The 12 finalists for the title of 2015 Oklahoma Teacher
of the Year were announced last week at Vision 2020 during the Wednesday
general session by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi.
“Announcing the finalists in the Oklahoma Teacher of the
Year competition is one of my favorite things to do,” Barresi said. “These
teachers bring creativity, skill and passion into their classrooms every day,
and their students and colleagues take note. It is uplifting to be able to tell
the state about these exceptional educators. I congratulate them, and I’m
looking forward to learning more about them in the coming months.”
A panel of Oklahoma educators selected two finalists from
each of six regions of the state. Each finalist is a current teacher of the
year in his or her school district.
The finalists are:
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Tonya Lynn Boyle, who teaches fifth grade at H.
Cecil Rhoades Elementary School in Broken Arrow Public Schools.
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Cynthia Brown, who teaches AP English Language and
Composition and Humanities at Piedmont High School.
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Roger Clement, who teaches Physical Science,
Biology, Chemistry and Chemistry II at Noble High School.
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Amber L. Elder, who teaches first and second
grades at James L. Dennis Elementary School in Putnam City Schools.
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Adam Forester, who teaches Chemistry, Pre-AP
Chemistry, AP Chemistry and Earth Science at Bethany High School.
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Monica Hodgden, who teaches Pre-Kindergarten at
Woodward Early Childhood Center.
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James LeGrand, who teaches AP U.S. History,
“America in the 1960s” and “Civil War and Reconstruction” at Altus High School.
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Jennifer Luttmer, who teaches second grade at
Liberty Elementary School in Sallisaw Public Schools.
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Romney Nesbitt, who teaches art at Jenks West
Intermediate School.
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Jason Scott Proctor, who teaches Geometry, Algebra
II, Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus at Tahlequah High School.
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Diane Walker, who teaches All-Honors Oklahoma
History, World History, Government and Geography at Muskogee High School.
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LeaAnn J. Wyrick, who teaches Geography at McCall
Middle School in Atoka Public Schools.
The next Oklahoma Teacher of the Year will be announced during a ceremony at the Oklahoma State Fair, Sept. 16 in Oklahoma City.
Individual fact sheets about all the candidates and their
approaches to teaching are available on the OSDE website, along with more
information about the program. For more, visit: http://www.ok.gov/sde/2015-oklahoma-teacher-year-finalists.
Watch the announcement from the stage at Vision 2020, and
hear from 10 of the finalists themselves at a news conference in this video: http://vimeo.com/101440262
More than 5,000 Oklahoma educators attended this year's Vision 2020 conference.
Lee Roland, principal of Tulakes Elementary in Putnam City Schools, gave the first keynote, reflecting on how great teachers are today and offering a call to action. A video of his presentation is currently being prepared and will soon be posted to the Oklahoma State Department of Education's Vimeo page at vimeo.com/oksde.
Paul Tough spoke about the importance of character Wednesday, and Scott Barry Kaufman said it's time to redefine intelligence in his keynote Thursday.
Breakout sessions covered hundreds of subjects on all three days. For an overview of what people saw, search for #OKVision2020 on Twitter.
Although the conference is over, you can still download valuable materials. Many of the presentations used in breakout sessions are available at okvision2020.ok.gov/events. Click on the time slot and then the title of the session you're interested in to find any materials.
Materials are also available through the Vision 2020 app for Android or iPhone. Search for "Vision 2020" in your app store. It's free and still available.
While you're at it, take a look at some of our photos from Vision 2020 here.
A free online resource aimed at strengthening
American Indian education in Oklahoma is now available to all educators.
Located on the Oklahoma State Department of Education
(OSDE) website at ok.gov/sde/oier, the Oklahoma
Indian Education Resource (OIER) details the vibrant culture, traditions,
history and governments of the state’s 39 sovereign tribes.
The resource site provides information on the tribes
of Oklahoma to assist teachers as they prepare lessons on the state’s
indigenous history and cultures. Topics range from Native American contemporary
arts to Native American Code Talkers of World Wars I and II.
The instruction material on the site is aligned with the
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies. There are plans to implement a
wide spectrum of lesson plans appropriate for all grade levels and in all
subjects, including math, language arts and science. Teachers are encouraged to
submit their own lesson plans for inclusion on the website.
“This site is the result of the diligence and hard work
of many people, including the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education,”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi said. “The story of
Oklahoma is, in many respects, the story of American Indian tribes. The impact
of Indian culture on Oklahoma is deep and enduring. It is critical that all
Oklahomans — particularly the youngest and future generations — understand and
appreciate the traditions and legacies of our Indian tribes. This online
resource is a comprehensive, user-friendly way for educators to ensure that happens.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Dwight Pickering, director
of the Office of American Indian Education at the OSDE.
“I am so pleased and excited about this special project,”
Pickering said. “I want to thank the many educators, partners and tribes who worked
on providing this invaluable information on our 39 tribal nations, their rich
culture, traditions and history. This will be an ongoing repository that will
change as history changes, along with additional information that is brought
forward by our tribes. This is one step toward a much bigger project: ‘Indian
education for all.’”
In developing the resource site, the Office of American
Indian Education at OSDE worked closely with American Indian educators and with
the support of the 39 tribes in Oklahoma. Other partners in the project
include: the Oklahoma Historical Society, OETA, the American Indian Cultural
Center and Museum, The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education.
As the state boasts one of the largest American
Indian student populations in the nation, the resource website promotes the
multiplicity of the 39 tribes by incorporating and integrating curriculum and
lesson plans of each nation.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has
released to school districts initial state aid allocations for Fiscal Year
2015.
Districts will see an increase in per-pupil funding of
$38.60 per student. The initial allocation for FY15 is $3,077.20 per
student as compared to the $3,038.60 received as the initial
allocation in FY14.
The state appropriation to schools
for the funding formula during the new fiscal year, after the
adjustment pursuant to the state Attorney General’s opinion 2014-7, is
$1,876,284,000. Factoring in projected costs for new and “virtual” charter
schools, the initial allocation to districts for FY15 is $1,809,293,678.
Gov. Fallin and state lawmakers this past legislative
session provided a total of $80 million in additional funding for K-12 public
education. While significantly less than what OSDE had requested in light of
escalating healthcare costs and a growing student population, the amount was
the largest increase given to a state agency this year.
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