Catholic school division honours Brenda McDowell with Face of Christ Award

The Face of Christ Award is new this year, created by the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education to acknowledge a support staff member who deserves to be recognized for providing outstanding support to their school communities.

McDowell said many people could have received the award, and feels gratitude about winning.

“Gratitude that you work in a community like our division that honours the people that work within the district and value the people that work in the district.”

In his nomination van Middelkoop said McDowell is “extraordinarily trustworthy and reliable, and she only speaks kind words – even in the midst of some of the most incredibly unkind situations,” said van Middelkoop. “She’s patient and she’s calm. Every student who works with Brenda has an enabling experience.”

McDowell works with students and staff and goes above and beyond with contributions to liturgically-themed bulletin boards, helping at the school library and so much more.

van Middelkoop said McDowell often spends her personal time helping out and is “supportive of every single human being she sees between those early and late hours.”

McDowell says she feels that’s what everyone is called to do.

“When you look at other people and you see such value in them and you want them to succeed and you want them to feel their worth, that motivates you to help that,” she said, adding everyone at St. Mary’s School has the same attitude. “You see someone who needs some extra help and you just ask ‘what can I do’ and go from there.”

For winning the award, McDowell will get to attend the SPICE (Shared Purpose in Catholic Education) Annual Spring Conference in Kananaskis.

Other nominees:

Cathy Bachmier
Secretary, St. Michael’s School

Jaime Franco
Custodian, St. Francis Xavier School

Jennifer Rocheleau
Learning Assistant, St. Michael’s School

by Chris Brown

Catholic school division honours Brenda McDowell with Face of Christ Award

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