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.

Former teacher Carolyn Comitta now serves as Pennsylvania legislator

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Former teacher Carolyn Comitta has served her community in both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate. Photo credit: Comitta Official Senate Website

Many fine educators also make accomplished politicians. One of these is Carolyn Comitta, a teacher who has served in both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Carolyn was born in Buffalo, New York, but relocated to Pennsylvania as a toddler. When she grew up, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1974. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1989. From 1974 to the 1985, Carolyn worked in the Octorara Area School District as a classroom teacher and as a curriculum specialist in special and gifted education.

After leaving the classroom, Carolyn worked in her husband’s business, Thomas Comitta Associates, Town Planners and Landscape Architects. And then she inaugurated her career in public office when she ran for and was elected to the West Chester Borough Council. She served in that role from 2006 to 2010. Then, in 2010, she became the first woman to be elected mayor of West Chester, where she served from 2010 to 2017.

Following her service as mayor, Carolyn was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She represented the 156th District from Jan. 3, 2017 to Nov. 30, 2022. She has served in the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the 19th District since Jan. 56, 2021. In the Senate, she serves as Minority Chair of the Agriculture & Environmental Resources. She is also a member of the committees for Education; Aging & Older Adult Services; Health & Human Services; and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness.

Today, Carolyn is an active member of World Information Transfer, a nonprofit United Nations non-governmental organization focused on educating people and communities about the connection between the environment and public health. She is also actively involved in several community organizations, including the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of West Chester, and the League of Women Voters. In addition, she has served on various boards at her alma mater, West Chester University.

 

Oregon STEM teacher Ranjani Krishnan garners coveted 2023 PAEMST Award

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Computer science and mathematics teacher Ranjani Krishnan from Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, has garnered a coveted 2023 PAEMST Award. Photo credit: Lincoln High School

There are so many talented educators who have earned recognition for their expertise, creativity, and hard work in the classroom. One of these is Ranjani Krishnan, a high school  STEM teacher from Portland, Oregon. She has garnered a coveted 2023 PAEMST award.

The PAEMST, Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, recognize 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 meeting with the President and a $10,000 cash prize.

Ranjani teaches computer technology and mathematics at Lincoln High School in Portland. She has worked there for seven years. Her efforts include participating in an annual schoolwide student-led Wellness Fair on her campus. During the pandemic, she orchestrated student research that resulted in a 3-D prototype of a face shield designed to protect health care workers in her city.

In addition to her work with students, Ranjani is also an accomplished musician. Her first album, released in 2015 and entitled Cream of Portland, offers musical selections that are a composite of many musical styles, Indian Classical, Flamenco, Balkan, North African, Jazz, Celtic, and Country.

The honored educator earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and another in Music Theory and Composition, both from Reed College in Portland. She earned a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Illinois Urbana at Champaign, and a second Master’s degree in Mathematics Teacher Education from the Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling.

Georgia teacher Susan Allgood garners VFW Citizenship Education Award

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Middle school English teacher Susan Allgood of Toccoa, Georgia, has garnered a 2023 Smart Maher National citizenship Education Teacher Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Photo credit: Veterans of Foreign Wars

As role models for young people, teachers often emphasize the qualities of patriotism and good citizenship in their young students. One teacher who does this exceptionally well is Susan Allgood, a middle school teacher from Toccoa, Georgia. She has been recognized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for her excellence in efforts to ensure  her students understand duty to country while honoring the service and memory of America’s veterans. The organization has honored her with a 2023 Smart Maher National Citizenship Education Teacher Award.

Susan teaches seventh and eighth grade English/Language Arts at Stephens County Middle School in Toccoa. She was selected for the honor because she encouraged not only the students in her classroom, but also every student on her campus to participate in the VFW’s annual Patriot’s Pen essay contest. To inspire the young authors, she shared novels and biographies about veterans, the military, and our nation’s history into her curriculum.

