Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

Shelby Borst named 2025 Delaware State Teacher of the Year

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High school Social Studies teacher Shelby Borst of New Castle, Delaware, has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Delaware Live

I am always excited to share the story of an outstanding educator who works in our public schools. Today, I share the story of Shelby Borst, a high school Social Studies teacher from New Castle, Delaware. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Shelby teaches college preparatory courses in Sociology and Advanced Placement Psychology to students in grades nine through twelve at William Penn High School. Some of the courses she teaches are dual enrollment. In addition to the courses she teaches at the high school, Shelby also facilitates distance learning courses in social problems, history of the Holocaust and cultural resilience.

Throughout her nine years in the classroom, Shelby has championed  practices that support students and cultivate an environment of growth. “I enjoy creating experiences for students,” declares Shelby, “whether that is something like the posters in my classroom, where they are navigating chapters on their own, and I’m there as a facilitator, or maybe it’s an interactive experience where they go on a safari and they have to figure out what has happened to the different people that are working within that safari,” she continues. “We just recently went on a scavenger hunt the other day for our perception concepts, so students were tasked with using their devices and technology to take photos of these perception concepts, wherever they see closure or similarity or continuity, and they were able to leave the classroom, and the world was theirs,” she explains. “The learning is in their hands, and I’m a facilitator,” she concludes. In addition, Shelby has led schoolwide Tier 1 initiatives designed to foster a strong, supportive school culture by emphasizing inclusivity, equity, resilience, and student engagement.

Shelby is not the only member of her family to go into to the profession. Her aunt was a middle school math teacher who taught special education students. “I remember she would bring me in during the summer. I would help decorate her classroom or help grade little things that she would be able to give me,” Shelby recalls, “So I’ve been around teachers my whole life, and I’ve gotten to see the insides of what it means to be an educator, so I definitely attribute that exposure to her.”

The Delaware educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education from the University of Delaware. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University.

 

CA Music Educator John Burn to lead student musicians in Rose Parade

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Music Educator John Burn will lead the Homestead High School Mighty Mustang Marching Band and Color Guard of Cupertino, California, in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2025. Photo credit: Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

There are several excellent music educators who will lead their student musicians in the 136th Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2025. One of these is John Burn, the Director of Bands at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. This is the second Rose Parade appearance for the 200-member group. Their first appearance was in 2018.

John has been the Director of Bands at Homestead High School since 1991. He also serves as the Chair of the Music Department there. He is, himself, a high school graduate of the school where he now teaches. In high school, John played trumpet in the Marching Band and was the Drum Major his senior year. After high school he played with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum Corps.

Music educator John Burn of Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. Photo credit:  National Association for Music Education

John earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at UCLA, and his Master’s degree in Music Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

This remarkable educator is a Past-President of the California Music Educators Association, the California Band Directors Association, the California Music Educators Association Bay Section, the Santa Clara County Band Directors Association, and the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival Board of Directors. In addition, John is a contributing author for the book Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra, Volume 4, GIA Publications, 2021, and has presented sessions at state and local conferences in California and Alaska.

For his work with young people, John has received numerous accolades. He was named the 2023 Outstanding Music Educator for the National Federation of High School Associations Region 7 (California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada & Hawaii). He was also recognized as a 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award Semi-finalist; he earned the 2015 CBDA Distinguished Service Award; he was named the 2010 CMEA California Band Director of the Year; he was honored as the 2009-2010 Homestead High School Teacher of the Year; and he is a 2009 Inductee to the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Legion of Honor.

Auto shop teacher Bob Mauger named finalist for 2025 California State Teacher of the Year

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Bob Mauger has been named one of five finalists for 2025 California State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Corona High School

I am always excited to share the news that an outstanding teacher has earned recognition for their work, especially if that teacher is one who works in the same school district where I worked before I retired! Today, I share the news that Bob Mauger of the Corona Norco Unified School District in Corona, California, is one of five educators to be named a 2025 California State Teacher of the Year.

