Meet the 2011 Wake County Teacher of the Year Finalists
May 10, 2011 – The Wake County Public School System will name one of 12 finalists the 2011 Wake County Teacher of the Year at a banquet on Thursday, May 12 at the Embassy Suites in Cary. The 12 finalists are:Leslie Bailey, Baileywick Elementary School
Kevin Boynton, Dillard Drive Elementary School
Ashley Cooper, Underwood Magnet Elementary School
Kristen Curley, Oak Grove Elementary School
Rhonda Dunn, Zebulon Magnet Middle School
Kyle Hamstra, Davis Drive Elementary School
Mary-Kathryn Pate Hixson, Broughton High School
Shireen Mehl, Fuquay-Varina Elementary School
Alicia Miller, Wake Forest Elementary School
Saswati Mukherjee, Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary School
Stephanie Rhodes, Sanderson High School
Patrick Tart, Banks Road Elementary School
The school system selected the 12 finalists from 24 semi-finalists. These teachers developed portfolios with the following content: professional background; educational history; professional development activities; community involvement; philosophy of teaching; education issues and trends; and letters of support. Selection committees reviewed the portfolios and narrowed the field by observing the 24 semifinalists in their classrooms. Each selection committee chose one teacher to be among the 12 finalists.
 Leslie Bailey |
 Kevin Boynton |
 Ashley Cooper |
 Kristen Curley |
 Rhonda Dunn |
 Kyle Hamstra |
 Mary-Kathryn Pate Hixson |
 Shireen Mehl |
 Alicia Miller |
 Saswati Mukherjee |
 Stephanie Rhodes |
 Patrick Tart |
Here is more information on each finalist:
Leslie Bailey, Baileywick Elementary School
Leslie Bailey is the art teacher at Baileywick Elementary School. Bailey has been teaching for 27 years, the last five at Baileywick.
Bailey earned National Board Certification in 2002. She has established partnerships with the State Employees Credit Union and Borders Bookstore for student art shows. She maintains an online art museum of her students’ work that ranks number one in the state for elementary schools.
Bailey teaches using a carefully designed lesson with the focus on art objectives and additional learning objectives in appropriate curricular areas.
“My first graders learn about Picasso, discuss the Blue period and the Rose period of his life which is reflected in his artwork and connect this to their own feelings,” said Bailey. “They will incorporate a number of geometric shapes into their Cubist style self portrait thereby integrating the math curriculum for their grade level.”
Former school counselor Dee Bostick says Bailey fosters a positive self-concept for her students through constantly creating student art displays.
“Leslie’s mastery of teaching the art curriculum is evident when you walk into our school and notice student artwork throughout the school hallways and stairwells,” said Bostick. “What you may not realize is Leslie’s ‘behind the scenes’ collaboration with grade level teachers regarding what they are presently studying so that the core curriculum is integrated into her art instruction.”
Kevin Boynton, Dillard Drive Elementary School
Kevin Boynton teaches fourth grade at Dillard Drive Elementary. Boynton has been teaching for five years, four at Dillard Drive.
Boynton is a grade level chair and is a data member of the Southwestern Area School Improvement Team. He is pursuing National Board Certification.
Boynton believes it’s important to keep families informed and involve parents in their child’s education.
“I promote trust and understanding between school and home through continuous communication,” said Boynton. “At the beginning of the year, I send home a survey to get parent input on their child’s interests, style of learning and preferred forms of communication. For those parents who stated they would like additional resources, I created a grade level website which provides them with a variety of instructional resources and a direct connection to their child’s quarterly progress.”
The son of Wake County PTA Council President Diane Dulany is a former student in Boynton’s class. Her younger son is in his class now.
“One of Mr. Boynton’s strengths is that he is very effective at tailoring instruction for each student,” said Dulany. “Because of the tools that Mr. Boynton provides for his students and his willingness to take a few minutes to explain the next concept, my son was able to cover the fourth and fifth grade math curricula in one year.”
Ashley Cooper, Underwood Magnet Elementary School
Ashley Cooper is a kindergarten teacher at Underwood Magnet Elementary. Cooper has been teaching for six years, five at Underwood.
