Local educator wins Prime Minister's Award

Shirley Jowsey, an early childhood educator with the Little Acorn Pre-School in Cranbrook, has been honoured as a recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.

Jowsey was nominated for the award by her boss, Pina Bronca, owner of Little Acorn.

Jowsey was surprised when she learned of the award. "There's a lot of great teachers out there," she said. Jowsey believes she was selected for her dedication and passion for the job.

"Deep inside, I love it," said Jowsey. "I'm been doing it for 20 years. It's so rewarding seeing children accomplishing the littlest of tasks. Seeing children light up when they master a task like tying their shoes or doing up their jacket zipper is wonderful They're eager to learn and they want to soak up everything."

Jowsey did her training here in Cranbrook at what was then known as East Kootenay Community College. She has been working as an ECE for twenty years.

At Little Acorn, Jowsey works with classes of 20 children. The pre-school serves approximately 60 families in the area.

Jowsey learned of her award in late September of this year.

"I had to keep it under my hat until the press release came out," she recalled. "It was kinda tough but I did it."

She received the award package five days after being notified of her win.

"It felt amazing," said Jowsey. "It's kinda surreal. So many people across Canada have applied. To think someone from the rural part of B.C. winning something so significant. It was a very nice surprise."

+More Lifestyles Headlines
<Back to Mobile Edition