Past Award Winners

Award Winners of the Year

Paula Paulgaard

Outstanding Science Teacher of the Year

Paula Paulgaard graduated with a B. Sci and B. Ed from the University of Lethbridge in 1999 and has been teaching Science and Biology at Holy Trinity Academy, in Okotoks, within Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division ever since. Early in her career she coached senior girls volleyball and for the last 10 years has been one of the head coaches for the cross country. Paula has always been drawn to all things Biology including growing kombucha, hiking in new and wonderful ecosystems all over the world, to running half-marathons. She is currently one of the CTR’s Biology Divisional leaders who coordinates division wide PD in the area of high school biology and teaches the Advance Placement (AP) Biology program at HTA. She lives in Calgary with her husband, step-daughter and son who continually inspire and support her every day.

Dr. Ann Lukey

Distinguished Service Award

Dr. E. Ann Lukey’s contributions to education have spanned over 20 years as a teacher from grades 7 through 12 at rural and urban schools in north central Alberta, including summer school, outreach for young mothers and substitute teaching. Ann holds a continuous teaching contract with Black Gold School Division, having taught at Ecole Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School, Warburg School and Leduc Composite High School. Currently, she is on interchange with Alberta Education drafting senior high school science education policy.

Ann completed her student teaching in Lethbridge (grade 2), Vauxhall (grade 6), Vulcan and Brooks (senior high) and in turn, has mentored 13 student teachers on their high school practicums with University of Alberta. She organized and led senior high school students on field trips to Canadian Blood Services in Edmonton, University of Alberta’s Botanic Garden, Medical Genetics labs, Ray Rajotte Surgical Medical Research Institute, and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center in B.C. Ann coached girls’ basketball, supervised Gamers’ Clubs, assisted with First Aid Clubs, and served on planning committees for Awards and a division-wide Celebration of Arts production at Winspear Centre in Edmonton. She reviewed sections of the Biology 20/30 authorized resource Inquiry into Biology from McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Ann volunteered as Biology Director for the ATA Science Council and served on Technical Review committees for Biology 30 and Science 30 diploma exams. After spending six months as Examiner for Biology 30, she became Exam Manager and led the Biology 30 Diploma Examination program for two years on secondment with the province of Alberta.

Ann earned her BSc (University of Alberta), BEd (University of Lethbridge), and MSc (Montana State University), and then, from seeing her high school biology students go on to graduate from veterinary school, was inspired to obtain her DVM at University of Saskatchewan. She has worked as a professional biologist studying fish, waterfowl, raptors, ungulates, black bears and cougars in locations including Cold Lake, Wainwright and Kananaskis, and was a Park Ranger at Dinosaur Provincial Park. She currently serves on an animal care committee at the University of Alberta, and does locum veterinary work in the Edmonton area during breaks in the school year. In 2021, Ann received her Leadership (LQS) certification, with a culminating project surveying teaching colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic, published in the Canadian Association of Principals Journal at https://cdnprincipals.com/effective-leadership-strategies-heres-what-we-do/.