Cooper serves as the school’s positive behavior co-chair and Conscious Discipline cohort leader. She has led staff development sessions and is a mentor to at-risk students. She has served as a K-2 literacy representative for her school and has been selected to participate in the “Teachers at Work” project. She has hosted NC State student teachers the past two years and has been a member of two county-wide focus groups.
Cooper believes in the power of the Conscious Discipline program and the power of relationships with her students and their parents.
“After attending the Conscious Discipline Institute, I provided weekly in-classroom coaching and resources that helped develop the structures, routines and rituals that are now in place and used on a consistent basis in classrooms throughout Underwood,” said Cooper. “I facilitate monthly cohort meetings after school and in the evening for parents and staff. The calls and positive feedback I continually receive point to the tremendous positive impact this program and my work are having on our children.”
Cooper conducts home visits with all her students. Phone calls, postcards, family activities, a class wiki site, and ongoing communication with parents help strengthen the home-school connection.
Parent Michelle Jacobs remembers when her son entered Cooper’s kindergarten class.
“She immediately noticed that he was going to need extra attention,” said Jacobs. “He was young for his class, and shy, which made for a tough transition into kindergarten. However, Ashley’s compassion for my son and the constant communication with my husband and I created a comfortable environment for him. After a short period of time, his confidence was growing and he began to flourish.”
Kristen Curley, Oak Grove Elementary School
Kristen Curley teaches second grade at Oak Grove Elementary. Curley has been teaching for seven-and-a-half years, all at Oak Grove.
Curley earned National Board Certification in 2008. She serves as a mentor, chair for Teaching Retention and Recruitment for the School Improvement Plan and is an active professional learning team member.
Curley says there is no greater joy than helping a student master new skills for the first time.
“I had a boy that had never passed EOGs pass for the first time, a girl that had a learning disability in writing pass the writing test, a nonreader begin to read and a student who was known for her behavior problems, through positive phone calls home, do a 180 and have a transformation in her attitude at school and at home,” said Curley. “These changes don’t just happen overnight. I invest time and energy into each student and it makes me proud to know I helped them grow.”
Parent Kirsten Goodman says Curley gave her daughter the most wonderful learning experience.
“Mrs. Curley went to my daughter’s violin rehearsal,” said Goodman. “Kylie would get so excited to know Mrs. Curley would be there. She took an active part in meeting the whole family as well as bringing her family to share in the experience. She would show up on Saturday mornings for soccer games to show her support and brought her profession outside of the classroom. This dedication has meant the world to my daughter.”
Rhonda Dunn, Zebulon Magnet Middle School
Rhonda Dunn is an eighth grade Language Arts teacher at Zebulon Magnet Middle School. Dunn has been teaching for six years, the last five at Zebulon Middle.
At her school, Dunn serves as Language Arts department chair and is a member of the school’s classroom walk-through committee and media and technology committee. She volunteers at her church in a Saturday and summer tutorial program. She is a Sunday School teacher and works with youth at her church.
Dunn says her greatest contribution has been the ability to forge relationships with students.
“I value the relationships I have built with my students,” said Dunn. “I feel I could ask anything and they would be willing to comply simply because they respect me and the relationship we share. Positive relationships between teachers and students also help to improve student motivation. I feel my students want to be successful in my classes and they want to make me proud of their work.”
Dunn established a Facebook page for her Language Arts Class. Students receive a daily vocabulary word and are challenged to write a sentence with that word in response. She also asks students to reflect on class discussions on the page.
Former student Breanna Archibald goes to the same church as Dunn.
“I think Ms. Dunn does a good job at promoting the teaching profession,” said Archibald. “She is a Sunday School teacher at my church and she volunteers to teach reading and writing at the church on Saturdays and during the summer on her break from school. She doesn’t get paid to do any of this. She said she does it because education is a right and all students should be successful.”
Kyle Hamstra, Davis Drive Elementary School
Kyle Hamstra is a fifth grade teacher at Davis Drive Elementary. Hamstra has been teaching for nine years, all at Davis Drive Elementary.
