Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

NJ STEM teacher Christine Girtain named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year

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STEM educator Christine Girtain has been named the 2023 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: New Jersey Education Association

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Christine Girtain, an accomplished science teacher from Toms River, New Jersey.

Christine teaches STEM courses at Toms River High School North and Toms River High School South in Toms River. In fact, she is the Director of a three-year authentic science research course for high school students in grades 10 through 12. As the program’s director, Christine guides her students in projects covering such topics as the effects of fruit seed extracts on bacteria, bio-engineering E. coli , and studies on bees. “Through this program, our students and teachers will be doing amazing cutting-edge work, and potentially fundraising for our schools at the same time,” declares Christine.

This honored educator believes in offering opportunities for her students to expand their horizons globally. She has taken students to do research in Costa Rica with Seeds of Change, she has led them in a joint project with science students in Israel; and she has escorted them on educational tours in Europe.

“I love the bonds I build with my students, especially teaching the research class,” Christine says. “I am always trying to meet new people and learn new things that I can bring back to my students. The more I learn, the more I can help my students find fulfilling careers. After all, I love my job, and I want the same thing for my students,” she concludes.

In addition to her work with students in the classroom, Christine is a national presenter and advocate for increasing agricultural literacy, working with Nourish the Future, the National Corn Growers Association, the United Soybean Board, the Beef Checkoff, and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. And as if all that were not enough, she has brought in more than $185,000 in grant funds to fund student research projects and STEM camps.

Her selection as New Jersey Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Christine has received.  She was named the Genetics Educator of the Year by the National Association of Biology Teachers in 2022;  the Ocean County Teacher of the Year in 2022-2023; the Army Education Outreach Educator of the Year in 2021; and the New Jersey STEM Pathways Teacher of the Year in 2019. In 2021, she was selected as a state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Award (PAEMST).

Christina earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Education from the College of New Jersey in Ewing, New Jersey, in 1994. She earned her Master’s degree in Earth Science Instruction and Curriculum from Kean University in Union, New Jersey, in 2005. She completed her student teaching assignment in Lancaster, England. Her career as an educator spans 28 years.

FL teacher logs successes as a race car driver, internet content provider

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Former Social Studies teacher Joe Raiti raced cars professionally and now produces internet content. Photo credit: Paradise News

There are many examples of successful classroom teachers who have left the classroom to pursue other careers. One of these is Joe Raiti, a former Florida teacher who earned acclaim as a race car driver and internet content producer.

Joe earned his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 1998. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of South Florida in 2008.

After graduating from college, Joe taught Social Studies in Pisco County Schools in New Port Richey, Florida. He taught there from 2001 to 2018. He instructed courses in Advanced Placement (AP) History, AP Psychology, and World History. The popular educator also started a Car Club on the campus where he offered students instruction all about cars, whether it be a car’s history or how to change a tire or the engine oil.

In all, Joe’s career as an educator spanned 19 years. During these years, he earned several accolades. In 2008, he was named the In 2015, he earned the

Once he left the classroom, Joe began to pursue a career in car racing. His passion for cars dates back to when he was just a youngster, he has confessed. As a kid, he attended races with his father and honed his skills for fixing cars working at his dad’s mechanics shop. In his senior year of college, Joe decided to liquidate his belongings, including his 1985 Corvette, and enroll in a racing school in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After he completed his training, he launched his career as a professional race car driver, a profession he pursued for three years. He raced at some of the most famous raceways in the country, including Daytona International Speedway, Sebring International Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Road America, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and Mosport International Raceway. In these races Joe clocked a First Place finish and a Second Place finish at the SCCA Regional Championship, and a Second Place finish at Daytona International Speedway.

These days, Joe produces video content covering automotive topics, where he has produced more than 3,000 videos and boasts 1.7 million subscribers. He calls this creative effort “Raiti’s Rides.” You can check out Joe’s website at raitisrides.com or his YouTube content at Raiti’s Rides.

