TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 10, 2011) -

Attention: Assignment editor and education reporters

OSSTF/FEESO's Student Achievement Awards in memory of Marion Drysdale honour students from across Ontario for their outstanding abilities and creativity. This year's theme was Become the Solution: Words into Action.

On Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 11:30 am, OSSTF/FEESO President Ken Coran will present the awards, assisted by the Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Education at the OSSTF/FEESO annual meeting held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West, Grand Ballroom.

The awards will be presented for poem/essay submissions in five prose/poetry categories:

• intermediate grades 9-10 academic;
• intermediate grades 9-10 applied/essential;
• senior grades 11-12 university;
• senior grades 11-12 college/workplace;
• French.

And for creative entries there are three categories: 

• intermediate visual art;
• senior visual art; and
• French or English video/audio/animation.

Entries were judged at four successive levels: school, district, regional and provincial. The competition is open to all Ontario public high school students.

The award winners, their teachers and guests will be available for photos and interviews following the presentation.

A booklet reproducing the award winning submissions will be released at the ceremony.

TELEVISION NEWS PRODUCERS PLEASE NOTE:

The Student Achievement Awards ceremony features a professionally produced 15-minute video about the students and their winning submissions. This video will be distributed on request for broadcast approximately one week after the ceremony. Please contact the OSSTF/FEESO provincial office to arrange delivery.

CATEGORY A-1: INTERMEDIATE, 9-10 ACADEMIC
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
22		Aurora McLaughlin		Karly Straitton		Grimsby SS		"The Cold Shoulder"
CATEGORY A-2: INTERMEDIATE, 9-10 APPLIED/ESSENTIAL
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
1		Keisha Iahtail		Bill McGillis		Timmins High & Vocational School		"Shannen Koostachin: A Youth Leader Who Became the Solution"
CATEGORY A-3: SENIOR, 11-12 UNIVERSITY
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
11		Amy Hanif		Jane Hardy		Westminster SS		"Paladins of Change"
CATEGORY A-4: SENIOR, 11-12 COLLEGE/ WORKPLACE
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
11		Mellisa Elliott		Catherine Leatherdale		Strathroy CI		"Hall Brothers"
CATEGORY A-5: FRENCH
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
30		Alyssa-Lynn LeForte		Caroline Bernard		Centre Jules-Léger		"Mon amie, mon alliée"
Category B-1: INTERMEDIATE VISUAL ART
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
21		Susan Huang		Silvia D'Agruma		Sherwood SS		"One With Nature"
Category B-2: SENIOR VISUAL ART
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
12		Ana Zolotuho		Vivian Payne		Western Technical Commercial School		"Words Into trees"
Category B-3: FRENCH OR ENGLISH VIDEO/AUDIO/ANIMATION
District		Student		Teacher		School		Entry
21		Joshua Wald		Rick Kowalchuk		Sir John A. MacDonald SS		"Mice of the Mice Colony"

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.