Moray-based teacher John Naples-Campbell named Educator of the Year at National Proud Scotland Awards
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A MORAY-BASED teacher has been named as the winner of a prestigious award at the National Proud Scotland Awards.
John Naples-Campbell (40), from Duffus, won the Educator of the Year Award at a ceremony in Edinburgh on October 2, seeing off competition from four other finalists – including Doctor Who's Russell T Davies.
Mr Naples-Campbell, who is currently depute head teacher at Glen Urquhart High School but previously worked at Speyside High, was given the award for his work in creating an inclusive learning environment and supporting the LGBTQI+ community.
He said: "I am completely overwhelmed to have received this award from Proud Scotland.
"Growing up under Section 28 (a law which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities), I never thought one day I’d be celebrating the lives of the LGBTQI+ community in our schools.
"The shadows of Section 28 are still very much in our corridors but we are changing this every day through the wonderful work of our educators and young people who want to see change."
The Proud Scotland Awards celebrate the LGBTQI+ community by recognising the work and commitment of individuals and organisations in Scotland.
Scotland recently became the first country in the world to implement an LGBT inclusive education as part of the curriculum for excellence. John was instrumental in making this happen as part of the Time for Inclusive Education campaign.
Over the course of his career, he has trained more than 500 teachers to make their classrooms more inclusive. He became the first teacher to be given professional recognition by the General Teaching Council of Scotland for his work in this area.
Other award winners on the night included BAFTA Nominee Annie Wallace, of Hollyoaks, and Russel T Davies, for his work on It’s a Sin. The awards were held in Edinburgh and hosted by actor David Carlyle.
