A Winnipeg school has been awarded and recognized as the most innovative school in Canada.

The Maples Met school was awarded the 2019 Ken Spencer Award yesterday for the accomplishment of being the most innovative school nationally.

The national award is given out each year by the Canadian Education Association (EdCan.) Its purpose is to recognize schools that have found a more innovative way of doing education.

“We have tremendous young people who are doing incredible things with amazing skills and are applying that in really unique ways,” said Kelvin Goertzen, Manitoba’s minister of education. “This award recognizes how important education is and how beneficial it is to have young people passionate about school.”

Ben Carr, principal of Maples Met, emphasized the importance of getting to know what students are passionate about.

“What makes Met school so special is that we have the ability to combine passions interests and curiosities with what's going on in the real world.

“It’s a phenomenal honor, and it’s a tremendous display of what happens when you collaborate,” said Carr who was honored to have his school receive this award. This award has been won by met schools in the country three times.

Donna Miller Fry, member of the advisory board for the EdCan network, says that she was thrilled to finally have the chance to visit the campus to have been selected as this years’ Ken Spencer Award recipient. “I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of innovative projects from all across Canada and I only got to read about them I didn’t get to actually see them.”

“It’s about what young people are learning and what they're going to take into the workforce,” said Goertzen. “Met school is honored to receive this award and hopes that this encourages students to have a different view on their school life, and the importance of doing well in school.”

“When people are successful in life whether that's in education or anything else you wanna recognize that and encourage them to continue to be successful… When others see that success they are motivated by it as well.”

Maples Met School is one of only two Met schools in Canada, both located on Jefferson Avenue in Winnipeg. The school combines traditional classrooms study with real-life internships two days a week at local businesses to provide students with both academic and practical work experience.