Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

DC educator Sheri Frierson-Chenier garners PAEMST

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Washington DC educator Sheri Frierson-Chenier has garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Photo Credit: Sheri Frierson-Chenier

It is always a pleasure to share news about a fellow educator who has earned accolades for their work in the profession. Today I can share that Washington DC teacher Sheri Frierson-Chenier has garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Sheri, who is originally from Los Angeles, California, once revealed that becoming a teacher was her childhood dream. Her career as an educator has spanned 15 years. She inaugurated her work in the classroom at Glenn Dale Elementary School in Glenn Dale, Maryland, where she taught kindergarten for three years. She has also taught third grade. Currently she teaches fifth grade and works as a STEM Coordinator at Kimball Elementary School in Washington, DC, where she had been employed for the past 12 years. There she also advises student programs such as the Robotics Club, the Science Fair, the STEM Career Fair, and the STEM Expo.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Sheri chairs the school’s Personnel Committee, the Local School Advisory Team, and the Academic Leadership team. And as if all that were not enough, she was a Fellow of DC Teaching is Central to Learning (TCTL), a program which enabled her to engage  in professional development to understand the role of education policies and programs designed to improve teaching and learning.

Sheri’s PAEMST is not the only recognition she has earned. In 2018, she was a finalist for DC Public Schools Teacher of the Year, and in 2020, she was a finalist for the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education Teacher of the Year.

Sheri earned her Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in Human Development in 2006, and her Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2012, both from Howard University.

Elem teacher Carri Hicks serves in the Oklahoma State Senate

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Former elementary school teacher Carri Hicks now serves in the Oklahoma State Senate. Photo credit: The Oklahoman

Many excellent educators also earn acclaim in the political arena. One of these is Carri Hicks, an elementary school teacher who currently serves in the Oklahoma State Senate.

Carri earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Political Science from Oklahoma City University (OCU). She earned a Master’s degree in Leadership Management and a second Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, both from Capella University.

Once she earned her degrees in 2011, Carri accepted a position as an elementary school teacher in the Putnam City School District. After three years of teaching kindergarten at Tulakes Elementary, she transferred to the Deer Creek School District, where she taught first grade for two years and fourth grade math. She then taught science for two years at Grove Valley Elementary. During these years, Carri also served as a site representative for the Oklahoma Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union.

Outside of the classroom, Carri has worked as an adjunct professor at OCU, where she instructed courses in the College of Education. She has also earned recognition for her work as an educator. In the summer of 2019, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame designated her as a Fellow of the Gaylord McCasland Education. Her work with that organization was to reshape the museum experience for young learners. She has also been named the CEO of Rainbow Fleet, a nonprofit located in Oklahoma City that supports early childhood education and quality child care.

In November, 2018, Carri was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent Oklahoma’s 40th District. There she serves on the Committees for Education; Health & Human Services; Transportation; and Finance. Her focus in the legislature has been to restore decades of budget cuts to public education, improve access to health care, and address the state’s massive labor shortage.

Former elem teacher Mary C. Willis rose to rank of Brigadier General in US Army

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Former elementary school teacher Mary C. Willis joined the US Army and, in a career that spanned 30 years, rose through the ranks to Brigadier General. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not unusual for a fine educator to excel in fields outside of the classroom. One who did was Mary C. Willis, an elementary school teacher who became Brigadier General in the United States Army.

Mary was born on Jan. 31, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland. Following her graduation from Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland, she enrolled at St. Mary’s Seminary College, where she studied for two years, graduating in 1959. Next Mary attended Salisbury State Teachers’ College, now known as Salisbury University, where she earned her degree in 1962. Later she earned a Master’s degree from Shippensburg University, a public university located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Once she earned her degrees, Mary accepted a position as a second grade teacher at North Salisbury Elementary School in the Wicomico County Public School System. She worked there for one year.

In 1963, Mary entered the US Army, which inaugurated a career in the military that spanned 30 years. During her years of service, Mary served in Virginia, Korea, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, and Germany. Her final post was at the Pentagon, where she worked with White House Chief of Staff Colin Powell. Ultimately, the former teacher rose through the ranks to the position of Brigadier General.

