NSSAF Announces the 2016 Dorothy G Walker and Hugh A Noble Award Winners

Distinguished Service Awards 2015-2016

The Hugh A. Noble Distinguished Service Award and the Dorothy G. Walker Distinguished Service Award represent the most prestigious awards presented by the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation. The awards represent an attempt to give recognition to those who contribute to interscholastic athletics over several years, and to acknowledge outstanding contributions!

Hugh A. Noble is recognized as the father of modern physical education in Atlantic Canada and was responsible for establishing the first athletic committee of the Nova Scotia Headmasters Association and guided its operation for 25 years.  This organization later became the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation.

 The NSSAF is pleased to announce that the 2015-2016 Hugh A Noble Distinguished Service Award recipient is Ron Shaw of Riverview High School.

For thirty-four years Mr. Shaw has been involved in coaching at some level at Riverview. He has been involved in coaching both basketball and soccer at Riverview High School. Mr. Shaw is a well-known and well respected coach in basketball circles throughout Nova Scotia.  He has a very impressive basketball record and has had many players over the years go on to enjoy very successful basketball careers at the AUS level. Mr. Shaw served as head coach over nine NSSAF Division 1 Cape Breton Girls High School Championship teams and three NSSAF Division 1 Girls Provincial Championship teams (1988-89, 1993-94, and 1994-1995). Mr. Shaw has served as both NSSAF Regional Director and District Coordinator for the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation and has also served as president of the Cape Breton Division 1 High School Basketball League.

Mr. Shaw commitment to coaching and school sport is evident by the training and certification that he has achieved over the years to ensure high standards in his programs. His commitment to developing the sport of basketball in our school community has been exemplary. As Mr. Shaw completes his final year in our profession, he remains as enthusiastic today as he was at the start of his career. His passion and commitment for school sport has remained strong even with the fact that he been an assistant coach with the Cape Breton University Men’s Basketball team for the past four years.

He continues to be an assistant coach for Riverview’s Boys Division 1 Basketball team and also assists with Riverview’s Boys JV Basketball team. This year he also gave his technical expertise to Riverview’ Girls Div. 1 Basketball team. Several times over the past few years, he has filled in as acting athletic director at the Riverview, where he did an excellent job of coordinating a large athletic program and hosting provincial championships.  Mr. Shaw can be called on at any time to assist in the promotion of school sport anywhere in our community. This year he was called upon by Malcolm Munroe Middle School to offer his basketball skills to their boys’ basketball program.

For his involvement and willingness to help out with any NSSAF activity, Mr. Shaw is often referred to as the “unofficial” athletic director at Riverview.  He takes care of our gym schedule and acts as a liaison for many of our new coaches. Mr. Shaw sets the bar very high in his diligence to the NSSAF Code of Ethics.

In closing, as a coach, colleague and now administrator who has worked with Mr. Shaw over the past twenty-two years, I can confidently say that Mr. Shaw is a role model for our student-athletes and our young coaches and he exemplifies all the qualities that we strive to develop through participation in school sport.

Dorothy G. Walker was one of the first supervisors of physical education in our province and was instrumental in the growth of female participation in athletics, coaching and refereeing.  In 2002, the NSSAF established this award to be presented annually to recognize the outstanding contribution women have made to school sport.

The NSSAF is pleased to announce that the 2015-2016 Dorothy G. Walker Distinguished Service Award recipient is Leta Totten of Central Kings Rural High School.

Ms. Totten has taught at Central Kings since 1986.  She graduated from NSTC in 1985 and then went on to study and earn her BA in Psychology in 2003 while working full time. She has always been a Physical Education Instructor and is passionate about her subject.  She has taught out of 3 Gyms, the back woods, the track, and assorted fields.  She has been a mentor for new teachers throughout the board and has served on various lead teams.  She has worked nationally with CAPHER. She developed the initial provincial Grade 11 Active Living which we piloted & taught at Central Kings. Ms. Totten and Bob Murphy wrote an “Administrative Handbook for Extra-curricular & Co-curricular Activities” for AVRSB and published it in February 2002. Ms. Totten played a key role in the County, Western Regional & Provincial Track meets hosted at Central Kings and Acadia University. Leta has acted as co-chair for the TAPHE conference.

In 2013/14, Ms. Totten received the Physical education Teaching Excellence Award from TAPHE.  She received the “Working Together Award from AVRSB this year and the citation read as follows:

“Ms. Totten is an irreplaceable member of the CKRHS Middle Level team. She gives 150 per cent all the time by organizing intramurals, sports teams, Gator Games, Terry Fox walks and more. She is always organized and makes the Middle Level an exciting place to be! Students love her enthusiasm and creativity in planning Phys Ed classes, and she always has a smile for them as they enter or pass by the gym. Fellow staff appreciate the effort she puts into events so everything runs smoothly. We keep telling her that she will need to clone herself when she retires so we can have another Leta at CKRHS!”

The following is a quote from a fellow Physical Education teacher at Central Kings.

“I loved working with Ms. Totten because she was an excellent teacher, with great organizational ability and leadership skills, is great team player, focused, hard-working and a true professional. Her positive influence / contribution to Central Kings students and students across the province as well as staff and Phy. Ed. Colleagues cannot be measured.”

The NSSAF congratulates the two award winners!