Port Wins Innovation Award for Education Program
SAINT JOHN (NB) – Innovation doesn’t always mean creating something new. Sometimes, it means presenting something in a new way.In Port Saint John’s case, they found an innovative way to present the Port itself. The Port’s education program, launched in December, won Atlantic Progress’ Innovation in Practice award in the Education/RD/Commercialization category. Winners were announced on Thursday evening at a ceremony in Halifax, N.S.“Our city is affectionately known as the Port City for a reason. Our community surrounds us, the Port is part of the lives of many people but by the same measure, due to the nature of our business, it is not easy to ‘reach out and touch” the Port. At its core, this program was designed to make the Port more accessible and tangible to our community in an understandable way that also aligns with education outcomes put in place by the Department of Education,” said Paula Copeland, manager of corporate communications and governance for Port Saint John.Copeland, along with a team of educators from Anglophone South School District (ASDS) and PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools), developed the program over a two-year period. Specifically, Copeland worked with educators and administrators like Caitlin Corkum and Krista Turnbull both of ASDS and Deborah Fisher of PALS.Since its launch in December, the program has already seen more than 250 students and teachers from all grade levels. They tour the Port by bus, visiting sites like PotashCorp’s Barrack Point Terminal, Rodney Container Terminal and American Iron and Metal. The tour format encourages questions and discussion throughout the 1.5 hour journey. Port staff have also visited or have been booked to visit a number of local schools since January.There are three unique lesson plans: Ports and Cargo, Cruise and Dredging. Port Saint John has made lesson plans available online and is already booked through May. Students and teachers alike have praised the program for showing a different side of the city and how it connects to our global economy.“It is exciting for our team to receive this recognition because it really demonstrates the positive benefits of our ongoing efforts to reconnect the Port to its community,“ enthused Jim Quinn, President & CEO of Port Saint John.Port Saint John is Eastern Canada’s largest port by tonnage and has a diverse cargo base, including dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers, and cruise.
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Media contact:Paula CopelandManager of Corporate CommunicationsPort Saint JohnCell: (506) 650-5288Email: pcopeland@109.199.110.97#portcity