Finalists for the Florida Blue 2012 Duval County Teacher of the Year

8/2/2019 Finalists for the Florida Blue 2012 Duval County Teacher of the Year

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FinalistChristy J. ConstandeTeacher of the YearChets Creek ElementaryGrades 1-5 Classroom Inclusion

Principal: Susan Phillips

EducationM.A., Jacksonville UniversityB.A., Purdue University

Highlights 26 years o teaching experience 2005 Dare to Soar Literacy Model Classroom 1992- Exceptional Student Education

Mainstreaming eacher o the Year

Ms. Constande prides hersel on creating a classroom where each student eelssae enough to risk sharing his thoughts and expressing his eelings. She takes herrole to develop lielong readers and writers seriously, providing each student with

opportunities to be independent thinkers and workers. She describes education likea avorite book; the teacher is the prize-winning author, students are the belovedcharacters and the setting is the inviting classroom. Ms. Constandes classroomocuses on books, authors, illustrators, words, guiding questions and instructions.She calls her students riends and works to make each one eel welcomed, respectedand sae when they step into her classroom. Ms. Constandes riends dont raise theirhands when they want to ask a question, they wait or the appropriate time to join theconversation. Tey are ree to retrieve materials they need in the room and to use therestroom when necessary.

Eight years ago, Ms. Constande worked with a co-teacher and an ESE teacherto develop and pilot an inclusion program with special standard students. Highexpectations or all o her students have led to great success and the program has beenobserved by educators rom around the world.

Ms. Constande aspires to have her students become contributors to the community.Every year they create a basket or the silent auction beneting the Sulzbacher Centerand tie the issue o homelessness to literature through books like Fly Away Home byEve Bunting. She continues to volunteer her time at the McKenzie Wilson AcademicResource Center, oering tutoring to a high population o English Language Learners

rom the Chets Creek neighborhood.

In her every action she (Christy Constande) encompasses the qualities o a teacherwho routinely puts orth her bravest sel or her students.

Susan T. PhillipsPrincipal

Chets Creek Elementary

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2/5

FinalistCindy FitchTeacher of the YearOak Hill ElementarySAR Grades 2-3

Principal: Amy Bright

EducationM.E., Converse CollegeB.S., Winthrop College

Highlights 39 years o teaching experience 2007 Te Gladys Pryor Award or Career

eaching Excellence 2006-2007 Duval County eacher o the Year Finalist 2006-2007 eacher o the Year John Stockton Elementary 1998-1999 eacher o the Year John Stockton Elementary 1987-1088- eacher o the Year West Riverside Elementary 1981-1982 eacher o the Year West Riverside Elementary

Te year was 1959 and Cindy Fitch was a ourth grade student in Ms. Pearl Cainsclassroom at Ruth N. Upson Elementary. She remembers how her teacher madeeveryone believe they had special gits and something important to contribute. Ater39 years as a teacher, Ms. Fitch continues to try to emulate what Ms. Cain modeled inthat classroom all those years ago.Ms. Fitch creates a warm and inviting learning environment where she builds strongrelationships with her students who know she cares about them. When you walkinto her classroom, you see shelves stocked with books, walls covered with math

concepts and motivational posters, rocking chairs and even a bathtub lled withpillows, a avorite reading place or her students.

Ms. Fitch gets parents, amilies and the community involved at Oak Hill through herannual production o American Grandstand. Te production provides every student

with an opportunity to shine, no matter how big a part they play!

In addition to her work in the classroom, Ms. Fitch is a state trainer or the FloridaPerormance Measurement System, Peer-eacher and Clinical Educator rainer,ESOL trainer, trainer or Increasing Human Eectiveness, and a mentor to beginningteachers. In 1991, Ms. Fitch was one o ten teachers in Duval County selected to goon the rst teacher exchange trip to Jacksonvilles sister city, Murmansk, Russia.

It seems that in education today, too many educators do not understand thatteaching is a crat, one that cannot be mastered yet perpetually rened. Ms. Fitch,though, is a perect example o someone who understands this and works each andevery day to become the best that she can be.

Amy BrightPrincipal

Oak Hill Elementary10


3/5

FinalistKate HoustonTeacher of the YearFirst Coast High SchoolEnglish/Language Arts

Principal: Vincent Hall

EducationM.A., University o FloridaB.A., University o Florida

Highlights 9 years o teaching experience 2003-2004 Palm Bay High School enth Grade

eacher o the Year 2002-2003 Department o Romance Language and Literature Cooperative

eaching Award

Ms. Houston describes hersel as a statistic. She is one o the ty percent o newteachers who leave the proession in the rst ve years. She goes on to describe how

she missed the children; the sense o accomplishment in June when the last grade isentered and the rhythm o lie associated with the fow o the school year. oday,Ms. Houston describes hersel as a career educator and a lietime student. She strivesto be the kind o teacher who can make a believer out o any child, regardless obackground.