Hamstra is a member of the school district science leadership team, an alumnus of the NC Center for Advancement of Teaching. At the school, he serves as science department chair, after school director, science club sponsor and Helping Hands mentor. He worked in weeklong mission trips in Mississippi providing home repair and assistance to families after Hurricane Katrina in 2007 and 2008.
Hamstra was a recipient of a Wake Education Partnership Food for Thought grant.
“I allocated these funds to begin a school newspaper,” said Hamstra. “The newspaper staff consisted of 20 fifth graders. Each staff member was assigned one grade level or one major school activity on which to report. Fifth graders conducted interviews and even drafted and published stories all the way through the writing process. The experience proved rewarding for many reasons: as a young teacher, I quickly embraced the big picture view of our school, citing vertical alignment between disciplines and understanding expectations in different grades. The students linked their K-6 curriculum and exciting school activities to current events.”
Parent Sheri Ellington says Hamstra taught three of her four children.
“Over the years, I watched Kyle bring science out of the textbook, off the PowerPoint slides and into the hands of students,” said Ellington. “He has added more hands on activities and experiments each year, so that my final year with a student in his class, it seemed that science was the most exciting subject my daughter ever had. She looked forward to experimenting with the miniature golf course before school and remembers about inertia and friction as a result.”
Mary-Kathryn Hixson, Broughton High School
Mary-Kathryn Hixson is a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Broughton High School. She has been teaching for seven years, all at Broughton.
Hixson is chairperson of the Career-Technical Education department, adviser to the Future Teachers of America, and member of the school’s literacy and leadership teams. Hixson leads her students in several community service projects annually. This year, they assembled literacy kits for elementary students. She is active in her church and is a member of the church’s Nursery Ministry Team.
Hixson says parent involvement at school should be more than asking parents to serve as classroom mothers or chaperones.
“I have established a new model with a far more inclusive approach of school-community partnerships that includes mothers, fathers, foster parents, grandparents, step parents, business leaders and community groups – all playing an essential role in the growth and development of my students,” said Hixson. “To sincerely be an exceptional teacher is to be willing to create a community in which all stakeholders are equally valued with everyone participating in the teaching and learning process.”
Parent Gay Lytton praises Hixson for inspiring her daughter to go into education.
“The students in her classes want to learn; she creates a hunger for knowledge. She does this with interesting lessons, connections with real life activities, relative field trips, collaboration with community resources and authentic student relationships,” said Lytton. “Through Ms. Hixson’s mentoring and teaching, my daughter Jackie has decided to become a kindergarten teacher.”
Shireen Mehl, Fuquay-Varina Elementary School
Shireen Mehl is a Title 1 literacy teacher at Fuquay-Varina Elementary. Mehl has been teaching for 13 years, two at Fuquay-Varina.
Mehl earned National Board Certification in 2005. She is the school’s Title 1 team leader and the teacher coordinator for the before-school math program.
As a Title I Literacy teacher, Mehl works with the neediest students in the school.
“The students range from being a few months behind in reading to being several years behind,” said Mehl. “We begin our journey together in August as we work together to strengthen skills, make connections, build background knowledge and reinforce a love of reading. My students’ individual growth and their movement from being scaffolded in instruction to becoming independent learners are my greatest accomplishments.”
Principal Steven Moore says Mehl wants all Title I students she instructs to hold themselves accountable for learning.
“She has implemented a process for students to monitor their reading success which includes students using peer feedback and self-assessment rubrics to evaluate their own learning,” said Moore. “Mrs. Mehl initiated a kindergarten through second grade data wall which highlights the running record levels of all kindergarten, first and second grade students in the school.”
Alicia Miller, Wake Forest Elementary School
Alicia Miller is a special education teacher at Wake Forest Elementary. She has been teaching for eight years, the last four at Wake Forest Elementary.
Miller earned National Board Certification in 2010. She is on the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Support team and has been a part of the implementation of Response to Intervention. She is a leader at her church in a Bible study and has taken part in local and international mission work.
Miller said there are moments that make her proud to be a teacher.