Pennsylvania’s Helena Devereux was a trailblazer in Special Education

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Helena Devereux of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a trailblazer in the field of teaching special education students. Photo credit: Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Pennsylvania

Exceptional teachers often become trailblazers in the field of teaching. One of these is Helena Devereux, a pioneering special education teacher from Pennsylvania.

Helena was born on Feb. 2, 1885, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a. young girl, she graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1904, and then from Philadelphia Normal School in 1906.

After her college graduation, Helena accepted her first position as a teacher at George Washington Elementary School in the Philadelphia Public School System. As a novice elementary teacher working in an underprivileged area of the city, Helena immediately became interested in the children who experienced difficulty in learning through traditional methods. The public school system of her day had no means of providing individualized programs for children with special needs. Rather than helping these students, such children were repeatedly held back, ostracized by their peers, and written off as hopeless. Some were actually sent to mental institutions. Helena showed unique patience and attention to these special needs children. Several such children who had been held back and failed in other classes began to thrive under Helena’s expert care and innovative teaching methods.

Helena began using an individualized approach to the teaching of the developmentally challenged. She believed that each child in her care came complete with his or her own set of innate abilities, distinctive potential, and unique needs. She made it her purpose to aid them in the discovery that each one could be a contributing and valued member of their community and of a larger society. Her methods were groundbreaking, and they pre-dated many of the practices in the field of special education that are typically in use today.

In 1911, the Philadelphia Board of Education offered this remarkable teacher the job of Director of Special Education, a new position designed to supervise the creation of a special education department for the city’s schools. Despite being offered a handsome salary for the time, she turned it down, believing that she could have a greater impact on her own. That same year, Helena received national attention following a visit to her classroom from a reporter who published an article detailing her innovative instructional methods. Following the publication of this article, Helena was contacted by a parent in South Carolina who was interested in entrusting her challenged son to Helena’s care. Helena agreed to assume responsibility for the boy during the summer, and that child became Helena’s first private student. When Helena received offers from other parents of children with special needs, she responded to these requests by renting a six-bedroom home in Avalon, New Jersey, which she converted to a private school designed to teach and care for eight children.

In 1924, the gifted teacher Helena married James Fentress, the widower of one of her friends. The couple were married for 21 years, but during all that time, Helena remained dedicated to the students she served. This Chalkboard Champion passed away on Nov. 17, 1975, at her home in Devon, Pennsylvania, at the age of 90.

Arkansas teacher Juanita Harris selected 2023 Teacher of the Year by the AEA

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Elementary school teacher Juanita Harris of Texarkana has been selected 2023 Teacher of the Year by the Arkansas Education Association. Photo credit: The Texarkana Gazette

The Arkansas Education Association (AEA) has named Juanita Harris of the Texarkana Arkansas School District (TASD) their 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Juanita teaches first grade at Harmony Leadership Academy in Texarkana. A native of the city, she attended this very school when she was a child. She describes her students as being her children, and asserts she can relate to them because she comes from the same neighborhood as they do.

“Originally, I wanted to be a social worker,” Juanita once revealed. “I remember coming home after church and I talked to my uncle Van and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to be a social worker or work in education,'” she confessed. “He asked me what I was passionate about, and I said teaching,” she continued. “He tapped me on my shoulder and said, ‘You should teach,’ and walked away.” That was the turning point. Today, Juanita’s career as an educator spans 13 years. Obviously, she is working in the perfect profession for her. “Teaching is one of the reasons I was born,” she says.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Juanita is also founder and CEO of Teachers Support Teachers, an organization whose mission is to support fellow educators. They do this by providing one opportunity per month for self-care for teachers and anyone in a PreK-12 setting through services such as group therapy sessions, massages, pedicures, funds for supplies, cookouts, and more. “Our mission for Teachers Support Teachers is to live out our vision of ‘Encouraging the Hearts that Shape the Minds,'” Juanita declares.

