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BACON DISTRICT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Mrs. Davis, the Innovative Teacher Award winner for January, is an experienced Math teacher who has returned to college to continue to develop her skills as an educator. Her passion for her students is evident in every lesson that she teaches and every activity that she employs in her classroom. Mrs. Davis is always seeking new and innovative ways to impact her students’ learning. Her use of manipulatives, group activities, and digital tools are always designed to engage her students in actively learning Math skills for life. Students are excited to work with Mrs. Davis and she never fails to challenge them to grow and to be the best that they can be. Mrs Davis is just a little competitive and her scores are typically some of the best in the district each year regardless of the subject or the grade level.

 

CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL PE DEPARTMENT

Mr. Pyle, Mrs. Barmoy and Mr. Williams were chosen as Innovative Teachers of the Month for January. In August, CMS began a division wide initiative to focus on writing across all curriculum areas. The PE department began weekly essay requirements for all students. The students are given a topic each week. Students work for the first fifteen minutes of class on this essay throughout the week, as well as at home. The essays are submitted at the end of the week and graded on basic writing skills such as topic, sentence structure, and punctuation use. Through activities such as this, the students are becoming better writers everyday.

 

EUREKA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The recipient of the Eureka Innovative Teacher Award for January is Mrs. Carmen Tucker. Mrs. Tucker attended a Multi-Sensory Literacy Instruction Training (Orton-Gillingham – OG) in June of 2022. After her experience in the training and having had time to reflect upon what she had learned, Mrs. Tucker requested permission to implement what she had learned in her classroom. She had to get approval because the sequencing for OG was different from what the kindergarten reading series had in place. Upon receiving approval to pilot the OG instruction in Kindergarten for the 2022-23 school year, Mrs. Tucker hit the ground running. She started planning to implement OG and gathered all of the materials and resources she would need. Mrs. Tucker has seen the benefits of using the Multisensory Literacy Instruction offered by OG. Her students are sounding out and spelling words, reading short books, and demonstrating a mastery of letters and letter sounds. Mrs. Tucker’s desire to implement OG within her classroom this year is truly innovative and a perfect example of incorporating learning from professional development opportunities into instructional practice. In addition, Mrs. Tucker has experience with OG now and can help to provide support, encouragement, and advice to other teachers who are signed up to go through the Orton-Gillingham Multi-Sensory Training this May.

PHENIX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Jill Brinkley was chosen as the January Innovative Teacher of the Month! Ms. Brinkley, the reading specialist at Phenix Elementary, is always working towards her primary goal of making students readers! To that end she is always taking part in instructional trainings to be the best educator she can be. She is the school lead in the implementation of Orton Gillingham and is always there to provide whatever help she can to the staff and students. She is the LETRS facilitator and Dylexia Advisor for Charlotte County Public Schools. Her strong work ethic and willingness to learn are what make her such a valued asset to the school.

 

RANDOLPH-HENRY HIGH SCHOOL

Sheena Allen was chosen as the January recipient of the Innovative Teacher Award. Mrs. Allen teaches Business Law, Accounting, as well as Economics and Personal Finance. Mrs. Allen is a highly innovative teacher. On November 30, 2022, she and her Business Law students hosted a mock trial in the Randolph-Henry High School library which was the culmination of several in class practices. Mrs. Allen served as the judge for the trial while other students assumed roles such as witnesses and attorneys. This was a fun and interactive experience for everyone involved as they worked to better understand legal terminology and processes. Mrs. Allen also engages with her students as a sponsor of the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America). This club participates in a variety of field trips and fundraisers throughout the year to teach students about important concepts as they relate to the business world. In economics and personal finance, her students complete a project where they work in groups to plan and execute the sale of a product. This miniature economy helps students understand concepts such as supply/demand, competitive pricing, and advertisements.