Bob instructs technical education transportation automotive courses—also known as auto shop—at Corona High School. In fact, he is credited with revitalizing the automotive technology program at his school, providing students not only the technical skills necessary to work in the automotive industry, but also developing personality traits needed to success, including confidence, a strong work ethic, and integrity

“It is the commitment of my students who give up extra time on weekends and after hours to make this program successful,” declared Bob when he discovered he had earned the honor. “I wouldn’t be getting this award without you,” he told his students. “When I started, I knew the job was about preparing students for careers in automotive technology,” he continued. “But, I’ve come to realize that connecting them to the community to help those who might not otherwise be able to afford car repairs was important,” he concluded.

Bob didn’t always harbor a desire to become an educator. In fact, he didn’t even consider the career choice until he volunteered at his daughter’s elementary school. Originally, he considered a career as a probation officer.

The honored educator earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social and Criminal Justice with a minor in Child Development from Ashford University. He earned his Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning from Brandman University. He has three teaching credentials: Multiple Subjects; Industrial and Technology (ITE); and Career and Technical (CTE).

Musical Theater teacher Brooke Berry-Wolf earns Big Apple Award

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Musical Theater teacher Brooke Berry-Wolf, shown here with students, has been named a recipient of a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from New York City Public Schools. Photo Credit: Brooke Berry-Wolf

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work with young people. One of these is Brooke Berry-Wolf, a Musical Theater teacher from Harlem, New York. She has been named a recipient of a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from New York City Public Schools.

The Big Apple Awards recognize and celebrate New York City teachers who inspire students to be their best selves; model equitable learning with high expectations for the diverse and dynamic needs of all students; affirm students’ identities, unique gifts, and genius; and enrich their school communities by partnering with families, community members, and community-based organizations.

Brooke teaches at Talent Unlimited High School (TUHS), a small performing arts public school. Admission is by audition and review of academic records. TUHS is widely recognized for its successful preparation of artistic, academically-proficient community of college-ready students.

In her classes, Berry-Wolf’s students complete a rigorous four-year curriculum of vocal, acting, and dance classes with an emphasis on acting through song and dance. Musical Theatre majors are provided the opportunity to perform each year. The degree of student input and choice increases each year and by their senior year, students will write, direct, choreograph, produce, and perform in a Senior Showcase performance.

Brooke helped to start Cake Productions, a female-founded off-off Broadway theatre company. Once the company was off the ground, she went on to produce, direct, and perform in numerous productions, including an annual presentation of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

While living in Colorado, Brooke earned her Bachelor’s degree in Musical Theater with an emphasis in Voice at the University of Northern Colorado. She earned her Master’s degree in teaching win New York City. She has taught at Talent Unlimited HIgh School since 2015.

Virginia’s Symone Jenkins earns 2024 First Year Teacher Award

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Symone Keolani Jenkins of Alexandria, Virginia, is such a phenomenal first-year educator that she has earned a 2024 Outstanding Secondary School Teacher Award. Photo Credit: Fairfax County Public Schools

Like most professional educators, I really struggled to stay on top of things during my first year of teaching. But there are some first-year teachers who, from the very beginning, are so exceptional they even win awards! One of these is Symone Keolani Jenkins, a high school teacher from Alexandria, Virginia. She is so phenomenal that she has earned a 2024 Outstanding Secondary School New Teacher Award from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Symone teaches English and Language Arts courses to sophomores and juniors at West Potomac High School in the Fairfax County Pubic School District. In the classroom, this outstanding educator has a reputation for creating an environment where her students thrive, not only academically but also socially and personally.

Symone embraces diversity and inclusion, and she recognizes the value of considering a variety of different perspectives to the learning environment. In the future, she hopes to offer elective courses in Black Perspectives in Literature and LGBTQ+ Perspectives in Literature. These courses are intended to “assist with having an open mind and open perspective moving forward by looking at the struggles of others in our society and history,” the honored teacher explains.

In addition to working as a teacher, Symone has also devoted her energy to young people by serving them as a volleyball coach for the local Evolution Volleyball Club. In fact, she has served as the Head Coach there since 2021.

Symone earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Cultural Studies in 2021 and her Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching English in 2022, both from George Mason University, a public research university located in Fairfax, Virginia, not far from Washington, DC.

Congratulations, Symone!