Her selection as the Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Juanita has earned. She was named the Union Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2017, the TASD Teacher of the Year in 2018, and a regional finalist for Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 2019. With her recognition from AEA, Jaunita becomes a candidate for the National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2024.

Juanita earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia in 2010. She earned her Master’s degree there in Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2013.

Music educators lead their students in Macy’s Parade

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Six stellar high school bands from around the country appeared in the Macy’s 97th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Thurs., Nov. 23, 2023. These bands were led by capable and accomplished music educators, and in this third in the series we introduce the remaining educators to you.

Director of Bands Steve Rivero, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Hailing from Parkland, Florida, was the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagle Regiment. This 162-member marching band is recognized as one of the finest and most comprehensive high school band programs in the nation. Director of Bands is the talented Steve Rivero. He has taught there since 2019.

Director of Bands at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School led his students in their first-ever appearance in the Macy’s Parade. Photo credit: Steve Rivero

Steve was named a quarter-finalist for the 2020 Grammy Music Educator of the Year. He also garnered honors as the Arts Teacher of the Year for Broward County in 2017, and honored as Teacher of the Year in 2002. He has also garnered the National Band Association Citation of Excellence, and the FBA Oliver Hobbs Award, in recognition of consistent superior band performances and commitment and service to the field of music education. In 2002 he was named Teacher of the Year at Hialeah High School, where he was teaching at the time. Steve earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Miami in 1995.

In addition to his work in public schools, Steve serves our country as the Commander and Conductor of the Florida National Guard’s 13th Army Band. Throughout his 35-year career in the Army Reserve, he has received numerous honors and awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Florida Commendation Medal, and the Guam Commendation Medal.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles Regiment Marching Band from Parkland, Florida, marched in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo credit: TapInto.net

The Eagles Regiment kicked off 2023 marching in London’s New Year’s Day Parade. In addition to its many awards and accolades over the years, the group has garnered three recent Grand Champion Awards at the Florida Marching Band Regional Championships in 2021, including The Jupiter Festival of Bands, The Lancer Jamboree, and The Falcon Sound Invitational. They are four-time State Champions at the Bands of America Orlando Regionals.

Director of Bands Dr. Melissa Gustafson-Hinds
O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers

Dr. Melissa Gustafson-Hinds led her students from O’Fallon Township High School in the 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo credit: Music For All, Inc.

Also appearing in the parade was the 290-member O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers of O’Fallon, Illinois, under the expert leadership of Dr. Melissa Gustafson-Hinds. This is their second appearance in the annual spectacular; their first was in in 1992.

Melissa has been the Director of Bands at O’Fallon for 16 years. In addition to her teaching duties at O’Fallon Township High School, Melissa serves as Music Department Chair and recently served as the President of District VI of the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA). She has also served as a Music for Allnational Festival clinician.

Melissa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, graduating with University Honors. She earned her Master’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2000. She completed the requirements for her Doctorate Degree in Teaching and Learning, with an emphasis in music, from the University of Missouri St. Louis in 2010.

The O’Fallon Township High School Marching Band appeared in their second appearance in the  annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo credit: KTLA Channel 5

The talented Director of Bands created a special program for her students’ appearance in this year’s parade. “Our message is about joy to the world. And so we combined Ode to Joy, which everybody knows with Joy To The World. And we spelled out joy at the end using parts of a wreath as the ‘O’ and then a ‘J’ and a ‘Y’ to represent joy to everyone out there on this wonderful Thanksgiving Day,” Melissa explains.

The Marching Panthers garnered awards as the Bands of America Grand Nationals Finalist in 2018. They have appeared in the Tournament of Roses Parade three times, the Fiesta Bowl Parade three times, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade twice. They. have also appeared in the Orange Bowl Parade, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, the Waikiki Thanksgiving Day Parade in Waikiki Hawaii, and the Disney World Thanksgiving Day Parade in Disney World, Florida.