Congratulations 2020 Edwin Parr Award Nominee Cassidy Yasinski

  Posted: May 12, 2020

At the April 21st Regular Board Meeting, the Holy Family Catholic Regional Division (HFCRD) Board of Trustees unanimously voted in favour of awarding the 2020 Edwin Parr Award Nomination to Cassidy Yasinski. Yasinski is a first year teacher at Glenmary School in Peace River who teaches junior and senior high math and science. She has earned this nomination by demonstrating a high level of understanding of how students learn best and for fostering a learning environment with enthusiasm for course content.

“Cassidy always believes that students come first and continually strives to make a positive difference in students’ lives. Despite only being a first-year teacher, Cassidy’s extensive knowledge and instructional capabilities enable students to experience a high degree of success and enjoyment in her classes,” said Glenmary School Principal David Amiot. “She is a fantastic educator who consistently exhibits an understanding of how students learn through the use of developmentally suitable resources.”

Yasinski, who is originally from Manning, Alberta, graduated from the University of Alberta in 2019 earning her Bachelor of Science with specialization in Science and Education. To more accurately describe the success of her first year at the school, Glenmary administration invited students and parents to write letters of support for Yasinski’s nomination. Below are quotes from some of the letters written by students and parents. These quotes are a reflection of the high quality of teaching Yasinski has provided in her first year of teaching. 

Every year, an outstanding first-year Teacher is recognized by the HFCRD Board of Trustees with an Edwin Parr Award Nomination. All nominees in Zone 1 are recognized at a Fall banquet where the Zone 1 Nominee is announced by the selection committee. The Zone 1 Nominee then goes to the provincial level where they are presented one of the six provincial awards. HFCRD, together with Glenmary School, warmly congratulate Cassidy Yasinski for this well-earned 2020 Edwin Parr Award Nomination.


Submitted Words of Support

I believe that Ms. Yasinski is the reason my daughter was so engaged in her studies. The bond that her and Ms. Yasinski had was very special and I have appreciated that so very much. It takes someone with passion, dedication and a true love of teaching to do what Ms. Yasinski has done in her first year of teaching. For that reason I believe that Ms. Yasinski is not only deserving of the nomination for the Edwin Parr award but is also deserving of the win!”  – Parent

Ms. Yasinski has been a great teacher all year round and has an excellent way of teaching, for example whenever a student has a question she answers it not only to that one student but to the whole class making sure we all understand the material.”  – Ben, student

“Ms Yasinski is my math teacher this year. She is very nice, kind and helpful. She always made it easy to understand the things we were learning and she made it fun by having different stations with different strategies in class. Ms. Yasinski should get an award because she’s a great teacher”   – Hayden, student

“A great thing about her is that she always makes sure that her students are okay at all times. She genuinely cares about her students so much. In class and during this home-learning, Miss Yasinski would always check up on us to make sure we understand the lesson and we are on track. She also lets us stay and hangout with her after school to do extra Science work if we need to. I am so glad to have her as my Science teacher this year, she made my Grade 9 year memorable.”  – Stephanie, student

“In this change to online learning her updates are always full of information and up to date, and she has maintained video drop in times not only for her to stay in touch with students but I have also found it has allowed my son to keep in touch with some friends during this drop in that he may have otherwise not been in touch with during this time. I am lucky to have had the opportunity as a parent to work with Ms. Yasinski this year.”  -Parent

“Miss Yasinski is my grade 9 science teacher but to me she’s a lot more. To me she’s my role model, mentor and there’s honestly no words to describe how much I look up to her. She always puts so much effort into everything she does. I’ve never had a teacher go out of their way like she does. I’ve never met a teacher that cares as much as she does about her students, classroom, work and the people around her.” -Elizabeth, student