ARCTIC ACHIEVEMENT: Maggie MacDonnell has spent the last six years dedicated to improving her students’ lives, and now she’s got some money to help—$1 million, to be exact. MacDonnell is this year’s recipient of the Global Teacher Prize, a prestigious award that comes with a sizable check. For MacDonnell, there’s another perk: the chance to bring attention to the indigenous communities she serves.
MacDonnell teaches middle and high school in the remote Arctic village of Salluit, an Inuit community in northernmost Quebec that houses a population of just over 1,300. She’s created a number of youth programs including jobs mentorship, suicide prevention initiatives, and nutrition classes.
As an educator there, MacDonnell focuses on community-building first and foremost. After the award ceremony in Dubai, MacDonnell told the Associated Press she plans to use the prize money to continue helping the community in Salluit, establishing an environmental stewardship program to reconnect youth their native lands and indigenous culture.