“My greatest accomplishment was when Austin learned how to speak and communicate with words, my student Alex with autism maintained his first societal friendship without support, Frankie passed his End of Grade tests, or when a parent looked across the table at me with tears and said a simple thank you,” said Miller.
Parent Jeannine Parker says Miller has been teaching her son.
“Over the four years that she has taught my child I have been so impressed with her extensive knowledge of my child’s disability and her dedication to do whatever it takes for them to succeed not only academically but in life. I honestly feel that this award could not possibly go to a more deserving teacher.”
Saswati Mukherjee, Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary School
Saswati Mukherjee is a fourth grade teacher at Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary School. Mukherjee has been teaching for 10 years, the last eight at Farmington Woods.
Mukherjee earned National Board Certification in 2010. She has served as her school’s grade level chair, school improvement team chair, student recognition team chair and sponsor of the student geography club. She worked for a summer helping underprivileged children in Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Calcutta, India.
Mukherjee says with the advent of mass globalization, education truly has no boundaries.
“As educators we have a responsibility to guide this new generation into a global society,” said Mukherjee. “In doing so, I would like to be an example in the teaching profession where I help student to work in teams and develop leadership qualities, provide opportunities for them to collaborate, develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, encourage creativity as well as foster the development of communication skills.
Fellow teacher Ann LeGarde says Mukherjee has many talents and accomplishments.
“Mrs. Mukherjee can masterfully change negative behaviors and transform at-risk learners through her own genuine concern for them as individuals,” said LeGarde. “Testing data confirms this success and as they succeed, they mirror her love of learning. This respect becomes reciprocal, for students love being in Mrs. Mukherjee’s class and she loves each and every one of them.”
Stephanie Rhodes, Sanderson High School
Stephanie Rhodes teaches Civics and Economics and Honors Sociology at Sanderson High School. Rhodes has been teaching for 10 years, all at Sanderson.
Rhodes earned National Board Certification in 2006. She has served on the school’s leadership team and faculty council, and is a staff trainer for the use of professional learning teams. She is the student council advisor, varsity volleyball coach, member of the Student Support Team and Coalition for the Homeless club sponsor.
Rhodes has teamed up with the school’s autism support teacher for their students to work together. Rhodes’ students presented a lesson to the other class on the impact of bullying.
“The students’ reactions were overwhelming,” said Rhodes. “The classes formed a group called Friends Intent on Stopping Torment. They made a program about the effects of bullying and presented it to 15 classes at our school. The response was so great that my new classes this semester continued with the program presenting it to all ninth graders.”
Sanderson Social Studies Department Chair Meredith Carle says Rhodes is an innate leader.
“She is the teacher sharing ideas, activities, web sites and insights at each meeting,” said Carle. “She is the teacher setting the tone of professionalism and commitment. She is the teacher who sets the pace for covering curriculum. She is the teacher who bridges our curriculum to other courses and departments in our school. She is the teacher we turn to first for insight and encouragement.”
Patrick Tart, Banks Road Elementary School
Patrick Tart is the technology teacher at Banks Road Elementary. Tart has been teaching for seven years, the last two at Banks Road.
Tart maintains a full teaching schedule and collaborates with teachers to ensure that technology is appropriately integrated into instruction. He maintains the school website, coordinates the daily school news TV show, serves as a technology contact, and co-chairs the Media Technology Advisory Committee.
Tart says the highlight of teaching is not helping students to make all of the right choices, but teaching them how to make those choices for themselves.
“Much of my contributions and accomplishments to education involve integrating technology, engaging in differentiated and authentic math instruction and developing in students a scientific mind,” said Tart. “Teaching is more than disseminating information. It is instilling a passion to succeed and accomplish great things. When a teacher can do that, they have truly made a contribution.”
Nancy Mangum, a NC State University Curriculum Innovation and Professional Development Specialist, says Tart is an outstanding leader and a great role model for teachers and students.
“As a leader in technology and 21st Century skills, Patrick understands the demands and struggles of the classroom teacher and works tirelessly to collaborate with teachers at Banks on integrating technology into their curriculum,” said Mangum. “He is an out of the box thinker who is always looking for new ways to engage students and is always prepared to help his colleagues when the need arises.”
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