Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Deanne Moyle-Hicks named Nevada’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary School teacher Deanne Moyle-Hicks of the Washoe County School District has been named Nevada’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: LinkedIn.com

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional teacher who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. Deanne Moyle-Hicks, an elementary school teacher in the Washoe County School District in northern Nevada, is one of these. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Deanne teaches fourth grade at Natchez Elementary School, a Title 1 school located on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation. Teaching at this school presents a plethora of challenges, says Natchez Principal Jake Chapin. Most of the students live in poverty. A higher percentage of students than average have been diagnosed with a learning disability. And, because Native Americans have been hard hit by COVID-19, one in 20 students has faced the death of a parent, Chapin reports.

As a professional, Deanne is passionate about her students. She believes they deserve relevant and rigorous learning experiences. To provide her kids with consistency, she has looped with her current students since they were in the first grade. She believes in cultivating family partnerships, and she works diligently to build trust in her relationships with students and parents. This work has yielded a significant impact on student success and achievement.

Deanne’s service as Nevada’s 2022 Teacher of the Year is not the only work outside of the classroom the honored educator performs. She has collaborated with Opportunity 180, the Nevada PTA, and Nevada Succeeds. She also works with the Teachers and Leaders Council and the National Teach Plus Teacher Cabinet. In addition, she is a Teach Plus Nevada Policy Fellow; a National Understood Fellow; and a member of the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Network.

Deanne earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She earned her Master’s in Literacy from Lesley University. She is also National Board certified. Her career as an educator spans 28 years.

 

Happy Independence Day, Teachers!

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This delightful image was created by Emily Wunderle of Saxtons River, Vermont, to represent Saxtons River Elementary School teacher Jaime Douglass. Photo Credit: The Vermont Journal

Isn’t this Independence Day image delightful? The design was created by Emily Wunderle from Saxtons River, Vermont, in 2021. Emily won many art contests while a student at Bellows Falls Union High School in her home state.

Emily’s Independence Day drawing features a teacher dressed in patriotic clothing poised at the blackboard while holding class online. Emily created the image as a tribute to teachers, especially Saxtons River Elementary School teacher Jaimie Douglass. Jaime was honored last year by the University of Vermont as an Outstanding Teacher.

 

Texas educator Blanca Enriquez served as Director of Head Start

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Immigrant and former Texas first grade teacher Blanca Enriquez served as the Director of Head Start. Photo Credit: The Prospector

Many times gifted classroom teachers rise to positions of rest influence in the educational community. This is true of Blanca Enriquez, a former elementary school teacher who served as the Director of Head Start.

Head Start is a national program created by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has served more than 31 million low-income children and their families from birth to age 5 through comprehensive early childhood education, health and nutrition programs, and parent involvement. Blanca has held the position of Director since 2015.

Blanca was born in Ciudad Juarez, and immigrated to the United States when she was only six years old. She was raised in El Segundo Barrio in El Paso, Texas. This neighborhood is one of El Paso’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods, but it is also one of the poorest ZIP codes in the nation.

When she graduated from the city’s Bowie High School, Blanca placed in the top 10% of her class. She went on to earn both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso, and she completed the requirements for her PhD in Education Administration and Management at New Mexico State University.

Blanca launched her career as a professional educator in 1973 when she accepted a position as a teacher’s aide in El Paso. After she earned her degrees, she taught English as a Second language to kindergarteners and first graders in El Paso public schools. By 1986, she held the position of the Director of Region 19 of Head Start, a position she held for 21 years.

In addition to these roles, Blanca has also served as a member of the Texas State Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Early Childhood Education. She was appointed by former President George W. Bush as an advisory board member for the National Institute for Literacy, and she is a member of the National Association for the Education of Children, the Texas and National Associations for Bilingual Education, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

For her work as an educator, Blanca was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

Brittany Brown recognized as one of five finalists for Florida’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Brittany Brown, an elementary school teacher from Florida, has been recognized in her state as one of five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year in 2021. Photo Credit: spirit.saintleo.edu

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who serve as role models for exemplary teaching. One of these is Brittany Brown, an elementary school teacher from Florida who has been recognized in her state as one of five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year in 2021.

Brittany teaches third and fourth grade English language arts at Wildwood Elementary School in Sumter County. Her co-workers describe her as passionate about supporting her students academically through the positive relationships she has built with each of them. In addition, she established the Reading Superstars program to recognize students who have made outstanding gains in reading. Brittany serves as the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) site member for her school, and also as their English/Language Arts representative to the District.

The honored educator says she emphasizes reading skills in her classroom instruction. “Reading is—and I tell my kids—reading is the way it’s your way out of any situation. You have to be able to read and comprehend in order to be successful,” Brittany asserts. “It’s one of those things that many kids don’t like. Unfortunately, they aren’t really exposed to reading at early ages. And so it’s just something that they have to learn to love to do,” she continues. “And so I feel like my job is to help them foster that love for reading, like make them feel like it’s just something that’s just super cool, something they need to do. But I think is really important,” she concludes.

Brittany earned her Bachelor’s degree in Family and Community Services in 2011 from the University of Florida and her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2015 from Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida.

This year’s five 2022 Teacher of the Year state finalists were selected from over 185,000 excellent public school teachers throughout Florida. The other four finalists were Jim Schmitt of Duval County, Sarah Ann Painter of Pinellas County, Kari Johnson of Sarasota County, and Frank Garaitonandia of Volusia County. The 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year will be officially named on July 22 in Orlando.

Elem educator Kelly Shrein named Alaska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher Kelly Shrein of Anchorage has been named Alaska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Alaska Public Media

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these educators is Kelly Shrein, an elementary school teacher from Anchorage, Alaska. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Kelly teaches a combination class for first and second graders at Chinook Elementary School in Anchorage. During the pandemic, she demonstrated extraordinary resolve to connect with her students beyond online teaching. She started by driving to the house of each of her students to express how much they were missed. She then began writing postcards, setting up Zoom meetings, and making phone calls consistently through the Spring and Summer.

“This past school year has thrown so many curveballs at educators and our students and their families,” asserts Kelly. “And I learned through this experience, I just needed to think outside of the box more,” she said. “How do I connect more with my students? How do I connect more with their families? How do I keep these relationships going? Because they’re so important,” she concluded.

When classes resumed via Zoom in Fall of 2020, attendance in her class was higher than anticipated. The results of the time spent connecting with students outside of class were apparent. Her outreach gained the attention of local news outlets around the country and was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine in May, 2020.

Her effort did not go unnoticed by administrators in her District. “Kelly Shrein is a shining example of what makes Alaska’s educators among the best in the country,” declares school Commissioner Michael Johnson. “Even in the face of adversity, Mrs. Shrein goes to extraordinary lengths on a daily basis to connect with her students and ensure an excellent education, regardless of the circumstances,” he continued. “Kelly’s work to reach out to, support, and encourage her students throughout the pandemic shows tremendous creativity and care – not just for who the students are today, but for the adults and leaders they will become in the future,” Johnson concluded.

Kelly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2013 from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. In 2018, she earned a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Reading and Literacy from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

To read more about Kelly Shrein, see this article about her published on the website for  CCSSO Teacher of the Year.