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.

VA math teacher YuJeong Julia Shin garners special recognition

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Virginia middle school mathematics teacher YuJeong Julia Shin has garnered the 2023 Region 5 Outstanding Secondary School New Teacher award from Fairfax County Public Schools. Photo credit: Fairfax County Public Schools

It is always my pleasure to call attention to exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. Today, I shine a spotlight on Mathematics Teacher YuJeong Julia Shin of Fairfax County Pubic Schools (FCPS) in Fairfax, Virginia. She has garnered recognition as the 2023 Region 5 Outstanding Secondary School New Teacher.

Julia teaches mathematics at Frost Middle School. She also co-advises who school’s MathCounts team, connecting with students who strive to become better collaborators and problem solvers.

The selection of Julia was announced at the annual FCPS Honors event held at George Mason University Center for the Arts this past June. The recognition is given to one elementary teacher and one secondary teacher within their first three years of teaching who demonstrate superior performance and instructional skills. The award celebrates excellence in achieving successful academic outcomes for their students.

Julia says she places special emphasis on demonstrating and practicing the school motto: Work hard, be nice, and widen your circle. She works diligently to connect with her students. Her goal is to develop strong relationships while dedicating herself to fostering a welcoming classroom community where every student feels safe to ponder, question, explore, make mistakes, learn, and grow. In addition, Julia constantly recognizes and celebrates her students’ achievements and successes, encouraging students to take pride in their learning experiences and reach their highest potential.

“Not only can Ms. Shin thoroughly teach me Algebra, in a way that is interesting and understandable, she also takes time to get to know me on a personal level,” says a student in the honored teacher’s class. Another student agrees. “I really enjoy being in Ms. Shin’s class. She explains difficult problems and breaks them down in such a way that makes them feel easy and I can always understand the content,” declared the student.

Julia is a graduate of the Secondary Education program offered at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. To read more about Julia Shin, click on this link to Frost Middle School.

RI science teacher Amy Biagioni garners prestigious PAEMST

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Science educator Amy Biagiioni of Rhode Island has garnered a prestigious PAEMST. Photo credit: Rhode Island State Department of Education

There are many excellent science educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Amy Biagioni, a science teacher from West Greenwich, Rhode Island. She has garnered a prestigious 2023 PAEMST (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching) from her state’s Department of Education.

The PAEMST recognizes the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a visit to the White House and a $10,000 cash prize.

Amy has been in the classroom since 2014. She currently teaches physics, chemistry, and engineering courses at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional High School in Rhode Island, where she has worked for the past 15 years. In her courses, Amy places special emphasis on wind energy, and leads her creative students in wind energy competitions each year. In fact, her teams were named Top Performers in the 2021 National KidWind Wind Turbine Challenge by the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce.

From 2012 through 2018, Amy worked as an instructor for the Spark Summer Inquiry Program at Brown University. There she developed and led inquiry-based activities for the advanced middle school summer science program. The activities covered topics related to the spread of disease and projectile motion.

Amy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Science, Physics, and Applied Mathematics at the University of Rhode Island in 2004. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction and Assessment from Jones International University in 2007.

To learn more about Rhode Island’s state PAEMST program, click on this link: RI Dept. of Education.

Sharon Stephen-Buitrago named the 2023 BABSE Broward County Science Teacher of the Year

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Sharon Stephen-Buitrago has been named the Broward County Science Teacher of the Year for 2023 by the Broward Alliance of Black School Educators (BABSE). Photo credit: BABSE

Congratulations are due to elementary educator Sharon Stephen-Buitrago. She has been named the Broward County Science Teacher of the Year for 2023 by the Broward Alliance of Black School Educators (BABSE), a division of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE).

The NABSE is the nation’s foremost non-profit organization devoted to furthering the academic success for American youth, especially children of African descent. Now in year 53 since its founding, NABSE boasts an outreach to more than 10,000 pre-eminent educators including teachers, administrators, and superintendents, as well as corporate and institutional members. Founded in 1970, NABSE is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance, and overall achievement.

So Sharon is in very good company, indeed. Currently, she serves as a teacher and science coach at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Montessori Academy School, a magnet school of Broward County Public Schools in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Previously she taught fifth grade at Pompano Beach Elementary School in Ft. Lauderdale, where she worked since Aug., 2008. Prior to that, she taught for ten years for Ascension Parish Schools in St. Amant, Louisiana.

