(June 8, 2017) Worcester County schools encourage educators to try new programs, applications and methods in the classroom, and an annual ceremony recognizes those teachers who have excelled in those regards.
Held last Wednesday, this year’s ceremony drew an audience of 40 to 50 people and featured a lunch provided by Chef Phil Cropper and culinary arts students at Worcester Technical High School.
Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor recognized the various staff present at the luncheon and the principals of each school that encouraged their teachers to try new things in order to help students succeed.
The keynote address was delivered by 2017 Teacher of the Year Julia Hill, who pre-recorded her remarks, as she was presenting an award elsewhere in the state that day.
Elizabeth Atwood at the Cedar Chapel Special School was honored for adopting a curriculum that featured shared writing and reinforced communications skills for students with complex instructional needs.
Jennifer Beach at Pocomoke Middle School created a “makerspace” at the school library that allowed students to create things including 3D printed items, robotics and a massive 6.5 foot square Lego “Warrior Wall.”
Brian Cook at Pocomoke Middle School was recognized for coordinating instruction with students in California and Iowa to analyze young adult literature.
At Stephen Decatur High School, Ryan Cowder used an online registration tool to simplify and streamline paperwork related to athletic programs. The tool saved coaches’ and students’ time, and the data is more easily found in case of an emergency.
The eighth grade math team, led by Regina Dashiell, was honored for implementing a “math menu” system in which the classes begin with a warm-up, followed by a lesson, followed by a selection of activities related to that lesson.
The second grade team led by Jessica Frye at Buckingham Elementary School was featured for its third annual “Invention Convention,” in which students invent something, improve upon an existing invention or deliver a report on their favorite inventors.
Tom Hamill at Worcester Tech implemented a data dashboard for administrators and teachers to examine and improve programs, with the goal being to boost student performance.
Julia Hill, also at Worcester Tech, was recognized outside of her keynote speaker responsibilities for integrating an app into her classroom that allows communication between her and students outside of class time.
Trevor Hill and Sandy Friedman used Hill’s friend Shadrach, who lives in the western African country Burkina Faso, to connect local students more directly to their geography lesson. Shadrach took students on a virtual tour of his day-to-day surroundings while sharing details about his life.
The sixth grade team at Snow Hill Middle School, led by Angelique Hunter, implemented a system that outlined all content and projects for the school year, allowing students to pick and choose what to complete and when.
Michael Levy at Worcester Tech conducted a forensic sciences ballistics lab range day that allowed students to study bullet trajectories and terminal ballistics.
Tracy Lewis at Worcester Tech found his students did not enjoy terminology review sessions, so he found an application that turns it into a game environment.
Aarti Sangwan at Worcester Tech had her students team up to prepare a review of course materials, prepare a study guide and suggest problem-solving strategies for an assigned unit. In this way, students had a full overview of the year’s work done in one week.
Richard Stephens at Worcester Tech created a project for the welding program so students would have a physical object to work with and not just verbal answers to questions about the curriculum.
Brittany Taylor at Snow Hill Middle School implemented a flexible school library system that allows students better access to library materials.
Valerija Zienty at Worcester Tech required students to select a recently published article on a selected topic, summarize it and write a reflection piece. Other students would then discuss the article in the classroom and online.
Held last Wednesday, this year’s ceremony drew an audience of 40 to 50 people and featured a lunch provided by Chef Phil Cropper and culinary arts students at Worcester Technical High School.
Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor recognized the various staff present at the luncheon and the principals of each school that encouraged their teachers to try new things in order to help students succeed.
The keynote address was delivered by 2017 Teacher of the Year Julia Hill, who pre-recorded her remarks, as she was presenting an award elsewhere in the state that day.
Elizabeth Atwood at the Cedar Chapel Special School was honored for adopting a curriculum that featured shared writing and reinforced communications skills for students with complex instructional needs.
Jennifer Beach at Pocomoke Middle School created a “makerspace” at the school library that allowed students to create things including 3D printed items, robotics and a massive 6.5 foot square Lego “Warrior Wall.”
Brian Cook at Pocomoke Middle School was recognized for coordinating instruction with students in California and Iowa to analyze young adult literature.
At Stephen Decatur High School, Ryan Cowder used an online registration tool to simplify and streamline paperwork related to athletic programs. The tool saved coaches’ and students’ time, and the data is more easily found in case of an emergency.
The eighth grade math team, led by Regina Dashiell, was honored for implementing a “math menu” system in which the classes begin with a warm-up, followed by a lesson, followed by a selection of activities related to that lesson.
The second grade team led by Jessica Frye at Buckingham Elementary School was featured for its third annual “Invention Convention,” in which students invent something, improve upon an existing invention or deliver a report on their favorite inventors.
Tom Hamill at Worcester Tech implemented a data dashboard for administrators and teachers to examine and improve programs, with the goal being to boost student performance.
Julia Hill, also at Worcester Tech, was recognized outside of her keynote speaker responsibilities for integrating an app into her classroom that allows communication between her and students outside of class time.
Trevor Hill and Sandy Friedman used Hill’s friend Shadrach, who lives in the western African country Burkina Faso, to connect local students more directly to their geography lesson. Shadrach took students on a virtual tour of his day-to-day surroundings while sharing details about his life.
The sixth grade team at Snow Hill Middle School, led by Angelique Hunter, implemented a system that outlined all content and projects for the school year, allowing students to pick and choose what to complete and when.
Michael Levy at Worcester Tech conducted a forensic sciences ballistics lab range day that allowed students to study bullet trajectories and terminal ballistics.
Tracy Lewis at Worcester Tech found his students did not enjoy terminology review sessions, so he found an application that turns it into a game environment.
Aarti Sangwan at Worcester Tech had her students team up to prepare a review of course materials, prepare a study guide and suggest problem-solving strategies for an assigned unit. In this way, students had a full overview of the year’s work done in one week.
Richard Stephens at Worcester Tech created a project for the welding program so students would have a physical object to work with and not just verbal answers to questions about the curriculum.
Brittany Taylor at Snow Hill Middle School implemented a flexible school library system that allows students better access to library materials.
Valerija Zienty at Worcester Tech required students to select a recently published article on a selected topic, summarize it and write a reflection piece. Other students would then discuss the article in the classroom and online.