Awards

2026 Recipients

Paul Renwick Award - Ms. Julie Andrews

It is my privilege to present the most prestigious honour bestowed by PHE Saskatchewan — the Paul Renwick Award. This award recognizes individuals whose leadership, service, and vision have profoundly shaped physical and health education in our province. It honours the legacy of Paul Renwick, a passionate educator whose foresight transformed SPEA into a strong provincial voice and whose commitment to quality physical education continues to inspire us today.

This year’s recipient embodies that same spirit of dedication, courage, and transformative leadership.

Today, we proudly recognize Ms. Julie Andrews.

Julie currently serves on faculty with the Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program in La Ronge. She is in her first year of representing Saskatchewan on the PHE Canada Board of Directors.  She is currently the  Past-President of PHE Saskatchewan but her impact on this organization stretches back more than a decade. Since joining the SPEA Board of Directors in 2013, Julie has been a steady, thoughtful, and deeply committed leader — someone who shows up, speaks up, and lifts others up.

Her influence extends well beyond our organization. Julie played a significant role in the Ministry of Education’s Physical Education 20 and 30 Curriculum Renewal, serving on the Reference Committee, Writing Team, and Implementation Team. She has also been a driving force behind professional development in the Northern Lights School Division, where her leadership helped strengthen instructional practices across the North.

As President of PHE Saskatchewan, Julie has been a powerful advocate for elevating health education in schools, communities, and across the province. She consistently challenges us with an important question: Who is not at the table? Her leadership has pushed our organization to be more inclusive, more aware, and more responsive to the needs of marginalized and underserved students and communities. She has helped ensure that PHE Saskatchewan is not only a professional body, but a voice for equity, wellness, and meaningful change.

Julie is a proud member of the Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation, and she has emerged as a respected educational leader within her community. She contributes deeply to culture-based learning and is passionate about Indigenous land-based education. Her teaching reflects a profound commitment to the health and wellness of her students, and she has infused that focus into every level she has taught.

Julie’s leadership, her advocacy, her cultural grounding, and her unwavering dedication to physical and health education make her an exceptional and deserving recipient of this honour.

On behalf of PHE Saskatchewan, it is my great pleasure to present the 2026 Paul Renwick Award to Julie Andrews.

Congratulations, Julie. Your work strengthens our profession, your voice strengthens our organization, and your leadership strengthens our province.

Jack MacKenzie Career Service Award - Ms. Anna Grumbly

Tonight, we gather to honour a leader whose quiet strength, unwavering professionalism, and deep commitment to student well-being have shaped school health in Saskatchewan for more than four decades. It is my privilege to congratulate Ms. Anna Grumbly as the recipient of the Jack MacKenzie Career Service Award for 2026.

This award recognizes individuals who embody the holistic, healthy, and community-minded spirit that Jack MacKenzie modelled so well. Anna has lived those values every day of her 43-year career in public service.

Anna brought a focused, steady energy to every initiative she touched. She reminded us that before any policy or program, we must first create spaces where students feel safe, supported, and seen. Her colleagues across the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Joint Consortium for School Health knew her as someone who could turn small ideas into meaningful action — and who did so with patience, clarity, and a quiet sense of humour that always arrived at exactly the right moment.

For seven years, Anna represented Saskatchewan at the JCSH table, contributing to national work on youth engagement, equity, substance use, and healthy school planning. She ensured Saskatchewan’s voice was present, respected, and understood. Her leadership strengthened our province’s commitment to Comprehensive School Community Health, and her work on newsletters, resources, and communications helped educators stay connected to what mattered most.

Within the Ministry of Education, Anna was a trusted colleague — the person you checked in with first thing in the morning, the one who helped you navigate relationships and timelines, the one who could shift the tone of a stressful day with a single well-timed comment. She led renewal of the Nourishing Minds framework, supported the PE Safety Guidelines, coordinated evidence-informed decision making, and consistently elevated and supported the work of others.

Anna’s impact is not only in the projects she completed, but in the relationships she nurtured, the steadiness she offered, and the belief she held that healthier schools lead to healthier futures.