In order to accomplish her goal, Ms. Houston works to tie the inormation sheimparts in the classroom to her students lives outside the classroom. She works witha team o teachers to ensure her students will leave high school compassionate, caringadults prepared or college or a career. In addition to classroom work, Ms. Houston

established a Poetry Ca where students are ree to share original poetry or a avoriteverse. Te newly ormed Writers Anonymous Club holds bi-monthly meetings andhosts a all poetry slam. Ms. Houston also helped ound First Coasts InteractChapter whose members volunteer monthly to eed the homeless at the SulzbacherCenter. And her Campus Clean-Up Initiative hosts a volunteer cleanup each seasono the year. Ms. Houston also serves as the lead teacher or the English 10 team andher SLC.

Ms. Houston sees teaching as a vocation rather than a job. She is proud o herstudents successes and works everyday to nurture a desire to learn in each o them.

Ms. Houston has discovered ulllment through the opportunity to reach, and toteach, our students.

Vincent HallPrincipal

First Coast High School

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4/5

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Finalist

Lauren M. MartinTeacher of the YearPinedale Elementary4th Grade

Principal: Alicia Hinson

EducationB.A., University o Florida

Highlights 2 years o teaching experience Grade Level Chair Pinedale Leadership eam Membership

Te role o a teacher is to be someone who WILL in childrens lives, because notevery child has someone who will or can. As a member o the 2010 each For

America Corp., Ms. Martin entered Pinedale Elementary as a novice ourth gradeELA teacher with a maturity ar beyond her years. She is inspired by her own ourthgrade teacher whom she credits or developing her love o writing. She credits her

grandather, step-grandmother and mother with modeling proessionalism throughtheir own careers.

Ms. Martin sets high expectations or all o her students, working to encourageeach o them to understand that they can be successul. She ocuses on helping herstudents understand the why o writing, explaining that communicating throughthe written word is necessary in all acets o lie. Her dedication to this premise isevident in the increase in her students FCA writing scores last year, results thePrincipal, Alicia Hinson, describes as otherwise ar-etched. Pinedale Elementary

went rom an F school to an A in one year and Ms. Martin is credited or being

instrumental to this turnaround.

I cannot ask or a more dedicated, committed, and compassionate teacher who seesthe best in all students despite their hardships.

Alicia HinsonPrincipal

Pinedale Elementary


5/5

FinalistScott SowellTeacher of the YearDarnell-Cookman Middle/High School

AP Environmental Science, Forensic Science

Principal: Mark Ertel

EducationPh.D., Florida State UniversityM.S., Florida State University

B.A., University o North FloridaB.S., Univeristy o North Florida

Highlights 12 years o teaching experience Science Department Head, Darnell-Cookman MS/HS School Leadership Committee 2009-present Shared Decision-Making Committee 2011 presenter at annual conerence o the Magnet Schools o America 2010 present Mentor or Novice eachers within Duval County

MIN/IP Program

Dr. Sowell is a science teacher with a deep appreciation or the impact his lessonshave on the here and now. He is passionate about his students understandingo what science is as a discipline, how science works and how scientic knowledgeis generated. He works to excite, engage and empower his students everyday tounderstand and improve the world around them.

Dr. Sowells students learn science by doing science. Instead o putting the lecturebeore the lab so that his students show him what he said was correct, Dr. Sowell

places the experience beore the lecture so that his students create their own learningby exploring real-lie scientic situations. He develops a strong community o learnersin his classroom, ostering a climate o collaboration, empathy and kindness wherecritical thinking and creative expression are valued.

As a novice-teacher mentor and proessional development acilitator, Dr. Sowell worksdirectly with the newest aculty members at Darnell-Cookman, encouraging them toconstantly improve by seeking new knowledge. His passion or his practice is evidentinside the classroom as well as in the time he gives back to bettering his proession andthe eld o scientic inquiry.

I believe Dr. Sowell epitomizes the characteristics o a great teacher. He is a greatteacher, mentor, acilitator, team player and overall caring person who would trulyrepresent the best o Darnell-Cookman

W. Jane Harvey,Curriculum and Technology Integration Specialist

Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School

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Documents

Finalists for the Florida Blue 2012 Duval County Teacher of the Year