We’re thrilled to celebrate long-time Civic Mirror teacher Derek Fournier of Fleetwood Park Secondary in Surrey, BC, who has been honoured with a 2025 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence (Certificate of Excellence). Derek is one of only 11 teachers across Canada to receive this national recognition – a huge achievement and a testament to the kind of citizenship-focused, student-centred teaching we’re proud to support.
Photo: Derek Fournier and his colleague Laura Baldry, another Civic Mirror educator, in his classroom.
Over his 32-year career in Surrey Schools, Derek has taught thousands of students in English and Social Studies, helping them see themselves as informed, engaged citizens rather than just “kids in a class.” Recognized as a humanities and social studies teacher who mentors colleagues, promotes mental health, and builds strong classroom communities, Derek’s work fits perfectly with the spirit of Civic Mirror.
Civic Mirror in BC Social Studies 10
Derek has been using Civic Mirror as a social studies simulation for years, especially in his BC Social Studies 10 classes. In his hands, the simulation isn’t just a “game” – it becomes a living model of Canada’s political and economic systems where students argue policy, debate rights and responsibilities, and grapple with real-world ethical dilemmas.
Through role-play, elections, markets, and town hall debates, his students experience:
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How laws get made (and challenged)
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How inequality can emerge in a free market
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How civic engagement, protest, and compromise can actually change outcomes
Students don’t just learn about citizenship – they practice it. That’s exactly what Civic Mirror was built to do, and Derek has been one of the teachers who consistently pushes the simulation to its full potential.
Innovative, Student-Centred Teaching
The Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence celebrate educators who show innovative teaching, strong digital literacy, student skills development, and leadership. Derek’s classroom checks all of those boxes.
According to Surrey Schools and local coverage, Derek is known for:
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A calm, caring presence that helps students feel safe taking intellectual risks
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Integrating digital and creative literacy into humanities and social studies lessons
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Centering mental health, equity, and inclusion in his practice
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Building programs – including a Civic Mirror–based civic engagement program – that strengthen community and student voice beyond a single classroom
When you combine those strengths with a high-engagement social studies simulation, you get the kind of learning that sticks with students long after the final exam.
Why This Matters for Civic Mirror (and for Students)
For us at Civic Mirror, Derek’s recognition is more than a feel-good news story. It’s proof that:
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Experiential civics works. When students live through political, economic, and social questions, they understand them more deeply – and remember them longer.
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BC Social Studies 10 can be a launchpad for real citizenship. Teachers like Derek show how curriculum outcomes become far more meaningful when students experience the tensions and trade-offs firsthand.
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Great tools need great teachers. Civic Mirror provides the structure, but it’s educators like Derek who turn it into a transformative learning experience for hundreds of students every year.
We’re incredibly proud that Civic Mirror has been one small part of Derek’s journey as an educator – and even more proud of the thousands of students who discovered their civic voice in his classroom.
From everyone at Civic Mirror: Congratulations, Derek!
Thank you for your decades of service to students, your leadership in the profession, and your vision for what social studies can be.
