Special Award

The Special Award is awarded to active members for a particular outstanding service to education, the teaching profession, or the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and to bring public recognition to the contributions of teachers to education, the community or the organization. It is awarded at the sole discretion of the Provincial Executive.

Special Award Recipients

NSTU Guidebook Excerpt

Operational Procedures Section VI - General

27.   Awards

Standing Order 14 of the NSTU Constitution confers authority to the Provincial Executive to grant Life Membership Awards, Special Awards and Local Service Awards. Article I (6) of the NSTU By-Laws creates a category of membership called an Honourary Member and confers authority to the Annual Council to grant this membership.

C.   Special Award

I.   Purpose

To recognize a particular outstanding service to education, the teaching profession or the NSTU and to bring public recognition to the contributions of members to education, the community or the organization.

II.   Criteria

(a)   The member must be an exemplary educator and representative of the profession and have made a significant contribution to education or the NSTU.

(b)   The member may have initiated a particular project or was the leader of a group that completed a particular project that was significant in scope and impact.

(c)   The contribution to education, the profession, or the Union may be either cumulative or specific in nature and is recognized as having provided leadership or inspirational conduct that has had a positive impact on others.

III.   Applications

(a)   Candidates can be nominated by any member of the NSTU Provincial Executive by completing the appropriate application form and submitting the form to the President of the NSTU by no later than the last business day of the week before the March Executive Meeting.

(b)   Application forms must be completed in detail including the names of three (3) references who can be contacted by the selection committee if needed.

IV.   Selection Process

(a)   The Selection Committee shall be the Awards Selection Committee as described under Section IV a. of the Life Memberhsip Award Procedures.

(b)   The Special Award is given only occasionally and only when a candidate meets all the criteria described in Section II above.

(c)   The Awards Selection Committee may contact the nominated candidate(s) and/or the references to obtain additional information.

(d)   If there are multiple nominations received by the Awards Selection Committee, the Committee shall rank the candidates and make its recommendation to the Provincial Executive by no later than the April meeting of the Provincial Executive.

V.   Presentation of the Award

(a)   The Special Award which consists of a certificate and a gift shall be presented to the nominee by the NSTU President at the Annual Council.

(b)   The Teacher shall publish the name of the member, a picture and a description of why the award was given along with a short biography of the person in an edition of The Teacher following Annual Council. The same or similar information shall be given to the media for release as a news story.

Reference: October 2004; amended January 2008; February 2008; April 2008; September 2008; January 2013; February 2022; June 2022