Cheering on these A+ Educators!
As we begin to wrap up the fall semester we look back on the great success of our local educators. We would like to thank all teachers of every kind for their endurance in the classroom during the month of October. Our community would not be the same without you and all the efforts you put in, even those that may go unnoticed.
With that said, we are excited to share our monthly award announcement for this past October. These awards serve to highlight teachers and staff members at local schools that are nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in their service to their students and colleagues. The A+ Educators Awards are our way of saying thank you to the teachers and staff making a difference. Each of the current winners will receive a gift certificate to Clocktower in Downtown Staunton to celebrate their greatly valued success!
(Click here to check out the previous A+ Educators award winners.)
Winner: Brian Fitzgerald
Position: Discipleship Director & 12th-Grade Bible Teacher
School: Grace Christian High School
Along with his school-wide administrative responsibilities as Discipleship Director, Brian chairs the HS Bible Department and teaches the 12th-grade Bible classes which focus on theology and philosophy. Brian teaches this challenging subject in such an accessible manner that the seniors capably grapple with weighty topics and in the process engage in higher-order thinking and communication. More importantly, he is relational in his approach as he seeks God-provided opportunities to speak Biblical truth into the students’ current life stage even as he is being used by God to prepare them for their futures.
Winner: Stephanie Dimeo
Position: Science Teacher
School: Grace Christian Middle School
Three years ago, Stephanie was willing to boldly change careers to teach at GCS. With a medical background, she was naturally drawn to the sciences, so the fit was perfect. Her courage and detail-oriented temperament equips her to serve our middle schoolers with excellence. She has done an outstanding job not only in teaching, but in using her personal time to grow professionally with additional academic training at James Madison University. We are thrilled to watch the amazing gifts Stephanie has to instill a love of science and learning in our students.
Winner: Cathy Brent
Position: 6th–Grade Language Arts and Bible Teacher
School: Grace Christian Elementary School
Nothing less than a “master teacher,” Cathy Brent is the anchor in our 6th grade. Her spiritual leadership and English expertise provide a solid foundation for our students to become more spiritually and academically proficient. With lots of energy and encouragement, she covers a tremendous amount of educational territory in the course of the year and covers it well. Her influence also extends to all those who work with her, as her wisdom and love of the Lord minister to others on a daily basis. Cathy is a gift from the Lord!
Winner: Danielle Murphy
Position: 8th Grade Math Teacher
School: Wilson Middle School
Ms. Murphy is recognized for her innovative lesson planning and instructional delivery. She incorporates project-based, hands-on learning via engaging learning activities that allow her students to collaborate with one another and interact with dynamic materials that are relevant to mathematics. Ms. Murphy makes 8th-grade math fun by incorporating real-world applications and concepts that students enjoy!
Winner: Kristi Rhodes
Position: “English As a Second Language” Teacher
School: Clymore Elementary School
Ms. Rhodes and Ms. Phillips recently collaborated on a presentation at the Southeast Regional Teachers of English Speakers and Other Languages (TESOL) conference. During their presentation, Ms. Rhodes and Ms. Phillips reported on their research and practices of action research that they have collected as they have integrated new research-based standards and instructional practices through the curriculum they have developed. They focused on concepts of academic language, and whole-brain strategies related to speaking and writing. The opportunity to present to their colleagues is an honor and impressive recognition of the high-quality instruction they provided to their students.
Winner: Morgan Phillips
Position: “English As a Second Language” Teacher
School: North River Elementary School
Ms. Rhodes and Ms. Phillips recently collaborated on a presentation at the Southeast Regional Teachers of English Speakers and Other Languages (TESOL) conference. During their presentation, Ms. Rhodes and Ms. Phillips reported on their research and practices of action research that they have collected as they have integrated new research-based standards and instructional practices through the curriculum they have developed. They focused on concepts of academic language, and whole-brain strategies related to speaking and writing. The opportunity to present to their colleagues is an honor and impressive recognition of the high-quality instruction they provided to their students.
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