Anna, your career has been a gift to this province. You have served with integrity, compassion, and a deep commitment to student well-being. On behalf of PHE Saskatchewan, we congratulate you on this well-deserved honour — and we thank you for everything you have given to the educators, partners, and students of Saskatchewan.

Congratulations, Anna on a wonderful career!

PHE Canada's Young Professional of the Year - Dr. Natalie Houser

It is a privilege to stand with you today as we celebrate one of Saskatchewan’s brightest emerging leaders in physical and health education. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Natalie Houser from the University of Saskatchewan, the 2026 recipient of the PHE Canada Young Professional of the Year Award for our province of Saskatchewan.

This award recognizes early-career professionals who are already shaping the future of our field—those who bring innovation, integrity, and a deep commitment to student well-being. Dr. Houser embodies all of this and more.

In her work at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Houser has distinguished herself as a scholar, educator, and advocate who believes that quality physical and health education is foundational to thriving communities. Her research explores how movement, belonging, and inclusive practice intersect—ensuring that every child, youth, and future teacher sees themselves reflected in the spaces where they learn and grow.

Her colleagues describe her as someone who elevates every project she touches. Whether she is mentoring pre-service teachers, collaborating with school divisions, or contributing to provincial and national conversations about physical literacy, Dr. Houser brings clarity, curiosity, and a genuine desire to make a difference. She is the kind of leader who listens deeply, asks thoughtful questions, and builds relationships that strengthen our profession.

What sets Dr. Houser apart is not only her academic excellence, but her heart for service. She consistently bridges research and practice, ensuring that her work supports teachers in real classrooms and responds to the needs of real students. Her commitment to equity, accessibility, and culturally responsive pedagogy reflects the very best of what PHE Canada stands for.

Tonight, we honour not just what she has already accomplished, but the promise of what is still to come. Dr. Houser represents the next generation of leadership in physical and health education—visionary, grounded, and deeply committed to the well-being of children and youth across Saskatchewan and Canada.

Dr. Houser, on behalf of PHE Canada and PHE Saskatchewan, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. Your work is already shaping our field, and we are excited to see where your leadership will take us in the years ahead.

Congratulations, Natalie.

PHE Saskatchewan Local Initiative Award - Ms. Stephanie Ferguson

The 2026 winner of PHE Saskatchewan’s Local Initiative Award is Ms. Stephanie Ferguson.

Steph is currently a K-8 physical education specialist at Sylvia Fedoruk School in Saskatoon. She began her career as a high school physical education teacher and made the move to elementary physical education about 12 years ago. Being new to elementary education, she was committed to learning and implementing the new curriculum. When she began teaching elementary physical education at Willowgrove School in Saskatoon, she played a vital role in initiating inclusive programs that help every student build confidence in their movement skills and social-emotional responsibilities. This remains evident in her work, as Steph constantly assesses her role as a physical educator and adapts her program to help her students develop skills. Steph understands the importance of physical literacy but also recognizes that time spent in physical education is a unique opportunity for students to develop personal and social responsibility. Her students feel valued and supported when in her teaching environment. 

Beyond the classroom duties, Steph has taken on many coaching responsibilities in and out of the school setting. She enthusiastically coached indoor relays and outdoor track, providing students the opportunity to grow physically and socially. Her mentorship, both in and out of class, has helped guide students to realize their potential as responsible students and athletes. 

Stephanie was a University of Saskatchewan hockey player. She continues to be a driving force for Saskatchewan female athletes through her work as a U of S hockey alumni and her coaching of female hockey. She has been instrumental in developing hockey camps for young girls in Saskatoon. Her guidance has helped athletes develop teamwork and lifelong participation in sport and wellness. 

Steph was also a past member of the SPEA Board of Directors.  She served on the SPEA conference planning committee, and her leadership contributed to the planning and execution of high-quality provincial professional development. 

Steph is a deserving candidate for this award!  We wish her continued success in her teaching career.

Congratulations Stephanie!!