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.

Utah teacher Tonya Bryner serves as successful FBLA advisor

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Business Education teacher Tonya Bryner of Salt Lake City, Utah, is recognized as one of the most exceptional FBLA advisors in her state. Photo credit: Hunter High School

I am always eager to share the story of an educator who has earned the respect of the students, colleagues, and parents in her school. Today I shine the spotlight on Tonya Bryner, a Business Education instructor from Utah. In 2021, she earned State Advisor of the Year honors from the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).

Currently, Tonya teaches Business Education at Hunter High School in Salt Lake City. She has taught there for three years. Prior to working at Hunter, she taught for three years at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah, and for five years before that she taught at the junior high school level in the Granite School District of West Valley City, Utah. Before she entered the teaching profession, Tonya served as a missionary for her church, traveling to Johannesburg, South Africa, to complete community service projects.

Tonya’s work as a Business Education teacher is of vital importance to students. Business education courses provide students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. Across the nation, about 12 million high school and college students are enrolled in business courses.

As an FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) advisor, Tonya has coached her team to state competitions. Two of her students have even earned first place awards at the state level. During the state and national FBLA Jeopardy competition, her team garnered a first place trophy. She has also earned the Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit every year that she has been an FBLA advisor. In addition to her work as Ann FBLA advisor, in 2023, she served as a presenter at the Career Technical Education (CTE) Summer Conference.

Tonya earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Education in 1989 and her Master’s degree in Management Information Systems in 2008, both from Utah State University.

Mandy Perez named Kentucky’s 2023 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary teacher Mandy Perez of Marion, Kentucky, has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Kentucky Department of Education

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional teacher who has earned recognition for her work in the classroom. Today I shine a spotlight on Mandy Perez, an elementary teacher from Kentucky. She has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Mandy, who is the first in her family to graduate from college, says she always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Her father, an immigrant from Panama, came to the United States at the age of 16. Her mother is a native of Crittenden County. Mandy earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Education and her Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Guidance and Counseling from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.

Once she earned her degree, Mandy inaugurated her career at Crittenden County Elementary School, where she taught third, fourth, and fifth graders. Currently, she teaches English Language Arts (ELA) to sixth graders at Crittenden County Middle School in Marion. Her career as an educator has spanned 18 years.

The honored teacher declares her priority as an educator is to foster a love for lifelong learning and to create enthusiasm for reading that expands beyond the classroom walls. “Educators and society owe it to our students to promote a love for reading,” declares Mandy. “Stories can be used as learning tools to teach the importance of understanding one’s culture, being kind, showing acceptance, exercising patience, working through differences, practicing the power of giving,” she continues. “There are so many lessons students can relate to and connect within a story. It’s these types of stories that teach them how to cope, deal with situations and understand who they are,” she concludes.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Mandy serves on the Coalition for Sustaining the Profession, the Curriculum and Instruction Committee, and on the Literacy Committee. In addition, she is the ELA content team leader, sixth grade team leader, and a mentor for new teachers.

To read more about Mandy Perez, click on the following link to the article published by the Kentucky State Department of Education.

WV STEM teacher Tiffany Pace earns Mission Possible Operation Advance Technology Competition

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West Virginia elementary STEM teahe3r Tiffany Pace earns the very first Mission Possible Operation Advance Technology Competition. Photo credit: PAEMST

Congratulations to Tiffany Pace, an elementary school science teacher from West Virginia who has been named the recipient of the very first CIA Mission Possible Operation Advance Technology Competition!

The goal of the Operation Advance Technology Program is to improve education in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in public schools. The program is managed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, supported by the Central Intelligence Agency, and funded by the US Department of Energy. Tiffany is one of five winners of the new competition. She was selected to represent the Southeast Region of the United States. The prestigious award comes with a computer and coding lab for her classroom worth $60,000, as well as laptops and other STEM equipment.

Currently, Tiffany teaches third graders at Cross Lanes Elementary School in Charleston. There she leads her students in a partnership with students in a third grade classroom at the Anglo-American School in Managua, Nicaragua. To create a global connection, Tiffany’s students video conference with the students in Managua to compare climates and share photos and stories of about their environments and habitats.

In addition to her instruction in the classroom, Tiffany’s work as a teacher-leader is extensive. She has been a presenter at the NSTA National Conference in St. Louis and the INSTA STEM20 Virtual Conference. She has authored articles and is a reviewer for the NSTA Science and Children Journal. Furthermore, she is a certified educator with National Geographic, an Underwood-Smith Scholars mentor, and a Fuel Up to Play 60 Advisor.

For her work as an educator, Tiffany has garnered many accolades. In 2020 she earned a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). She was also recognized as the West Virginia Environmental Science Teacher of the Year, and in 2022 she was named a Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms. Furthermore, she has written and received over $400,000 in grants for educational supplies, STEM materials, technology, gardening materials, healthy eating and physical activity supplies, community outreach programs, and professional development.

Tiffany earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Relations from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1999. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 2012. Her career as an educator spans more than ten years.

 

NYC English teacher Diandra D’Amico garners 2023-2024 Big Apple Award

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High school English teacher Diandra D’Amico has earned a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education. Photo credit: Diandra D’Amico

New York City is very proud of their public school teachers. In fact, city leaders regularly recognize exceptional educators with their annual Big Apple Award. For the 2023-2024 school year, one of the educators honored was Diandra D’Amico, an English Language Arts teacher from Pelham, New York.

For the past two years, Diandra has taught English/Language Arts at Harvey Milk High School in Manhattan. Previously she taught for the New York City Department of Education and worked as a private tutor.

Diandra takes her role as a teacher and role model very seriously. “My time as an educator has led me to dig deeper into understanding how the brain, mind, heart and body integrate to create meaning in our lives and, by extension, how we contribute to the world around us,” Diandra declares. “My greatest hope is to instill in my students a love and passion for learning. I maintain a youthful and naive belief that we are all capable of changing the world by starting with one life,” she says.

Diandra earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Haverford College in 2003. She earned her Masters degree in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 2006.

This year, the Big Apple Award was presented to 49 superlative New York City teachers. Each one was nominated by their principal for work in the profession that inspires students, models great teaching, and enriches school communities. The recipients were chosen through a rigorous selection process that includes community nominations, principal recommendations, classroom visits, an interview, and a review by a board of judges. To learn more about the program and this year’s recipients, click on this link to Big Apple Awards.