Sharon earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1998 and her Master’s degree in Education in 2007, both from Southeastern Louisiana University. She earned a Certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

To learn more about both BABSE and NABSE, click on this link to BABSE.

Nebraska educator Esther Pilster well-known for community service and philanthropy

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Elementary teacher and principal Esther Pilster was well-known for community service and her philanthropy. Photo credit: Find a Grave

Many fine educators also become well-known in for their service to the community and for their philanthropy. One of these was Esther Pilster, an elementary school teacher and principal from Omaha, Nebraska.

Esther was born on Nov. 11, 1916, on a farm near Wymore, Nebraska. As a young girl, she graduated from Otoe Consolidated High School in the nearby town of Barneston. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and completed her teacher training at Peru State College in 1938.

Esther inaugurated her career as an educator in a one-room school house in rural Gage County. In the 1940s, she taught in schools of Neligh, Seward, and Chadron until she settled in Omaha, where she taught in Omaha public schools. In the 1950s, Esther taught at a highly-acclaimed summer reading clinic for gifted children in Omaha. In 1960, she was elected President of the Nebraska Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a prestigious professional organization that promotes the professional success of women educators. In 1961, she became the first principal of Boyd Elementary School, and held that positions until her retirement in 1982.

Even after her retirement, Esther was very active. She presented book reviews and programs for professional groups in the Omaha area. She often appeared in costume, donning the personas of the Statue of Liberty, Betsy Ross, and Mother Goose, among others. She even delivered a presentation about the First Ladies of the United States dressed as a White House maid. In 1984, Esterh was selected to serve as a Congressional Senior Intern in Washington, DC.

In 2006, Esther donated her family ranch, which spanned over 3,700 acres of land, towards the creation of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center at Chadron State College. She made the donation in memory of her husband, Raleigh, who had also been a highly-respected educator. The center promotes teaching agricultural skills and supports a program for agronomy research. Of Welsh descent, Esther was also involved in the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Museum and the Welsh Society of Nebraska.

For her philanthropic work, Esther has earned many accolades. In 1979, she was named “Queen of Keystone,” an honorary title given to notable people in Keystone, North Omaha. In 1997, the city renamed a park the Esther Pilster Park in her honor. In 2006, she garnered a key to the City of Omaha for her years of dedication to the community. And in 2008, she was honored by the Omaha World Herald as an “Outstanding Educator.”

Sadly, this amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on July 20, 2014. She was 97 years old. She is interred in Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Omaha.

 

CA educator Catherine Borek: Her enthusiasm is infectious

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Here is English and Theater Arts teacher Catherine Borek of Compton, California. Her love for her students and for her work with them is absolutely infectious. No wonder she was named one of five California State Teachers of the Year. Just watch this video about her which was made a year ago, when she was selected the 2022 Teacher of the Year by the Compton Unified School District, and you’ll see what I mean.

Catherine teaches Advanced Placement English Literature and Drama at Dominguez High School. It was the Teach for America program that originally brought her into the classroom. Since that first year, she has devoted all 26 years of her career as an educator to Dominguez.

When Catherine first started working at the school, she was dismayed to discover that the Drama program had long been defunct. Believing the performing arts to be very important, she threw her considerable energy into reviving the program. The new program’s first year, 1999, she co-produced the play Our Town with colleague Karen Greene. The efforts were recorded in a documentary which became an award-winning film.

But the teacher credits her students themselves with their successes. “What makes Compton special and what test scores don’t show is that we have some really creative students and some true problem-solvers,” declares Catherine. “That’s something to be celebrated.”

Catherine also coaches the school’s rugby team, which she founded. And as if all that were not enough, the honored teacher has led her students to the completion of the LA Marathon, collaboration with the LA Opera, and starring in a Keurig commercial.

Her hard work has not gone unnoticed. In addition to being named the 2022 Teacher of the Year by the Compton Unified School District and one of five educators named as a Teacher of the Year by the LA County Office of Education, she has also been honored as one of five California State Teachers of the Year.

“To be distinguished as Teacher of the Year is no minor designation in our district,” asserts School Board Member Micah Ali. “It says that you have made an impact in the lives of both students and your colleagues. It means that you have contributed significantly toward our district elevating and opening doors to opportunities for our students,” he concluded.