Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Art educator Jonathan Juravich named the 2018 Ohio State Teacher of the Year

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Jonathan Juravich

Elementary art educator Jonathan Juravich named the 2018 Ohio State Teacher of the Year.

Jonathan Juravich has garnered the 2018 Ohio State Teacher of the Year award. Jonathan teaches elementary art at Liberty Tree Elementary in the Olentangy Local School District located in Powell, Ohio. Jonathan has invested 12 years in the teaching profession.

Jonathan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Otterbein University in 2005, and his Master’s degree in Art Education from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 2011. He has spent his entire 12-year career as an elementary at teacher at Powell’s Liberty Tree Elementary School. During those years, he also coached cross country and track at Hyatts Middle School, served as an adjunct professor at Otterbein, and worked as an art program consultant for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. In addition, Jonathan is recognized as a leader in the Ohio Art Education Association.

Over the course of his career, Jonathan has earned many accolades. He was named the Ohio Central Region Outstanding Art Teacher in 2014, and he was given the Otterbein University Community Engagement Award in 2013. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Central Ohio selected him Man of the Year in 2012, and the Art Academy of Cincinnati gave him their Peace and Justice Award in 2011.

Jonathan Juravich

Art teacher Jonathan Juravich works with his students at Liberty Tree Elementary School.

School

And then he was named the 2018 Ohio State Teacher of the Year. He’s humble about the praise, though. “There are moments in our every day where we have the opportunity to quietly shine, and I hope you take it,” remarks Jonathan. “Don’t wait for a giant role and the pride that accompanies it, but instead leap forward and show the world what you are made of: respect, empathy, awareness, perseverance, and above all kindness.”

 

Lucas Daniels selected Mississippi’s 2018 State Teacher of the Year

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Lucas Daniels

Sixth grade math teacher Lucas Daniels has been selected Mississippi’s 2018 State Teacher of the Year.

Sixth grade math teacher Lucas Daniels has been selected by the state of Mississippi as their 2018 Teacher of the Year.

Lucas came from a family of educators. Both his mother and his father were teachers. Lucas earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2009, and he earned his Master’s degree in Education in 2011, both from Mississippi College, a Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi.

The honored educator inaugurated his career at Pearl Junior High School in Pearl, Mississippi, where he taught from 2011-2012. His next assignment was at Clinton High School in Clinton, Mississippi, where he worked from 2012-2013. Then he transferred to Petal High School, where he taught from  2013-2015. His current assignment is at Petal Upper Elementary School in Petal, Mississippi, where he has been from 2015 to the present.

To learn more about the impressive Lucas Daniels, view the video below:

Sara Reed named 2018 Wyoming State Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to kindergarten teacher Sara Reed, who was named the 2018 Wyoming State Teacher of the Year. “Sara Reed is one of those outstanding individuals whose personal mission fits their professional mission,” says Boyd Brown, Superintendent of Campbell County School District #1. “During her 12 years as a kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Reed has taken every student in her class and worked to meet their needs, no matter what learning style they may have or other hardship they may be dealing with outside of school,” Brown declares. “Sara is a leader in her school, the district, and will be a great role model as the Wyoming State Teacher of the Year,” he concluded.

Sara was raised in a family of educators in Gillette, Wyoming. She has been a teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School for 12 years. She has a reputation for making every effort to get to know each student and their families so she can tailor her teaching to meet their needs. She also incorporates “movement with a purpose” into her classroom to help her students improve in their reading and writing, and to reduce behavior problems.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Sara developed the Kindergarten Mentor Program at Hillcrest. The program pairs each kindergartener with a sixth grader at the beginning of the school year to ease the transition into school. Sara matches students based on interest, gender, and culture, making sure that each English-Language Learner student has a sixth grader that can speak with them in their native language. Principal Brad Winter says the mentor program is one of the most positive and successful programs available at Hillcrest, and it has helped ease the stress of starting kindergarten for many of the students and their families.

Congratulations, Sara!

Inspiration from 2018 NY Teacher of the Year Christopher Albrecht

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Here is your daily dose of inspiration. It comes from Christopher Albrecht, a fourth-grade teacher at the Fred W. Hill School in Brockport, New York. Christopher is the 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year. This amazing educator has mentored numerous student teachers and several first-year teachers. Obvioiusly, he is eager to spread his passion for the profession. View his video below:

 

Brian Marinelli: Elementary school teacher, former Air Force serviceman

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Brian Marinelli

Idaho elementary school teacher and former Air Force serviceman Brian Marinelli

Throughout the country, there are many dedicated educators who have also served our country in the military. One of these is Brian Marinelli, a retired Air Force serviceman who is now an elementary school teacher in Boise, Idaho.

Brian spent 23 years in the Air Force, and retired as a Senior Master Seargeant. While in the service, he traveled the globe working in satellite communications. Once he retired, Brian didn’t know what he was going to do, until he spent time as a volunteer in his daughter’s classroom. After that experience, he knew he wanted to be a school teacher. While still in the Air Force, Brian registered with Troops to Teachers (TTT), a government program that offers advice, support in getting a teacher certification, and assistance in finding a teaching job.

Brian is now in his seventh year as an elementary teacher at Collister Elementary School  in Boise, Idaho. He is currently teaching fifth- and sixth-grade gifted students. He teaches three different math courses, two science, and one language arts course each day.

“I take to my classroom the same fire and commitment I had on the flight line in the Air Force,” asserts Brian. “If you were dedicated to your work in the military, you will be dedicated as a school teacher also.”

Dr. Gerald Bell, Marinelli’s principal at Collister Elementary School in Boise, praises the former serviceman’s work with young people, “Brian is an outstanding individual. He has great enthusiasm and passion for teaching and has a backbone for doing the right thing. He connects immediately with his students. He is a leader — confident, but with humility and ready to learn new skills,” says Bell.

To learn more about the TTT program, consult this link: Troops to Teachers.