Six school teachers from four states and territories have been nominated for the 2013 Pullman Teacher of the Year Awards, part of the NRL One Community Awards that will kick off the Telstra Premiership Grand Final Week.
This year the Award is divided into two categories for primary and secondary teachers who have effectively engaged their students by integrating Rugby League related programs into their schools.
The Primary Teacher of the Year finalists are: Brook Wilson (Kirwin, QLD), Margaret Grant (Farnborough, QLD) and Paul Sweeney (Narooma, NSW) and Secondary Teacher of the Year finalists: Daniel Higgins (Singleton, NSW), Matt Adams (Wanniassa ACT) and Isaac Thomas (Rockingham WA).
“We aim to expose all children to the game via participation, but the main aim is for all children to have fun, learn skills and participate in a way they are comfortable with,” said Mr Sweeney.
“Our school promotes a culture of team over the individual so we value our collective achievements in competitive games.
“We try to ensure we are promoting the game in a safe environment where we emphasise the importance of team work in the process.”
The Awards, which will be announced on Monday, 30 September, at Sydney’s Town Hall, recognise one primary and one secondary school teacher who has demonstrated exceptional support of Rugby League through the provision of opportunities for students to be involved in practical Rugby League activities within their school and wider district.
“Every year we are blown away by the tireless contributions made by those in the grassroots Rugby League community,” said NRL Interim Community, Culture and Diversity General Manager, Mr Mark deWeerd.
“The efforts made by the 2013 finalists continue to inspire me and I couldn’t be more proud that the NRL is able to highlight the significant role volunteers play in our Game.”
The One Community Awards has a prize pool of over $50,000 across eight award categories including the Ken Stephen Medal presented by Telstra, Holden National Volunteer of the Year, Harvey Norman Women in League Achievement Awards (Professional and Volunteer), Telstra One Community Grassroots Club of the Year, AAMI Service to Refereeing, AAMI Service to the Community Award, National Teacher of the Year (Primary and Secondary School) and the Young Indigenous Learn Earn Legend! Award.
The 2013 Ken Stephen Medal finalists were announced earlier this month with club captains Michael Ennis, Terry Campese, Ben Creagh, Tim Mannah, Kurt Gidley and Nate Myles among the 15 nominated NRL players.
The public can now vote for the winner of the Ken Stephen Medal here.
Follow the NRL One Community Twitter feed @rlonecommunity and the official NRL Twitter feed @NRL, and ‘like’ the NRL One Community Facebook page to keep up to date with all of the latest information.
