Willow Creek Composite teacher MacKenzie Martin is the Alberta School Boards Association Zone 6 nominee for the Edwin Parr Award for outstanding first-year teachers in Alberta.
Willow Creek Composite high school teacher MacKenzie Martin is the Alberta School Boards Association Zone 6 nominee for the 2026 Edwin Parr Award.
Livingstone Range School Board trustees got the good news at their May 25 meeting.
“It’s so amazing to have the successful candidate coming from Livingstone Range,” school board chair Brad Toone said.
Trustees learned at their meeting at the G.R. Davis Administration Building in Fort Macleod that Martin was honoured at an awards banquet on May 20.
“Winning the Edwin Parr Award is incredibly meaningful because it represents more than personal achievement — it reflects the relationships, trust and learning that I have built with my students throughout this first year of teaching,” Martin said
“As a new educator, there are always moments of uncertainty, so receiving this recognition is both humbling and affirming. It reminds me that creating a classroom grounded in high expectations, compassion, and authentic connection truly matters.”
The award honours outstanding first-year teachers in Alberta.
Trustee Lori Hodges was with Martin at the Zone 6 awards banquet in Taber.
“Sitting at the table with MacKenzie, she’s just this little spark of energy,” Hodges said. “She was so great to talk to, and you could just hear the passion in her voice and the love that she has for her students.”
Hodges said all the other nominees from school divisions in Zone 6 were of high quality.
“I don’t know how the selection committee makes the choice,” Hodges said. “I really do feel they made a really good choice in MacKenzie.”
Trustee Carla Gimber agreed.
“She’s very passionate about English and teaching the high school classes,” Gimber said.
Gimber agreed the quality of nominees was high in Zone 6.
Livingstone Range superintendent Sean Beaton said Martin represents the school division, and the teaching profession, very well.
“She is going to have a fantastic career in education if this year is any indication,” Beaton added.
Martin graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a bachelor of arts in English and a bachelor of education with great distinction.
After completing her first and third professional semesters in Livingstone Range School Division, Martin was hired at Willow Creek Composite for fall 2025.
Martin is the sole high school English Language Arts teacher at the school.
“Right from the start of her time at Willow Creek Composite this year, MacKenzie distinguished herself as an exemplary first-year teacher,” principal Robert Rodgers said in a news release. “She quickly established a strong presence in her classroom through the supportive learning environment she created for students”
“She consistently shows her students how much she values them while also challenging them to achieve their best. MacKenzie has become a key member of our school community. We are very proud of her accomplishment and excited for the positive impact she will continue to have on students at our school.”
Martin said the award helps reinforce the kind of educator she seeks to become.
“It motivates me to keep challenging students to think critically, to keep creating spaces where every student feels valued, and to continue growing alongside my classes,” Martin said.
“Winning the Edwin Parr Award is not something I see as a final accomplishment — it is encouragement to keep pushing myself to make a meaningful difference in students’ lives every single day.”
School boards across the province nominate one exceptional candidate for the Edwin Parr Award to their Alberta School Boards Association zone committee each year.
Martin, along with successful nominees from each zone, will be honoured at the Alberta School Boards Association fall general meeting.