During this career, Mary became the first female Army officer administrator at the US Military Academy at West Point. While there, she successfully integrated women cadets into the school in 1976, and also served as a vocal advocate for the integration and fair treatment of women at all ranks and levels of the US Army.

For her military service, Mary earned many accolades. She earned three Army Commendation Medals, five Meritorious Service Medals, three Overseas Service Ribbons, an Army Service Ribbon, a Far East Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

Following her retirement in 1993, Mary worked for two years with the National Guard in Washington, DC, and then in 1995, she accepted a position at Salisbury University, where she was awarded an honorary PH.D. Today, at age 82, Mary is still going strong.

 

Alaska teacher Jason Daniels garners prestigious PAEMST

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Elementary school teacher Jason Daniels of Soldotna, Alaska, garnered a 2020 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Photo Credit: Jason Daniels

It is always exciting when a member of the professional community earns recognition for their work in the classroom. Jason Daniels, an elementary school teacher from Soldotna, Alaska, has earned such recognition. In 2020, he garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for 2020.

Jason teaches at Kalifornsky Beach Elementary School in Soldotna. In fact, he has spent his entire career of 23 years there, teaching third through sixth grades. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Jason taught remote classes for grades four through six for families in no less than three local elementary schools.

Whether teaching in person or online, Jason’s focus on his students is obvious. He uses an inquiry-based approach to learning, encouraging his students to observe phenomena in the natural world, which brings the learning to life and makes it relevant to their own lives.

The honored teacher extends his expertise beyond his elementary classroom. Since 2018, Jason has spent his summers teaching STEM to underprivileged youth at Upstream Academy. In addition, he has led professional development workshops, and a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade science teacher collaboration. Since 2014, Jason has participated in collaborations to write, review, and adopt new state science standards. In fact, in 2021, Jason co-presented the new state science standards to teachers all over Alaska, and he assisted in the review of the state pilot science assessment. Furthermore, he has been on several district curriculum committees, and currently serves on the 2021-2022 Science Curriculum Committee. And as if all this were not enough, he has been a master teacher for three pre-service teachers.

The PAEMST is not the only prestigious recognition Jason has earned. In 2012, he traveled to Wodonga, Australia, where he taught for one year as a Victorian International Teaching Fellow.

Jason earned his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a his Master’s degree in Educational Technology from the University of Alaska. He is a National Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist.

Good work, Jason!

Covid-19 claims life of beloved educator Celia Hartman

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We are sad to report that beloved elementary school teacher Celia Hartman succumbed to Covid-19 last January. Photo Credit: Telegraph Herald, Iowa

We are sad to report that the educational community has lost yet another beloved educator to Covid-19. Celia Hartman, an elementary school teacher from River Ridge, Illinois, succumbed to the disease on Jan. 3, 2022. She was just 32 years old.

Celia was born on Dec. 29, 1989, in Dubuque, Iowa, although she was raised in Elizabeth. After her graduation from River Ridge High School in 2008, Celia earned her Bachelor’s degree from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, in 2012. Later she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree from American College of Education.

Celia was hired in 2013 to teach second grade at River Ridge Elementary School in Hanover, Illinois. In 2021, she switched to teaching preschool. Throughout her years as an educator, Celia had a reputation for being passionate about her career, and she harbored a genuine love for every one of her students.

Celia’s concern for her students went beyond the classroom. In 2018, she worked with colleagues Tammy Smith and Jen Laity to apply for a grant to help her young charges. The $500 grant, awarded to educators in the first ten yers of their career who want to pursue a service project, was part of the IEA’s Schools and Community Outreach by Educators program. The service project Celia chose to support is Cats Care, a program which helps support the personal needs of students, including providing personal hygiene items, clothing, shoes, and eyeglasses. Celia and her colleagues helped establish Cats Care along within the River Ridge Education Association.

Celia will certainly be missed by her students and by her colleagues.