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.

Elem teacher Rachel Greenberg named 2024 Teacher of the Year by Providence Public Schools

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Elementary school teacher Rachel Greenberg has earned honors as the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Providence Public School District. Photo credit: 10 WJAR

It is always a pleasure to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned honors for their work with young people in the classroom. Today I share the story of Rachel Greenberg, an elementary school teacher from Rhode Island. She has been named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Providence Public School District.

Rachel teaches at Robert L Bailey IV Elementary School, where she serves as the campus First Grade Multilingual Classroom Teacher.

In her classroom, Rachel uses a truly unique approach to teaching. “I would describe my approach as quirky,” she confesses. “I’m an only child, and growing up, I lived in the boonies, so there was nobody around. So I had imaginary friends, and I had cousins, and they came every so often. But my mom and I were by ourselves. I was home and she would make songs up all the time about everything. And so I kept doing that,” she continues. “And I do that even in my classroom. We take things that are like, not things that are boring, but things that are mundane that you have to learn and we make them fun. So instead of learning about roots and plants and how the roots are in the ground, we make a song out of it. And so it becomes, ‘The roots are in the ground. They soak the water up.’ So every year, A new batch of kids, new songs, new things they like,” she concludes.

In this role she supports language development and personalized learning for her high-needs students. In addition, Rachel serves as the Science Team Lead for K-2; the Musical Director for the school’s production of Finding Nemo Junior.; the Equity Leadership Team Ambassador; the lead for the Elementary Computer Science Curriculum; and the Technology Lead, where she manages building technology issues and facilitated Chromebook repairs.

Rachel’s honors as Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Rachel has received. She earned a Golden Apple Award by the Rhode Island State Department of Education in 2017.

Rachel earned her Bachelor’s degree in Geography, graduating magna cum laude. She earned her Master’s degree in Education, and a second Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, both from Rhode Island College. Her passion for inclusive education is further highlighted by her certifications in Classroom Culture, Rigor and Mastery, Differentiation and Identity, and Interest and Agency, which she earned from the Highlander Institute.

 

Jennifer Fey of Texas garnered 2024 Outstanding Teaching of Humanities Award

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Congratulations to English teacher Jennifer Fey of Spring Hill, Texas. She has garnered a 2024 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award. Photo credit: Cornal Independent School District. 

Congratulations are due to Texas educator Jennifer Fey. She has garnered a 2024 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award.

Jennifer teaches English at Hill Country College Prep High School, a public school located in Spring Hill, Texas. She also partners with a History teacher to plan her lessons. In addition, she serves her school as the National Honor Society sponsor, the University Interscholastic League coordinator, the grade-level chair, a reading interventionist, and a teacher mentor

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a Master’s degree in Reading Instruction from the University of West Florida, and a second Master’s degree in Public Administration from Troy University. Her career as an educator spans 12 years.

Jennifer strongly believes that incorporating project-based learning into her curriculum emphasizes the importance of the humanities subjects she teaches. The projects she incorporates are wide-ranging, from Greek and Shakespearean shadow puppet plays to trade route and revolutionary marketing plans. “The humanities give students a foundation in how to live and how to apply their skills ethically,” declares Jennifer. “By learning through authentic projects, students see how history and literature shape their world.”

Of the more than 700 teachers from across the state of Texas to be nominated for the 2024 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award, Jennifer is one of 15 to receive the honor. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and an additional $1,000 for her school campus to be used for the purchase of instructional materials. Humanities Texas is associated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mission is to advance education through programs that improve the quality of classroom teaching, to support libraries and museums, and to create opportunities for lifelong learning for all Texans.

Her selection for this award is not the only recognition Jennifer has received. In 2023, she was named a recipient for the KENS 5 EXCEL award for Comal Independent School District.