In addition to sharing the stories of veterans and promoting the essay contest, the honored teacher organized field trips to New York City to visit the memorial built at Ground Zero. She teaches lessons about the devastation and aftermath of Sept. 11. And she encourages her students to recognize that they can make a difference in the world around them.

It makes perfect sense that Susan would emphasize the role of veterans in her curriculum. She has two sons who are on active duty in the military. Because of this, she understands firsthand how important it is to connect the military and veterans with young people.

To learn more about Susan Allgood and the prestigious award she has won, click on the following link to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

 

Clara Barton: School teacher, Civil War nurse, humanitarian, and activist

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Clara Barton was an accomplished school teacher. She was also a Civil War nurse, humanitarian, and women’s rights activist. Photo credit: National Archives

Many people have heard of the pioneering nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. But did you know that when she was a young woman she was a school teacher?

Clara was born on Dec. 25, 1821, on a farm in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Her formal schooling began when she was only three years old, When she was three years old, but even at that age she excelled in reading and spelling.

Clara studied at the Clinton Liberal Institute in Clinton, New York. There she earned her first teacher’s certificate in 1939. Even before this, when she was only 16 years old, Clara accepted a position as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in her home town of North Oxford. There she was praised for instilling discipline in her students without the use of corporal punishment, which was prevalent in her day. Later, Clara relocated to Bordentown, New Jersey, where she opened the first free public school in the state.

Clara’s career as an educator spanned 12 years. In addition to teaching in Massachusetts and New Jersey, she also taught in schools in Canada and West Georgia. Throughout her years ion the classroom, Clara lobbied vociferously for equal pay for women and men teachers. “I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man’s work for less than a man’s pay,” she once declared.

During the American Civil War, Clara volunteered to nurse wounded soldiers in Washington, DC. Some of her patients were members of the 6th Massachusetts Militia, and a few of them were her former students. Throughout the bitter conflict, Clara worked diligently to collect and store medical supplies, clean field hospitals, apply dressings, and serve food to wounded soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides on the front lines. She was present at some of the most fierce battles of the war. Her grateful patients called her the “Angel of the Battlefield.”

When the Civil War was over, Clara coordinated a national effort to locate soldiers who were missing in action. Through. her efforts, 22,000 soldiers who were marked “missing” were located. In 1881, she founded the American Red Cross. In 1905, she established the National First Aid Society to teach people how to give first aid and save lives even when health workers are not on the scene.

This amazing educator, nurse, humanitarian, and women’s rights activist passed away on April 12, 1912, in Glen Echo, Maryland. She was 90 years of age. In 1973, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. To read more about her, click on this link to the National Women’s History Museum.

 

NY teacher Kemeisha Barrett garners 2023-2024 Big Apple Award

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Math teacher Kemeisha Barrett of Brooklyn, New York, has garnered a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award. Photo credit: Ebbetts Field Middle School

The city of New York is very proud of their public school teachers. In fact, city leaders regularly honor exceptional educators with their annual Big Apple Awards. For the 2023-2024 school year, one of these exceptional educators was Kemeisha Barrett, a middle school mathematics teacher at Ebbets Field Middle School in Brooklyn.

Kemeisha says her goal as an educator is to equip her seventh and eighth grade students with the tools they need to become problem-solvers and independent learners. “Math is often seen as a challenging subject, but I believe all students are capable of being successful with math,” she declares. “Students respond well when they are able to make connections between their academic encounters and cultural backgrounds. As such, I have challenged myself to establish a culturally responsive classroom environment for ALL of my students,” she continues.

The school where Kemeisha teaches is as special as the honored teacher. Ebbets Field Middle School is an education center founded in 2005 and located on the Jackie Robinson campus, the original home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. A large number of students who attend the school are immigrants or the children of immigrants. The learners who attend the school form a small community where every teacher knows every student and every student has plenty of opportunities to form and maintain strong friendships with other students.

This year, the Big Apple Awards were 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.