Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Teachers who are also athletes and/or coaches.

ID math teacher Marcus Ross garners Milken Educator Award

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Junior high school mathematics teacher Marcus Ross of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, garners a prestigious Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: Milken Educator Awards

There are many outstanding educators working in our nation’s schools who are deserving of recognition. One of these is Marcus Ross, a junior high school teacher from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He has garnered a prestigious 2024-2025 Milken Educator Award.

Marcus teaches mathematics to eighth graders at Lakes Middle School in Coeur d’Alene. hands-on instructional techniques, Ross tailors his lessons to meet each student’s individual needs. This amazing educator has a reputation for injecting energy into his curriculum by adapting word problems to stimulate student interest and using YouTube videos to simulate the steps to solve them. For a statistics unit, Marcus enlisted the aide of colleagues to role-play suspects in a mystery game that rewarded students with a clue each time they mastered a math concept. 

In addition, Marcus coaches cross-country, boys’ basketball, and track. He serves as an advisor for the campus  Kind Club, which organizes a “Drive by Kindness” event where students and parents are greeted cheerfully while arriving to school. And as if all that were not enough, he mentors and supports fifth graders at a nearby elementary school.

Early in his career, Marcus established himself as an instructional leader. He is a presenter for Lakes’ Deeper Learning Institute, and he serves on the PLC Guiding Coalition and the District Math Academy. Marcus also serves as a model educator in the Lab Host Network, where his classroom is open for observation by more than 100 teachers across several states and by the Idaho Department of Education. This year, Marcus is advancing his own professional development by completing an internship in administration. 

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more about the program, click on their website at Milken Educator Awards.

Taylor Bussinger named the 2024 Kansas State Teacher of the Year

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Social Studies teacher and coach Taylor Bussinger of Olathe, Kansas, has been named the 2024 State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Olathe Reporter

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned accolades for his work in the classroom. Today I share the story of Taylor Bussinger, a middle school teacher who has been named the 2024 Kansas State Teacher of the Year.

Taylor teachers US History and Leadership courses to eighth graders at Prairie Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas. In addition to his teaching duties, Bussinger serves as the Head Boys Basketball Coach, the Head Cross Country Coach, and the co-founder and sponsor of the school’s Diversity Council. His career as an educator spans ten years.

The honored educator has a strong philosophy about education. “My job is not necessarily teaching history, but putting kids in a position where they’re doing the work of a historian, considering a topic and looking at it from multiple perspectives,” explains Taylor.

Taylor earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Social Studies from the University of Kansas in 2014. He earned his Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Kansas in 2018. In addition to his selection as the Kansas State Teacher of the Year, he was named a Horizon Award nominee in 2015 and he won an Educator Excellence Award in 20I8.

As the Kansas State Teacher of the Year, Taylor garnered a $4,000 cash award; the Kansas Teacher of the Year Lifelong Learning Scholarship to attend participating universities free of charge during his duration of teaching in Kansas; a Jostens “Leader in Education ring.” For the next year, he will travel around the state to advocate for education and provide professional development for his fellow teachers.

To read more about Taylor Bussinger, click on this link to an article about him published by The Kansas City Star.

 

DE educator Anthony Swierzbinski garners 2024 History Teacher Award

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Middle school Social Studies educator Anthony Swierzbinski has been honored as the 2024 Delaware History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Photo Credit: The John Dickinson School

I am always excited to share the news that an outstanding educator has earned recognition for their work with young people. Today, I share the news that middle school teacher Anthony Swierzbinski has been honored as the 2024 Delaware History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. This prestigious award recognizes exceptional elementary through high school teachers who have made an outstanding contribution to American history education.

Anthony teaches at The John Dickinson School, a comprehensive secondary school for grades 6—12 located in the Pike Creek area of suburban Wilmington, Delaware. The school offers a focus on the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Dickinson is named for one of the nation’s founding fathers and a signer of the US Constitution.

Anthony, who is often called “Mr. Swiz” by his students and colleagues, has been teaching at Dickinson since 2009. In the past, he has instructed courses Civics and Economics in high school. Currently, he teaches 6th and 8th grade Social Studies in the middle years program (MYP). In addition, Anthony has served as the cross country and the track and field coach for the middle school. In the eight years he as served in these roles, Anthony has developed one of the most competitive middle school running programs in the state with multiple individual and team titles. As the Head Coach of the Dickinson Ram MYP teams, Coach Swiz emphasizes the values of hard work, good sportsmanship, having a positive attitude, making healthy lifestyle choices, and “doing the right thing.”

As the winner of the 2024 National History Teacher of the Year Award, Anthony will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a specially-currated collection of classroom resources.

AZ teacher Andrea Barallardos named finalist for Arizona ambassador for Excellence

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Andrea Barallardos, a STEM teacher from Douglas, Arizona, has been named one of five finalists for a 2024 Arizona Ambassador for Excellence award. Photo Credit: Scripts Local Media

Congratulations are due to Andrea Barallardos, an exceptional math educator from Douglas, Arizona. She has been named one of five finalists for a 2024 Arizona Ambassador for Excellence award.

Andrea teaches engineering, technical education, and physics at Douglas High School. She has worked at the school since 1999. She also serves as the Chairperson for the Science Department, and she is a STEM coach and SkillsUSA advisor. Her students have excelled so well they have even garnered gold medals in Robotics and Automation technology in 2022 and 2023, and Mobile Robotics in 2023.

Andrea has also served as the school’s cheerleading advisor. Her teams have excelled there, too. In fact, they’ve won a total of five state championships, the most current being Division III Coed Cheer in 2023. 

When she was younger, Andrea’s decision to go into the classroom was not a foregone conclusion. “If you told me in high school that I was going to be a teacher I probably would have bet you a million dollars that I wasn’t,” she remembers. But her attitude about the profession took a radical change while she was studying to be a doctor in the Philippines. That’s when she was encouraged to consider education as a career by those who observed her teaching an anatomy class. “I love teaching,” Andrea declares. “So every day when I wake up it’s not like I’m going to a job. It’s like I’m going to something fun that I love doing,” she says.

Her recognition as an ambassador for excellence is not the only honor Andrea has received. In 2023, she was named Cochise County Teacher of the Year.

Andrea earned her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Sciences from Cebu Doctors’ University, Mandaue City, in the Philippines in 1998. She earned her Master’s degree in Science Education from Arizona State University in 2009.

To read more about Andrea Barallardos, click on this link to an article about her published by Skills USA Champions.

 

New Mexico’s Gerard Pineda is a successful Head Baseball Coach

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La Cueva High School Head Baseball Coach Gerard Pineda (center) with student (right) has led his athletes to no less than seven New Mexico state championships since 2010. Photo Credit: New Mexico Activities Association

There are many outstanding athletic coaches who work with America’s young people, and they are chalking up wonderful achievements! One of these is Gerard Pinedo, a successful baseball coach at La Cueva High School located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Gerard took over as Head Coach at La Cueva during the 2009-2010 season. Since then, he has led his teams to no less than win seven state championships. Gerard’s teams have won 17 games or more in all 13 seasons since Gerard took over. In fact, La Cueva High is ranked among the nation’s top 50 teams by Baseball America, which evaluates teams based on performance, strength of schedule, and player talent. To learn more about the rankings, click on this link to Southern Pigskin.

For his outstanding coaching abilities Gerard was honored by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association on July 25, 2024. The humble coach credits his students for his successes, though. “We’re fortunate to have talented kids,” declares Gerard. “We tried to make sure that they knew how talented they were, and what they were capable of,” he continued. “They’ve been a joy to coach,” he concluded.