by example and holds various Master degrees. He encourages his staff to study further for the benefit of themselves and the learners.

He has a charismatic approach and a clear vision, is a meticulous planner, and is compassionate and assertive. Mr Adams is a leader and a manager of note. His school provides evidence of his consistency, sustainability, effectiveness, commitment, insightfulness and passion. He has had a major impact on the learners and the school community.

The school has received an award for major improvement in its literacy and numeracy results in both Grades 3 and 6.

His ultimate goal is to make a difference in the life of the learner, the school and the community.

Category: Excellence in Inclusive Education and Special Needs Teaching
Ms Zelda de Villiers
Jan Kriel School
Kuils River

Ms Zelda De Villiers regards herself as a teacher who not only assists learners to access the curriculum, but also as a life coach who understands both the learners who experience barriers to learning and their parents. Ms De Villiers is also is a Maths co-ordinator. Her colleagues value her professional guidance and support. She has made her knowledge, skills and expertise available to her community. She has rendered assistance with the compilation of a Maths textbook.

She is involved in a project where she renders support and assistance, and is part of a team which supports a child who was involved in an accident and is now both mentally and physically challenged. This project is known as "The Johannes Project", which she is very passionate about.

She is a valuable human resource to the surrounding schools. She also assists by assessing their learners. She has compiled numerous assessment instruments. She has also devised a program whereby she is able to depict her assessment of learners on a colour graph. This is valuable to parents as they are able to comprehend more clearly the strengths and weaknesses of their children.

Ms De Villiers has created a variety of teaching aids on the computer, which enhance and assist her learners to access the curriculum. Her principal regards her as a master in the field of study techniques.

Ms De Villiers believes that she is living her dream. She regards her work not as a mere job, but as her passion.

Category: Excellence in Secondary School Teaching
Ms Helena van Zyl
Augsburg Agricultural Gymnasium
Clanwilliam

Ms Helena van Zyl is deserving of this prestigious award because of her continued dedication to her learners. Ms Van Zyl started her teaching career at Graafwater High School (Standards 6 to 10 in 1981) and has been teaching Accounting, Business Studies and Mathematical Literacy to the Grade 12 and Life Orientation in the GET band. She has worked hard to keep up with the changes in the curriculum and subjects so as to ensure she is providing her learners and their parents with the best opportunities.

Ms Van Zyl previously managed a small farm school where she was responsible for the teaching of severely underprivileged learners in a multigrade class. She was instrumental in using her skills to develop the skills of learners to grow their own vegetable garden. The produce was sold by the learners to generate much-needed funds to run her own feeding scheme, which provided food such as soup for her learners.

Ms Van Zyl has received many compliments for her teaching abilities. Colleagues have intimated that she has established a very supportive classroom atmosphere in which learners are encouraged to 'take chances' and are invited to take responsibility for their learning.

Category: Excellence in Secondary School Leadership
Mr David Millar
Norman Henshilwood High School
Constantia

Mr David Millar is a visionary in action. He is passionate and driven by a desire for a better future for all. He leads by example.

Discipline is a priority and parents are confident of a good holistic education within a safe environment. He is driven by the motto at NHHS that "They do not do mediocrity".

In the words of one of the teachers: "Mr Millar is an inspirational leader who is not afraid to stand up for his beliefs; he is a man with a plan, and we are happy that his plan includes our world's greatest asset - our children."

The RCL plays a pivotal role in the governance and management of the school. The learner leadership was developed into pillars and then a "colours constitution" was developed in which recognition of learners is a focus.

Mr Millar, together with his team, has focused on the following:

1. Physical expansion plan
2. Staff transformation to ensure that staff are qualified, developed and trusted
3. Staff professional development
4. Governance structures
5. Community involvement

The development of a Human Rights portfolio saw the school embark on a massive HIV/AIDS awareness drive and the school has adopted an HIV/AIDS orphanage.

Category: Excellence in Adult Basic Education and Training
Ms Linda Gezwint
Overberg Community Learning Centre
Genadendal

Ms Gezwint is the Overberg CLC centre manager and is rendering excellent and measurable value-adding services. Her authentic management style makes her an ambassador for adult basic education and training. Her sound emotional and strategic intelligence has contributed to the great strides the centre has made in the community. These strides are visible in the substantial increase in the number of learners who have enrolled at the CLC.

Ms Gezwint is a team player and treats everyone with respect and conducts tasks to the benefit of the learners. She is always willing make her resources available to the district office.

Amongst others, the Overberg CLC has started with a very successful skills development programme. The CLC has entered the hospitality industry by instituting a catering entity which has become a roaring success.

Not only has she initiated the Centre's successful Family Literacy Project, but she has also assisted the local primary school's teachers with their numeracy and literacy programmes.

The purchase of a vehicle has contributed to the successful attendance of learners. The centre has received many awards to signify the total involvement of the CLC in teaching and learning.

In 2009, the CLC received the "Western Cape Best Learner Achiever Award".

Ms Geswindt, also manages the other CLCs, such as Botrivier, Caledon and Genadendal.

Category: Lifetime Achievement Award
Ms Naomi Veranatah Horn
Weltevrede Secondary School
Wellington

During an illustrious and value-creating career, Ms Naomi Horn has, amongst others, endeavoured to adhere to the creed of "Leaders who are problem- solvers are needed more than administrators".

Ms Horn is an effective and visionary leader who inspires confidence in the learners entrusted to her, but, more so, accompanies them into the unknown. She has researched ideas within our country and abroad, approached various departments and consultancies to assist her to enhance her service delivery to the learners.

She leads by example and has engaged her colleagues to render services to the community. This manifested itself in a range of critical goals of the school, from consistent brand delivery, teaching and process excellence to exceptional customer service and a commitment to innovation, learning and growth.

The experience, commitment and dedication which she has acquired over 35 years have inspired her belief that "A child in sport is a child out of court". The goal she strives towards is, in her own words, "to make ordinary people extra-ordinary."

As the team leader in her portfolio of parental involvement, she strives to close the engagement gaps through her positive encouragement of open debate about the negatives.

For enquiries, contact Bronagh Casey:  072 724 1422 or brcasey@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za