Coast TV’s Steve Sleep has been awarded the 2015 Frances Fleming Award for Inspirational Achievement for his years of work with students in the TV production class at Elphinstone Secondary School.
Sleep was a volunteer with the program before being hired on as a technical resource person in 1985. His work with students over the past 30 years and his desire to help all of them succeed was a key factor in his winning the Fleming award this month.
“Frances Fleming was a pretty special person,” Sleep noted. “I had the chance to meet her and do some work with her and to win that award was pretty special. It means a lot to me.”
Fleming was known and loved for her ability to inspire and motivate others, which was an important requirement for the award.
Nominees must also have made a significant contribution to their community (or to an individual or group), be a respected leader and be a mentor and friend to people young and old.
The only other criteria was for the nominee to be affiliated with School District No. 46 (SD46).
The award committee unanimously selected Sleep for the honour this year and bestowed it upon him at an April 10 school district function.
“The Frances Fleming Award for Inspirational Achievement gives us a unique opportunity to celebrate one among our many outstanding community leaders,” said SD46 board chair and award committee member Betty Baxter. “It is an honour to recognize Steve Sleep for his inspirational actions in our community.”
Sleep said he was humbled to receive the award and that the most gratifying part of his job at the school has been seeing the students succeed.
“To see them go from little or no knowledge in the television industry to being seasoned professionals, really, at the end of the year — that gives me a real thrill,” Sleep said.
