A Red Deer teacher is in the running for an international honour.
Eastview Middle School teacher Jeremy Spink has been selected as a nominee for the 2020/21 NHL/NHLPA Most Valuable Teacher for the month of February.
He is one of 20 teachers across the continent that has been nominated. The winning teacher this month will pocket a personalized NHL club jersey and a $10,000 technology grant for their school to help bring Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) concepts to life for students.
The grand prize winner, which will be announced this spring will also receive an additional $20,000 for their school, and $1,000 towards a personal technology device to improve their virtual classroom experience.
“It was a shock to find out that I was a finalist, but it’s really exciting,” said Spink, who is also a minor hockey coach and runs a charity hockey tournament every year to raise money for Melanoma research and other local charities.
The Grade 8 teacher has incorporated the Future Goals- Hockey Scholar program into his classroom, which is designed to leverage STEM in hockey to create a fun and memorable learning experience.
“It’s a great program and it all ties right into our curricular goals,” said Spink, who also teaches a hockey class at the school.
“I am dedicated to teaching applications for STEM because I know that it not only impacts how healthy and productive students are during this time, but also their well-being and success far beyond the K-12 years.”
Eastview Middle School principal Kevin Robertson said Spink is an integral part of the school community and really works to provide a love for learning and pass on his passion for hockey to his students.
“Jeremy has been a big part of Eastview for more than 20 years. In his hockey class, and in all of his classes, he instills a love of learning and particularly a love for the game for all of his hockey class students, through positive interactions and his infectious enthusiasm,” said Robertson.
Spink, 50, said it’s been a blast just to be nominated and he’s had so many former students reach out and tell him how much of an impact he had on them.
“There’s been lots of support from previous students, previous parents. It’s amazing. I was talking to my mom and dad and they were watching the news (and saw me),” he said.
“You don’t ask for recognition. I just do my job. It’s been so cool. I’ve been excited. The biggest thing is all these kids coming back and saying ‘you’re awesome’ and ‘I loved you’ that’s been the best feeling.”
To vote for Spink, head to www.nhl.com/mvt.
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