A GEOGRAPHY teacher from King’s Ely has received a medal for his outstanding contribution to geography and education.
Alan Parkinson travelled to Scotland to be awarded the 2013 Tivy Education Medal, along with an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS).
The medal, which is rarely awarded, was presented to Alan by Professor Iain Stewart, who has produced several television programmes on geology and earth science.
At the same RSGS conference, the book Fieldwork through Enquiry, which Alan co-wrote with John Widdowson, won the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers (SAGT) Book Award. Another of Alan’s publications was also commended, and he has previously received the Royal Geographical Society’s Ordnance Survey award for excellent teaching.
While delighted to have received the medal, Alan humbly remarked: “What was equally important to me was to read and hear the comments of others who were there, who appreciated the work that I’ve created and shared over the years.”
The Geography department at King’s Ely made headlines earlier in the term when it received the Geographical Association’s prestigious Centre of Excellence award, which is highest accolade a school can receive in the subject.