Nurturing Our Future
Improving educational opportunities and providing safe environments for our children to learn and grow is essential to enriching our communities. We believe in educational excellence and invest in resources to help students from kindergarten to university.
PALS – Global Best Award
The Global Best Awards of the International Partnership Network celebrate outstanding partnerships that have a significant impact within communities. J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) and Prince Charles School, were awarded a Certificate of Honour for exemplary work in the area of Regional Development Partnerships.
An initiative of J.K. Irving and Bev MacDonald of School District 8, the Pals for Prince Charles Partnership aims to help inner-city students realize their full potential by combining a focus on academic achievement with a positive school environment. JDI volunteers invested over 10,000 hours during their workdays and have positively impacted the lives of the students – from their academic achievements to student confidence in their own great potential to succeed.
Innovative Education Business Partnership Award
The National Partners in Education recognizes businesses that advance the development of an educated, technology-literate work force. Our winning partnership was formed with Hampton High School in New Brunswick and centred on technical education and teamwork. When Irving Pulp & Paper undertook a major environmental and modernization program, students "mirrored" the project, working with mill employees to learn about and construct a full-scale model of the improvements to the mill.
Conference Board of Canada Award – National Education Awards
The Conference Board of Canada recognized the New Brunswick Department of Education and JDI’s ‘Partnership in Education’ for the development of the Irving Forest Discovery Network (www.ifdn.com). This educational website’s success has grown to over 10,000 logged sessions per month. Students and educators can access information on:
- Forestry and forest products produced in New Brunswick
- Take a virtual visit to a paper mill and sawmill
- See the unique programs protecting wildlife and plants in Atlantic Canada
- Visit unique features on the two Irving Nature Parks
- Play a learning game dedicated to the protection of Atlantic Salmon
Awards for the Forest Discovery Box
The New Brunswick Department of Education, JDI and the Forest Discovery Box won an award in the category of Partners in Education for Elementary and Secondary Schools. Students and educators committed to the idea of developing education materials that would offer fun, interactive and cross-curricular lessons on contemporary forestry and related issues. The result was the Forest Discovery Box: a series of six videos; a teachers’ resource guide; ongoing teacher and student tours of Irving forestry operations; a quarterly teacher newsletter; an annual forestry poster and book cover for students throughout the region.
The Forest Discovery Box was also honoured with the “What’s The Big Idea?” Effective Design Award for graphic design excellence from the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada. Educators from Europe, the United States, Australia, South Africa and Thailand have expressed interest in using the Forest Discovery Box as a model for forestry related education in their countries.