Kel Brooker Award of Excellence This award will be presented annually at the S.A.G. Conference to acknowledge and celebrate excellent practice in English Language Arts. The former MATE Award has been renamed to honour our colleague Kel Brooker who passed away in January, 2006. Kel was a leader in instruction and assessment of English Language Arts and a tireless advocate for Manitoba Association of Teachers of English.
Sheldon Oberman Award Sheldon Oberman was an English and drama teacher for almost 30 years in Winnipeg. His love of English translated into a prestigious career as an author. He published 12 books, including: the award winning Always Prayer Shawl, The Shaman’s Nephew (short-listed for the Governor-General’s Award) and, most recently, The Island of the Minotaur. A two-volume collection of Jewish folk tales will be published posthumously. His talents also extended to the stage and film. He toured North America as a professional storyteller. He wrote columns and freelance articles for the Winnipeg Free press and published children’s songs, stories and poems in a number of magazines, journals and anthologies. Sheldon was the keynote speaker at the 2003 MATE SAG. He passed away in 2003 and he will be sorely missed by teachers, readers and students alike. |
