Musical Theater teacher Brooke Berry-Wolf earns Big Apple Award

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Musical Theater teacher Brooke Berry-Wolf, shown here with students, has been named a recipient of a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from New York City Public Schools. Photo Credit: Brooke Berry-Wolf

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work with young people. One of these is Brooke Berry-Wolf, a Musical Theater teacher from Harlem, New York. She has been named a recipient of a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from New York City Public Schools.

The Big Apple Awards recognize and celebrate New York City teachers who inspire students to be their best selves; model equitable learning with high expectations for the diverse and dynamic needs of all students; affirm students’ identities, unique gifts, and genius; and enrich their school communities by partnering with families, community members, and community-based organizations.

Brooke teaches at Talent Unlimited High School (TUHS), a small performing arts public school. Admission is by audition and review of academic records. TUHS is widely recognized for its successful preparation of artistic, academically-proficient community of college-ready students.

In her classes, Berry-Wolf’s students complete a rigorous four-year curriculum of vocal, acting, and dance classes with an emphasis on acting through song and dance. Musical Theatre majors are provided the opportunity to perform each year. The degree of student input and choice increases each year and by their senior year, students will write, direct, choreograph, produce, and perform in a Senior Showcase performance.

Brooke helped to start Cake Productions, a female-founded off-off Broadway theatre company. Once the company was off the ground, she went on to produce, direct, and perform in numerous productions, including an annual presentation of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

While living in Colorado, Brooke earned her Bachelor’s degree in Musical Theater with an emphasis in Voice at the University of Northern Colorado. She earned her Master’s degree in teaching win New York City. She has taught at Talent Unlimited HIgh School since 2015.

TX elementary science teacher Amber Chalmers earns recognition from STAT

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Teacher Amber Chalmers has been named the 2024 Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Science Teachers Association of Texas. Photo Credit: Lancaster Independent School District

I am always happy to share the story of a teacher who has earned accolades for their work with young people. Today, I share the story of Amber Chalmers, an elementary school teacher from Lancaster, Texas. She has been named named the 2024 Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT).

Amber teaches science to fifth graders at Spring Houston Elementary School in Houston, Texas. She has taught there for the past eight years. She believes science is not just a subject, but a way of thinking and exploring the world around us. She encourages her students to think of science beyond just the end-of-year exams and to find creative ways to approach science. When she’s not in the classroom, Amber serves as a mentor to other elementary science teachers within her district.

“Learning science now is vastly different than when I was a student many years ago,” asserts Amber. “I could never get into it as a kid, so now I make it a mission for my students to find joy in science,” she reveals. “They love doing hands-on experiments, but I take it further and engage the students in discussion following each experiment or lab. The discussions are vital because they allow the students to dive deeper into why something happened and then make connections to real-world situations outside of the classroom,” she continues. She says the students absorb the concept even more than they normally would following the discussion because they all bring different perspectives and experiences to the conversation.

Amber earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Prairie View A&M in 2005. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas, Arlington, in 2009.

With her STAT recognition comes an additional honor. Amber has been named one of six state finalists for a prestigious 2024 PAEMST (Presidential Award fir Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

 

Ag teacher Stacey Rickard of Illinois garners Golden Owl Award

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Agriculture teacher Stacey Rickard of Illinois has garnered the state’s Golden Owl Award—not once, but twice! Photo Credit: Illinois State Board of Education

s Golden Owl Award—not once, but twice!

Typically, educators who teach agriculture courses escape notice, but Stacey Rickard has earned accolades for her work. She has garnered the state’s Golden Owl Award—not once, but twice!—in both  2023 and 2024.

Stacey leads agriculture courses at Salt Fork High School in Salt Fork, a rural community located in the Central Corn Belt Plains of Illinois. Her teaching methods include hands-on labs, real-world applications, and a commitment to engaging students.

“The dynamic nature of teaching agriculture is what truly captivates my passion for agriculture and teaching,” declares Stacey. “One moment, I might use M&M’s to illustrate lessons on Grain Futures Market trading. The next hour could find me overseeing welding activities, only to conclude my day with a group of 20 students immersed in a soil pit outdoors, digging down four feet deep,” she says.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Stacey serves as the advisor for the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Chapter on her campus. Under her tutelage, club has grown from 22 students to 135, more than half the population of the school, in just the past four years.

Stacey also serves her school as an Assistant Volleyball Coach, the Class of 2025 sponsor, and a member of the campus Curriculum Committee. She also dedicates her time to the state IAVAT Board as the District 4 representative and serves as the Section 18 IAVAT treasurer. And as if all that were not enough, she mentors new agriculture teachers from all over the state.

But her proudest accomplishment, Stacey says, is establishing AgVenture, a program that takes students beyond the corn and bean fields of Illinois to visit the nation’s largest feedlot in Kansas. The program also gave the students the opportunity to lean how to brand cattle in South Dakota. The students collaborated with a local farmer to create an ongoing nitrogen study, using math to take measurements, science skills to craft lab reports, English skills to write speeches, and their knowledge of history to engage policymakers.

In addition to her two Golden Owls, Stacey has earned a Golden Ruler in 2022, and she was named the Teacher of the Week by the News Gazette. Her career as an educator spans 13 years.

Former elem teacher Susie Fishbein becomes famous author of Jewish kosher cookbooks

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Susie Fishbein

Susie Fishbein: Former elementary school teacher and celebrated author of Jewish kosher cookbooks. Photo Credit: Grow and Behold Kitchen

Many gifted classroom teachers also make a name for themselves in professions outside of the classroom. This is true of Susie Fishbein, an elementary school teacher who is also a famous author of Jewish kosher cookbooks.

Susie was born Susan Beth Fishbein in Oceanside, New Jersey, in 1968. She was raised in a strictly kosher household. After her graduation from high school, she earned her Bachelor’s degree and then her Master’s degree in Science Education. Following her college graduation, Susie taught fourth-grade science in a public school in Oceanside for four years.

In 2000, when her first child was a student at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston, New Jersey, Susie co-edited The Kosher Palette: Easy and Elegant Modern Kosher Cooking, a community cookbook produced as a fundraiser. Within two years, the book had gone through four printings and sold 36,000 copies.

After the success of this project, Susie decided to improve her knowledge of cooking. She took lessons and collected recipes from a number of professional chefs. She then produced a series of kosher cookbooks of her own she named the Kosher By Design series. Between 2003 and 2016, Susie wrote nine cookbooks in the series. The recipes appeal to an audience of American Jewish women who want to produce contemporary kosher meals.

While she was writing her cookbook series, Susie also established herself as a celebrity chef, appearing at cooking demonstrations at Jewish events, bake sales, food festivals, and kosher cruises. In addition to her cooking demonstrations, Susie has led “culinary tours” to Israel, France, Italy, and other international destinations. This summer, she launched a culinary institute for kids for the New Jersey Y Camps.

Susie’s efforts have garnered media attention and honors. She has been a featured guest on many TV and radio shows, and she was named to the Forward 50 as one of the most influential Jews in America. She has been featured at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at Disneyworld. In addition, she was an honored guest at the White House in recognition of National Jewish Heritage Month.