Turning a spotlight on the seven 91原创 heroes in education has garnered attention at the provincial level.

Late last fall, the team at the 91原创 Advance Times sought to recognize a handful of people involved in education in 91原创 鈥� teachers, administrators, education assistants, Aboriginal support workers, coaches, club leaders, custodial staff, bus drivers 鈥� who has made a big difference, and continually go above and beyond.

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After engaging the community in a nomination process, a panel was tasked with whittling dozens and dozens of worthy candidates down to seven who were then featured in a special section published in early December.

Well, that Heroes in Education inaugural special feature sparked great community reaction, and is now drawing industry accolades and attention through the B.C. & Yukon Community News Media Association, which hands out the Ma Murray Awards.

The team at the 91原创 Advance Times is shortlisted for a total of four Ma Murray Awards next month, one of those is for the team鈥檚 work on the Heroes edition, boasted a 鈥渧ery proud鈥� publisher, Lisa Farquharson.

She shared the credit with all members of the Advance Times, noting that 鈥渁bsolutely everyone鈥� lent a hand in creating the special community feature. But Farquharson gave extra kudos to reporter Matthew Claxton 鈥� the mastermind behind the idea.

鈥淢atthew came to us with an outstanding idea, and together we created a feature that truly honours the educational heroes in our community. The stories lifted everyone in the community and gave honour to those who always go that extra mile in everything they do in our local schools,鈥� she said, noting 鈥淗eroes鈥� is expected to become an annual project.

鈥淚t was a true collaboration and we鈥檙e thrilled to be recognized. I鈥檓 so incredibly proud,鈥� Farquharson shared.

In addition to being a finalist in the special sections category of the industry awards, the Advance Times is once again a contender for overall newspaper excellence.

Going up against media outlets from throughout the province, this community鈥檚 long-standing news outlet (serving 91原创 since 1931) is one of three publications shortlisted for excellence accolades.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to receive this nomination during what鈥檚 been a very challenging year, and we see it as an true honour to be chosen among our colleagues for the work that we鈥檝e producing as a team,鈥� Farquharson said.

In addition to those awards categories, the Advance Times is in contention for an arts & culture writing and best columnist honours.

Matthew Claxton鈥檚 contributions through his biweekly Painful Truth column earned him a place among the best columnists in the province. In past, Claxton has won numerous provincial and national writing and reporting awards.

鈥淢atthew鈥檚 genuine, honest approach to his craft shines through in his column, the Painful Truth,鈥� Farquharson said. 鈥淪ometimes his message is subtle and sometimes he hits us between the eyes. He鈥檚 a very a gifted writer, and I鈥檓 extremely proud of him 鈥� he deserves recognition.鈥�

Similarly, former Advance Times reporter (now Aldergrove Star editor) Ryan Uytdewilligen, is being acknowledged for his work at the 91原创 Advance Times, highlighting local musicians during the early months of COVID-19.

鈥淎s live gigs were getting cancelled and virtual entertainment was just becoming popular at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, Ryan felt there was an opportunity to bring joy to our readers and social media followers by highlighting the talents of local musicians,鈥� said editor Roxanne Hooper.

Uytdewilligen reached out to as many local performers as possible and asked them to be part of a 91原创 Advance Times Friday Afternoon Tunes project. Over a span of several months the project highlighted multiple talented artists and profiled a number of different music genres, Hooper explained.

鈥淭he response was great鈥� The 91原创 Advance Times saw hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people checking in and listening,鈥� Farquharson added.

She commended Uytdewilligen and the others on her team for their ongoing passion and commitment to its readers 鈥� specifically lauding their creativity and drive during the ongoing difficulties of the pandemic.

鈥淚鈥檓 really impressed with Ryan鈥� It was a great idea,鈥� Farquharson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 overwhelmed by the efforts of our entire team. They鈥檝e pivoted and persevered, and in some cases flourished as individuals during challenging times 鈥� discovering new inner strength, resilience, and abilities amid the adversities. Thank you for all you do for your community.鈥�

While the shortlist of finalists was released late last week, the winners will not be known until a virtual gala set for April 29.

The Ma Murray Awards, hosted for almost a century, recognize the achievements of the association鈥檚 93 member newspapers and digital sites in British Columbia and Yukon, which includes a number of Black Press Media outlets such as the 91原创 Advance Times.

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