English educator Lauren Merkley named Utah’s 2020 Teacher of the year

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Congratulations to English educator Lauren Merkley who has been named Utah’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations are due to English educator Lauren Merkley of Cottonwood High School in Murray, Utah. She’s been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Cornell University in 2005. She spent the next ten years working in the fundraising field. It was in 2015 that Lauren decided to go into the teaching profession. For the past five years, she has taught at Cottonwood High in the Granite School District in Murray, Utah. She currently teaches Language Arts to high school juniors.

Lauren says she was inspired to become an English teacher by her own high school English teacher, Mr. Wolfe. She recalled that Mr. Wolfe’s classroom was furnished with couches and lamps. “It felt like we’re in his living room having a discussion,” she described.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Lauren serves on her school’s Equal Opportunity Schools team. The team works to identify students from under-represented groups to consider taking a more rigorous coursework, such as AP classes, concurrent enrollment, Career and Technical Education, or honors courses.

“I’m really interested in educational equity, so removing barriers to education through advanced classes, attendance policies, homework policies that are roadblocks for underrepresented populations, I’m very passionate about that,” expressed Lauren.

Lauren also serves as a member of Cottonwood’s leadership team. “This team looks at school data to help identify the positive things that are going on in the school, as well as coming up with solutions for problems,” described Cottonwood Principal Terri Roylance.

To read more about Lauren, follow this link to an article published by Deseret News.

US Representative and Home Economics teacher Elizabeth Andrews

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Former high school Home Economics teacher Elizabeth Andrews was the first woman to represent Alabama in the US House of Representatives. Photo credit: Encyclopedia of Alabama

Many talented educators also distinguish themselves in the political arena. One such educator is Elizabeth Andrews, a high school Home Economics teacher who became the first woman to represent Alabama in the US House of Representatives.

Elizabeth was born on February 12, 1911, in Geneva, Alabama.  After she graduated from high school, she enrolled at Montevallo College, now known as the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics in 1932.

The neophyte educator inaugurated her career at a high school in Livingston, Alabama. During the Great Depression, she relocated to a teaching position in Union Springs to earn more money.

When Elizabeth’s husband, George William Andrews, ran for office in the 78th US Congress, she worked tirelessly for his campaign. He won the election, and was re-elected 13 times. When her husband passed away in 1971, Elizabeth ran on the Democratic ticket unopposed for his position representing the 3rd Congressional District. When she won the election, she became the first woman to represent her state in the US Congress until 2010.

While in office, Elizabeth served on the Committee for Post Office and Civil Service. She introduced legislation to protect benefits for Social Security and health care. She also threw her energy into funding research centers working for cures for cancer and heart disease. She sponsored legislation to designate Tuskegee University a National Historic Site. In addition, she supported withdrawal from the VietNam conflict.

Elizabeth retired from politics in 1973. She moved to Union Springs, Alabama, and became engrossed in local community affairs.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on December 2, 2002, in Birmingham, Alabama. She was nearly 92 years old. She was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Union Springs.

To read more about this Elizabeth Andrews, see this article about her in the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Educator Mohammad Ahmad of New York earns an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award

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Educator Mohammad Ahmad of the Bronx, New York, earned an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award.

This year, ten remarkable educators from around the country have garnered a Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award from Amazon. One of these is Mohammad Ahmad, a teacher at Bronx Academy of Letters in the Bronx borough of New York City. This is the first year Amazon has award the prestigious award.

Mohammad was recognized for his work to promote diversity and inclusion in computer science. “Computer science skills will be of vital importance as we take on and solve the challenges of the future,” asserted CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer Jeff Wilke.

“Growing up, I didn’t see many faces like mine in education, whether they were male or a person of color,” recalled Mohammad. “I grew up in a single-parent, low-income household. Although my mother got creative and made sure to provide us with resources or alternative resources to broaden our horizons, not all families are as privileged,” he continued. “I started teaching to make an impact on the lives of all students, to be an ally to students of color who often don’t see themselves reflected in the staff of their schools, and to try to broaden the horizons of those students who might not have access to the same resources as those from higher income families,” he concluded.

Mohammad graduated from JP Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida, in 2010. After his high school graduation, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History, Psychology, and Arabic from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2015. He completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Adolescent Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from St. John’s University in Temecula, California, in 2018. After several years of experience working in the private sector, Mohammad accepted a position at the Bronx Academy of Letters, where he has taught for the past four years.

All of the ten honored educators received a prize package valued at over $50,000 to be used to benefit his or her school and students. In addition, Amazon donated an additional $25,000 in school supplies, including Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablets, classroom essentials from AmazonBasics, and additional items from Amazon Essentials. Award recipients also received one full year of Amazon Music Unlimited and a 12-month Audible.com Gold Gift Membership. Mohammad and his fellow award-winners also received a $200 Amazon gift card to celebrate his hard work.

To learn more about all the winners of the award, see this link at Amazonblog.

Teacher Angela McLean served as Montana Lieutenant Governor

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Former high school History and Government teacher Angela McLean also served as the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Montana.

Many talented educators also achieve success in the political arena. One of these is Angela McLean, a high school history and government teacher who became the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Montana. Angela was the first classroom teacher and only the second woman to serve in this position in Montana history.

Angela was born on August 19, 1970, In Twin Bridges, Montana. After she graduated from Twin Bridges High School, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana Western. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Montana Missoula. Angela was the first person in her family to graduate from college.

As a beginning teacher, Angela taught at Montana’s Arlee High School from 1994 to 1997. She taught at Anaconda High School from 1997 until she was appointed Lieutenant Governor on February 17, 2014. She held the position until 2016. At the time of her appointment, Angela was the chairwoman of the Montana Board of Regents, a position she held from 2012 to 2014. She also served on the Montana Board of Public Education and as an adjunct professor at Montana Tech of the University of Montana. After she left office, Angela served in the position of director of American Indian and minority achievement in the office of the state commissioner of higher education.

This remarkable educator credits her former teachers for her adult successes. “As a high schooler waiting tables at the Blue Anchor Cafe, it would have been hard for me to imagine one day becoming Lieutenant Governor – but great teachers and the support of my friends, my community, and my family have made today possible for me,” she said on the day she was appointed. These teachers “made me believe the sky was the limit,” she continued. “I think, even at times when the challenges I felt were so overwhelming that I might not have believed it, they made me see it. So I hope that somewhere along the line I made a difference in the lives of my students the way the teachers in my life made a difference.”

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link at Milken Educator Awards.com.