Kelly Donville has been honoured for her work as a teacher this weekend, winning the 2017 Outstanding Teacher Award.

Ms Donville, a math teacher at Dellwood Middle School, was nominated for her incredible dedication to teaching M1 students.

She was described by the committee as “an extremely talented mathematics teacher who skilfully uses whole class techniques and succeeds in turning the most reluctant student into a confident mathematician”.

Gina Monroe, of BEN’s board of directors, said: “Ms Donville was our winner because she epitomises BEN’s belief that a great teacher can change lives.

“In one of our island’s tougher schools, she has managed to engage and inspire and is known for making breakthroughs with even the most challenging students.”

Ms Donville was just one of several teachers honoured on Saturday at the Bermuda Education Network’s annual fundraiser at the Hamilton Princess.

A total of nine teachers were selected by the nominating committee to be finalised for the award due to their contributions to education in Bermuda.

Michelle Wales from St George’s Prep was described as a master of the art of teaching children how to read, while Anthony Crinchlow of Elliot Primary was recognised for his dedication and technical skill teaching mathematics.

Lucrecia Simmons of St David’s Primary was nominated for her outstanding teaching work and willingness to mentor other teachers, while Camille Edness of Purvis Primary was celebrated for her work teaching the social sciences. Sandys Middle School math teacher Angelique Burgess was described as a “quiet force” who goes above and beyond to teach her students, while Lisa Siese of Somerset Primary was praised for her work supporting students inside and outside of the classroom.

Music teacher Tiffany Fox of CedarBridge Academy was called a gifted and passionate teacher, noted for her work co-founding the Bermuda Youth Orchestra, while drama teacher Shalane Dill of Berkeley Institute was nominated for her dedication to providing acting opportunities for Berkeley students and developing a creative environment.

Becky Ausenda, executive director of BEN, said: “There are so many brilliant teachers working in our public schools and much of the time their hard work and talent goes unrecognised. We decided to use our annual fundraiser to try to highlight some of these ‘unsung heroes’ and the fantastic contribution they are making to our community.

“We had over one hundred people at our event and everyone was excited about the award and glad to be able to celebrate the accomplishments of the nominees.”