Washington, DC’s Edna Burke Jackson: Educator, author, and activist

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Edna Burke Jackson, an educator, author, and activist from Washington, DC, was the first Black woman to teach at the prestigious all-white Woodrow Wilson High School in her home city. Photo credit: The Washington Post

Many talented classroom teaches have also worked diligently to promote the interests of African Americans in our country. One of these was Edna Burke Jackson, an educator and activist from Washington, DC. She was the first Black woman to teach at the prestigious all-white Woodrow Wilson High School in her home city.

Edna was born Jan. 25, 1911, in Washington, DC. As a young woman, she attended Dunbar High School, a school for African American students. She graduated in 1928, valedictorian of her class. She then enrolled on a scholarship at Howard University, where she studied Romance languages, especially French, and social studies. There she earned first her Bachelor’s degree, and then her Master’s degree. Later she completed graduate courses at Howard University, Cornell, and Catholic University.

In 1934, Edna relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she accepted a position as a teacher at Booker T. Washington High School. In the six years she taught there, she founded the school’s Language Department and became the Department Chair. In 1940, the veteran educator returned to Washington, DC, where she was hired to teach at Cardozo High School. She worked there until 1954.

In 1954, Edna and colleague Archie Lucas, a chemistry teacher, were hired as the first African American teachers hired to work at the prestigious, all-white Woodrow Wilson High School. The pair were hired even though Wilson High remained segregated, unlike six other public high schools in the city of DC. As one of the only two Black educators on the staff, Edna faced scathing racism from her White colleagues. In 1955, Wilson High finally integrated. At Wilson, Edna taught European and World History.

Edna taught at the school for more than 20 years, until her retirement in 1976. During those years, she advocated for increased enrollment of African American students, and for the inclusion of courses in Black Studies to the curriculum.

In addition to her talents in the classroom, this amazing Chalkboard Champion was also an excellent writer. During the 1930’s, she authored a weekly column in the Oklahoma Eagle, a prominent African American newspaper in Tulsa. From 1959 to 1970, she wrote book reviews for the Journal of Negro History in Washington, DC.

Edna Burke Jackson passed away on Feb. 21, 2004. She was 93 years old. To read more about her, see the obituary published by the Washington Post.

Basketball coach Billy Hicks to be inducted into Kentucky’s HS Sports Assoc. Hall of Fame next month

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The late Billy Hicks, one of the nation’s most outstanding basketball coaches, will be inducted into the Kentucky High School Sports Association Hall of Fame next month. Photo credit: Scripps Media

Our nation’s young athletes are indeed fortunate to be mentored by many outstanding coaches. One of these was the late Billy Hicks, a famed boy’s basketball coach who will be inducted into his state’s Kentucky High School Sports Association Hall of Fame next month.

In a career that spanned a total of 38 years, Billy’s teams logged a record of 1,021 wins and 268 losses, the most wins of any boys’ basketball coach in the history of Kentucky high school basketball. He taught and coached at Evarts High School, Harlan Independent, and Corbin Independent, all located in Eastern Kentucky. At Corbin, Billy won one regional title. He spent the last 25 years in Georgetown, Kentucky, where he coached at Scott County High School. He led his Scott County High Cardinals to the Sweet 16 in his first year there. In all, he won six 8th Region titles and seven 11th Region championships in 25 seasons at Scott County. The Cardinals reached seven Boys’ Sweet 16 finals, where they won it all in 1998 and 2007.

Billy was born on August 23, 1952, in Harlan County, Kentucky. He was one of 11 children born into a coal mining family. As a young man, Billy decided to become teacher and athletic coach in order to avoid a life of working in the coal mines. Even as a youngster he was a natural athlete, excelling in basketball, baseball, and softball. His athletic talent landed him a scholarship to play basketball at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he graduated in 1974. Billy retired in 2019.

Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on December 3, 2023, of natural causes. at the age of 71. But his legacy continues in the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame, The Billy Hicks Classic, and the Tyler Hicks Scholarship Fund.