Leduc teacher Erin Barrett winner of Excellence in Catholic Education Award
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Leduc — STAR Catholic School Division is pleased to announce Erin Barrett as this year’s Excellence in Catholic Education award winner.
Barrett, who serves as the Religious Education Coordinator at Father Leduc Catholic School, has been teaching at the elementary level with STAR Catholic since 2004. Hailing from a family of teachers, Barrett says with time she realized that she was called to the profession, and that her faith plays a large role in how she interacts with her students every day.
“It is a great privilege to be a teacher,” she explains. “I feel God’s presence in the quiet moments in my classroom. God is love; I feel His presence all around us.”
“Erin is a devoted Catholic educator, always putting the needs of her students first and treating them with love and kindness,” says Father Leduc School Principal Darren Schneider, who nominated Barrett for the award. “I call her classroom the ‘classroom of love’ because she loves her students as her children.”
In her role as Religious Education Coordinator, Barrett organizes school masses and celebrations, daily liturgies for classes, and the junior high retreat. She also provides teachers with resources for Advent and Lent and is currently composing a Father Leduc Prayer Book that all students will contribute to.
Barrett said she felt extremely honoured to learn she was STAR Catholic School Division’s award winner, but humbly added the work she does would not be possible without the help of her peers and colleagues.
“Teaching is definitely a team effort, and I have been so lucky to be a part of so many great teams,” she explains. “I would like to thank the wonderful school staff members that I have been blessed to work alongside.
Presented annually by the Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta (CCSSA), the Excellence in Catholic Education Award recognizes passionate Catholic teachers in Alberta who have gone above and beyond to guide youth as they grow into exemplary Catholic citizens. You can read more about the award at www.ccssa.ca/documents.