A Ranch Ehrlo teacher has been presented a special award of distinction.
Scarlet Dawson, who teaches at Prince Albert’s Queen Mary Public School, has been presented the Métis Educator award by Métis Nation Saskatchewan Western Region II (WR2).
Scarlet received special recognition during the fourth annual WR2 inspiration banquet on January 17th.
The award, which recognizes Scarlet for outstanding efforts and achievements in education, came as a surprise to the long-time teacher.
“I heard about the nomination about a week beforehand, and I was just thrilled, a little shocked, but happy. I was pretty impressed,” said Scarlet. “This is something I didn’t ever think I would get because the Ranch classroom and our school is quite small in comparison to some of the others in the community.”
In a social media post, Sherry McLennan, WR2 regional director, noted that the event was initially created to recognize and celebrate the people in Prince Albert who are making a positive impact and difference in the community.
“The best part is a community coming together to enjoy each other and honour some well-deserving people in our region,” she wrote.
Scarlet said the nomination was an honour itself, coming from a fellow colleague.
“There are so many Métis educators here in Prince Albert so to be noticed and nominated by someone that I work with and really respect and admire is pretty heartwarming.”
Scarlet began her teaching career at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary before moving to Calgary, where she taught for five years with the Calgary Catholic School District. In 2006, she returned to Saskatchewan and started working as a teacher with Ranch Ehrlo.
Scarlet currently teaches students, ranging in age between nine and 14 years old, in a Ranch classroom operated within Queen Mary school.
When asked what’s motivated her to continue her life’s work with Ranch Ehrlo, she said it’s the incredible relationships and overwhelming sense of pride in the kids.
“I see such big changes happen in these kids and I get to build really deep relationships with them. I get to be a mom, a teacher, a nurse, and a therapist – I wear many different hats, and get to build some really strong relationships.”
“It’s definitely different, but it’s quite rewarding.”
Most youth coming to Ranch Ehrlo have had little success in school. As a result, they are no longer interested in learning. To meet this challenge, we offer specialized education which stabilizes youths' behaviour and builds academic skills.
Youth new to Ranch Ehrlo attend one of three on-campus educational programs and when ready, students transition to classrooms within the cities of Regina, Prince Albert, or Saskatoon operated by Ranch Ehrlo to provide opportunities to integrate into mainstream education.
