Newmarket teacher part of Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence

Daryanaz Kamelan-Zargar goes above and beyond for her students, driving from Newmarket to Brampton and back home each day to teach at Bramalea Secondary School.

Kamelan-Zargar, a visual arts teacher for students in grades 9 to 12, was recently recognized as one of 69 educators in the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.

“I devote my time to the students, families, and the community I serve,” she said. “I feel obligated. All of my students are like my second family. I go to them and commute 120 kilometres back and forth. I go with a lot of excitement to work because I know I’m there to make a difference. That has been my motto ever since I became a teacher.”

Kamelan-Zargar has a toddler and a husband to care for while she is home. She received a certificate of achievement for fuelling passion for the arts.

“What sets Daryanaz apart is her ability to instil passion and curiosity for the arts in her students,” said Peter Banhan, principal of Bramalea Secondary School. “She creates an atmosphere where students feel empowered to express themselves artistically, fostering not only artistic skills but also confidence and self-expression.”

Evaluators state she brings a unique perspective to her classes, creating a dynamic, inclusive learning environment that encourages students to explore their artistic abilities and cultivate a passion for the arts. She recognizes when students are brave enough to step out of their comfort zones and encourages creativity with constructive feedback. She aims to use art to help students overcome mental health concerns.

“I am doing my master’s in psychotherapy, so I am using my art to reveal students’ stress,” said Kamelan-Zargar. “I do teach them knowledge, skills, and history about art in different eras and about different skills of how to draw and paint, but for me, it’s more about making connections with students. It’s art therapy.”

She worked with students from several schools on an art project called Hope to honour the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, shot down by missiles south of Tehran in 2020.

“I did a big mural with my students,” said Kamelan-Zargar. “I got two different schools together, we created a mural and it’s placed at Peel District School Board to remember the victims of the plane crash.”

She received a bachelor of fine arts with specialty honours from York University in 2012 and a bachelor of education from the same institution in 2013. She worked at J. Addison School in Markham before she gained her position with the school board in 2018 as schools in York Region were not hiring at the time. While the distance between her home and her high school is far, she does not plan to leave Newmarket any time soon.

Her accomplishments include arranging for students from a Grade 12 class to assess the work of another Grade 12 class, organizing school events on behalf of the art department, and opening up her classrooms to students from special education classes, allowing them to participate as observers to learn how to regulate themselves in a classroom environment.

“We do have a curriculum we have to cover, but if the students don’t love what they do, they’re not going to learn,” said Kamelan-Zargar. “For me, it’s all about creating that passion in the students, connecting to what they’re creating and making. It’s about the progress and the process, not the end result.”

She also welcomed a new visual arts teacher to the school by sharing lesson plans and providing support, facilitated the art club and collaborated with the new visual arts teacher to run it, oversaw the student activity council, ran the Grade 12 commencement, and served as the school equity representative and on the school improvement and equity committee.

The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence have recognized exceptional elementary and secondary school teachers in all disciplines since 1994, with more than 1,800 teachers honoured to date. Teaching Excellence Awards recipients are honoured for their remarkable achievements in education and for their commitment to preparing youth for a digital and innovation-based economy.