Combs Elementary Teacher is 2009 Wake County Teacher of the Year
May 14, 2009 - Combs Elementary School teacher René Herrick is the 2009 Wake County Teacher of the Year. René Herrick 2009 Teacher of the Year |
Superintendent Del Burns presented Herrick the Wake County Teacher of the Year Award sponsored by Wachovia Bank at tonight's banquet. Burns praised Herrick for her data-driven classroom instruction and for her active involvement in the lives of her students. Herrick received applause from hundreds of community and education leaders attending the event.
Herrick teaches fourth grade at Combs Elementary
Herrick has been teaching for five years, the last three at Combs Elementary. She is working on National Board certification. She tutors students after school and with her husband, who is also a teacher, takes part in student recognition by taking students on outings to movies and restaurants.
Herrick says building relationships with students has always been a top priority.
"I realized early in my educational career that when I developed a genuinely caring and lovingly disciplined environment for my students, they always performed at their highest academic levels and loved coming to school each day," said Herrick. "I demand excellence from my students and I demonstrate disciplined excellence in my instruction."
Dr. Janice Buckner, a parent, says Herrick truly cares about her students.
"Mrs. Herrick brought her parents to my daughter's piano recital," said Dr. Buckner. "She and her husband attended a swim meet the summer after our daughter graduated, then they both attended the Christmas program at our church in December in which both of our daughters were singing. Mrs. Herrick is truly remarkable in the way she cultivates relationships with the children."
Herrick says Wake County's Blue Diamond testing is helping her address the achievement gap. She says the assessments help to identify the needs of individual students.
"Using data to direct instruction is only effective when assessed frequently," said Herrick. "My students and I view the assessment results together. I project pie graphs using my laptop and LCD projector in order for us to assess our understanding together, as a class. I then formulate small group instruction to secure specific standard mastery."
Herrick says the assessment data is reviewed with other teachers in their weekly professional learning community meeting.
"One of my strengths for the team is data collection and presentation. I gather the grade level Blue Diamond assessment scores and create spreadsheets for us to review at our meetings," said Herrick. "Demonstrating a grade-level attitude of knowing the status of all students and 'owning' every child on our grade level is an essential part of addressing the achievement gap."
Combs Elementary Principal Muriel Summers says Herrick's classroom is magical.
"There is so much love and happiness in the room. You can feel it the moment you walk in," said Summers. "It is in this classroom that children want to be their best and give their best to Ms. Herrick in hopes of making her as happy as she makes them."
Teacher of the Year gifts
As the Wake County Teacher of the Year, Herrick will represent Wake County in the North Carolina Teacher of the Year competition. She succeeds Ann Quarles, a Powell Elementary School teacher and the 2008 Wake County Teacher of the Year.
Wake County's Teacher of the Year receives:
- An engraved acrylic award
- A laptop computer and multi-function printer compliments of Office Depot
- One year's use of a 2009 Saturn automobile, compliments of Bill Shotwell of Saturn of Raleigh/Cary
- A travel cart filled with office supplies, compliments of Sonya Reid, Chuck Griffin, and Kevin Leary of Office Depot
- A check for $1,000 compliments of corporate sponsors
- And the Dan Royster Teacher award, $2,000 toward participation in the Center for International Understanding's Global Study Program, compliments of The Center for International Understanding. The award will provide support for Wake County's 2009-10 Teacher of the Year to participate in the Center for International Understanding's 2010 Destination China Study Program.
The Dan Royster Teacher award was established as a tribute and memorial to Dan Royster, a Wake County science teacher and enthusiastic international exchange participant. The award is funded through contributions from his family and friends.
Candidates for Teacher of the Year are nominated and elected by their peers. The teacher candidates develop portfolios that describe their teaching careers and philosophy of teaching. The selection committees review the portfolios and narrow the field to 24 semi-finalists. The selection committees observe the semi-finalists in their classrooms and each committee chooses one teacher to be among the 12 finalists. The finalists are interviewed by the Teacher of the Year Interview Committee. Based upon the quality of the portfolio and the interview, the Interview Committee then chooses the Teacher of the Year by secret ballot.
Finalists
The finalists are Carla Tuttle of Panther Creek High, Julia Robertson of Green Elementary, Mark Townley of Holly Springs High, Shana Broders of Wake Forest Elementary, Heather Dinkenor of Leesville Road High, Michelle Holt of Cary Elementary, Arlie Harris of Moore Square Museum Middle, Jaime Warkonyi of Stough Elementary, Caroline Valentine of Knightdale High, Judith Darling of Middle Creek High and Colleen Kanters of Penny Road Elementary
The eleven finalists received a $250 cash prize compliments of corporate sponsors; a travel cart of classroom and office supplies compliments of Sonya Reid, Chuck Griffin, and Kevin Leary of Office Depot; and an engraved acrylic award.
This is the sixth year that Wachovia Bank has sponsored the Wake County Teacher of the Year Award and banquet.
More information is available about the 2009 Wake County Teacher of the Year finalists here.
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