Kerrison Melcher photo Mary Daniels, a 2006 Capital Educators Award recipient, is a professor and coordinator with the School of Transportation and Building Trades.

This year, as in the past five years, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, with the partnership of nine educational institutions, will honour teachers in the capital area for their exemplary work.

Nominees for the Capital Educators Awards are accepted from any of the four school boards or five post-secondary educational institutions that have partnered with OCRI, and can be suggested by any member of the community.

“OCRI’s role is to bring all nine partners together,” said Christine Lauzon-Foley, the manager of the Education Initiative with OCRI.

“We coordinate the entire process from start to finish; we work with all nine partners to make sure everyone’s needs are met.”

OCRI receives up to 500 nominations a year which can mean between 300 and 400 nominees. Many nominations are submitted within the last two weeks this year between Feb. 12 and 23.

“There are two stages for selection,” said Lauzon-Foley. “Once the nominations come in, they are sent back to each of the nine partners, who select their finalists, and from there 65 nominees are sent back to OCRI to select the winners. There should be 20 this year.”

By the third week of the process, 37 of 55 nominations this year were Algonquin staff.

The Capital Educators Awards were created in 2001 by educators and businesses who wanted to see recognition for the dedication of educators in the capital. The judges each year are asked to rank the nominees based on their contributions to teaching, as well as the support they provide their students as a role model.

“Teachers need feedback on how they’re doing,” said Mary Daniels, a 2006 award recipient, professor and coordinator of English and general education with the School of Transportation and Building Trades. “I think teachers appreciate the recognition.”

Someone who wishes to nominate an educator can do so by filling out a nomination form and writing a short, 500 words or less, description of their nominee. Community members are given the option of nominating anonymously.

The finalists are all invited to the awards ceremony, where the winners are announced.

“It was very nice to be with other teachers and talk about the good things. It was all very positive,” said Daniels about last years awards ceremony. “The experience, from my perspective, I didn’t know I was nominated until I was on the short list. It was like the academy awards, because they didn’t let you know who won beforehand, it was a little nerve-racking, but it was very nice to receive the recognition.”

Algonquin will host the awards ceremony, known as the EduGala, on May 24 this year.

“It’s a celebration of all 65 finalists,” said Lauzon-Foley. “All of the finalists are invited and the 20 winners are announced at the event.”

Nominations for this year’s award are currently being accepted from Algonquin. Other schools include the University of Ottawa, Carleton, La Cité collegiale, Saint Paul University, Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue francaise du Centre-Est, Council des ecoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

Nomination forms can be found online via Blackboard or by a link on the Alumni Associations website. The deadline for nominations is 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 23.