Every child deserves the chance to read with confidence—and behind every child who learns to read is a community that made it possible.
That’s the story the Catholic Independent Schools of Nelson Diocese (CISND) is celebrating, with Pamela Guilbault named the 2025 recipient of the Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Award. While this award honours Guilbault’s visionary leadership, it is, above all, a tribute to the educators, families, school leaders, and most importantly, the students.
Across Alberta and British Columbia, Guilbault has been a catalyst for change. But she is the first to say: real transformation doesn’t happen in isolation.
“This work isn’t about one person,” Guilbault said. “It’s about building a team that puts students at the center of everything. When we all row in the same direction, real change happens.”
During her time as Superintendent in northern Alberta, Pamela began collaborating with Dr. George Georgiou of the University of Alberta to raise literacy scores across the Lakeland Catholic School
Division, combining classroom instruction with universal screening and targeted pullout intervention programs. As a result of this innovative strategy, the number of students reading below grade level in Grades 1 to 3 dropped from over 50% to under 20%.
Seeing incredible success at the northern Alberta school division became the catalyst for
transformative literacy work—momentum Guilbault carried into her current role in B.C.
In just the first year of implementation, students within CISND showed six months to three years of reading growth.
For Guilbault, it’s not just about the numbers – it’s in the voices of students who can now say “I can read this!” and “Reading isn’t scary anymore.”
She said, “It’s in the teacher who sees a spark return to a child’s eyes. It’s in the family that finally sees their child pick up a book—by choice.”
The progress seen at CISND is only possible because of the collaboration of the entire school
community.
“Teachers refined their practice, moving from instinct to intentional, data-informed instruction, support staff delivered focused interventions with care and consistency, and families asked questions, showed up, and encouraged their children every step of the way,” said Guilbault. “Everyone—from the classroom teacher to the learning assistant to the principal—is part of a student’s literacy journey.”
CISND is building a literacy culture across the district, transforming the way their students learn in
order to meet their academic needs and ensure success.
Guilbault said as CISND strives to improve literacy scores, the school district will always remain Christ-centred and student-focused.
“Our literacy work is always rooted in compassion, justice, and with the belief that every child deserves the tools to thrive.”
She continued, “I want CISND to be a place where every teacher feels equipped, every principal feels empowered, and every child feels like a reader. We’re just getting started. We’re still writing this story—with courage, with community, and always with students at the centre.”
There’s something special about CISND.
Come and see what sets us apart.