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.

CA teacher Alyssa Worbetz honored by College Football Playoff National Championship program

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Meet Alyssa Worbetz, a science teacher and the Director of Movement at Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS) in Panorama City, a suburb of Los Angeles in Southern California. She has been selected as one of 46 educators to be honored this year by the Champions Education Here program sponsored by the College Football Playoff National Championship.

At GALS, Alyssa champions access and exposure to sports for her school’s entire all-female student body. “I’ve seen sports really improve the outcomes in the classroom,” asserts Alyssa. In addition, the honored educator says that regular participation in daily movement reduces depression and anxiety. For this reason, every school day begins with “morning movement,” a workout for the staff and the students. Additionally, movement in incorporated into class curriculum as much as possible throughout the day.

Prior to teaching at GALS LA, Alyssa spent seven years teaching high school science in Los Angeles schools. She also logged over ten years of experience coaching field hockey and softball on a variety of high school teams, national programs, clinics, and camps for players between the ages of 8 and18.

Alyssa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with an emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology from New Jersey’s Farleigh-Dickinson University, Florham, in 2009. She earned her Masters degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Special Education from Farleigh-Dickinson University, Florham, in 2010. She earned a second Masters degree in Biology, cum laude, from South Carolina’s Clemson University in 2016.

The Champions Educate Here program annually identifies and celebrates educators, including physical education teachers, elementary, teachers, special education teachers, coaches, and after-school staff, who nurture the academic, mental health, and social-emotional needs of students through sport, play, and movement. Each selected educator will receive up to $20,000 to expand their efforts at their school. To learn more about the Champions Education Here program sponsored by the College Football Playoff National Championship, click on this link: LosAngeles2023.com/Legacy.

Louisiana educator Ernest Hill developed lesson to celebrate MLK birthday

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Educator Ernest Hill (at left), who was recognized as Louisiana’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year, developed an annual lesson to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo credit: Monroe News Star

Louisiana teacher, assistant principal, and author Ernest Hill planned an annual observance for the birthday of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Ernest, a former social studies teacher at Holly Ridge Elementary School in Richland Parish, was recognized as his state’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year. Currently, he works as an Assistant Principal at his school.

As a classroom teacher, Ernest led his annual lesson about MLK by showing his students a video about the historical icon, followed by a period of self-reflection to think about how to apply King’s actions to their lives today. Ernest emphasized that the holiday is best celebrated with action. “I often tell them that if we live our lives the correct way and if we put ourselves in a position to to be successful, that at some point we have to become the answer to people’s prayers,” Ernest declared. “I just try to make sure that they understand the overall message of King and then how we can apply it to our lives in terms of the opportunity that we have in this country to be whatever we want to be—and the obligation we have to give our best effort to make sure that sacrifices of people like King were not in vain,” he continued.

Next, Ernest would launch his annual movement for reading. As the author of the book A Life for a Life, the former teacher encouraged reading while at the same time introducing his students to stories where they could see themselves. And then he encouraged them to go beyond the text, to imagine themselves in history. In this way, he helped young people understand the emotional aspects of past events. “It’s sort of a continuation of everything that King talked about,” Ernest explained. “I believe in movements; I believe in doing things in a large way in order to create a winning culture or mindset among the masses so that we move in one step towards an ultimate goal of success—and that’s education,” he said.

While literacy is an issue statewide in Louisiana, Ernest says that illiteracy is especially high among Black middle school students. Through his movement to encourage reading, the award-winning teacher hoped to change that.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article about him published in 2021 by the Monroe News Star.

Former NFL player Roger LeClerc became a high school math teacher

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Once former NFL player Roger LeClerc concluded his career in football, he taught high school mathematics for 30 years. Photo credit The Republican Obituaries

Many times talented athletes go on to become accomplished coaches and teachers. One of these is Roger LeClerc, an NFL football player who also coached football at the college level and then taught high school math for many years.

Roger was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Oct. 1, 1936. As a young man, he graduated from Agawam High School in 1954. He then enrolled in Trinity College, a private liberal arts college located in Hartford, Connecticut, where he played both football and baseball. He earned his Bachelor’s degree there in 1960.

Roger became part of the draft for the National Football League (NFL) in 1959. He was drafted by and played for the Chicago Bears for the next seven seasons, from 1960 to 1966. During this time, he earned 377 points, making him the second highest scorer in team history. In fact, he was one of the members of the team that took the NFL championship in 1963. As a football player, Roger served most often as the team’s place kicker, but at 6’3″ and  235 pounds, he also played center and linebacker. In 1967, Roger transferred to the Denver Broncos, where he played one season in the American Football League. He also played amateur baseball in Massachusetts during the football off-seasons. He was a catcher for the Holyoke Orioles in the Tri-County League for several years.

Once his NFL career was concluded, Roger accepted a position as Head Football Coach at Westfield State University in Westfield, Massachusetts. His tenure there lasted one season. That was in 1982.

Next, Roger returned to his home town of Agawam, Massachusetts, where he taught eighth grade and ninth grade algebra and geometry. He also coached football there. His career as an educator and coach spanned 30 years. After his retirement from teaching, he worked at Southwick Community College.

For his work as an athlete and an educator, Roger was inducted into the Agawam High School Hall of Fame in 2016. In addition, he was one of the first 11 individuals inducted into the Trinity College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

Sadly, Roger passed away on Jan. 22, 2021. He was 84 years of age.

Texas teacher Lisa Mackey named a 2023 State Teacher of the Year finalist

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Elementary school teacher Lisa Mackey has been named one of three educators from her state who have been named as 2023 Texas State Teacher of the Year finalists. Photo credit: Texas Association of School Administrators

It is always my pleasure to recognize exceptional educators who have been honored for their work with students. One of these is Lisa Mackey, an art teacher from Klein, Texas. She has been named one of three educators from her state who have been named as 2023 Texas State Teacher of the Year finalists.

Lisa teaches at Fox Elementary School in the Klein Independent School District. In a career that began in 2010 in the Fort Bend Independent School District, she has taught at Fox since 2022, when she became a member of the inaugural staff at that school. Before transitioning to art, she taught as a regular classroom teacher. But she declares that the move has been a good one for her. “As an art teacher, I have a unique opportunity to pull out creativity in every way possible,” Lisa says. “However, having been a classroom teacher before transitioning to art has made me appreciate and integrate cross-curricular activities into many of my lessons.”

In addition to her work as an art instructor, Lisa is an advocate for advanced academics as a Gifted and Talented coordinator. In this role, she works with students to help them thrive in problem-solving and self-driven learning. She also does volunteer work as a Destination Imagination coach. Destination Imagination students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM challenges designed to teach the creative process.

This outstanding educator has been named one of three teachers from across Texas who have been chosen as Texas State Teacher of the Year finalists for the 2023 Elementary Texas Teacher of the Year program. But she has garnered other accolades as well. In 2022, Lisa was named her district’s Teacher of the Year, and she was selected in both 2020 and 2015 as the Metzler Elementary School Teacher of the Year, also located in the Klein ISD. Metzler is an internationally recognized Visible Learning campus. Visible Learning is the result of work by John Hattie who conducted research focusing on the influences that impact student achievement. Hattie was able to identify more than 250 influences on positive student achievement. Visible Learners set learning goals, are reflective, and know when to seek help from peers. Teachers provide success criteria so learners understand what it means to be successful in their learning.

Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Texas State University in 2009, graduating magna cum laude.