Release Date: Oct 19, 2005 1:00 AM  

“Top” Teacher to Be Announced Next Tuesday

Dover, Del.–October 19, 2005 Nineteen of Delaware’s best educators representing each school district in the State have been nominatedfor the distinction of becoming Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2006.The 15 women and four men were chosen by their school districts from nearly 8,000 Delaware teachers statewide.

Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2006 will be announced by Governor Ruth Ann Minner at the annual awards dinner to be heldon Tuesday, October 25, 2005, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Inn and Conference Center in Dover.

All 19 school districts selected their Teacher of the Year candidate during the 2004-2005 school year.Basic nomination criteria included having a superior ability to inspire students with a love of learning,demonstrating professional traits, and possessing a strong sense of dedication and devotion to teaching.

After being nominated, each district teacher was asked to submit a detailed portfolio of work and philosophy which was reviewedby five “readers” from Delaware’s Department of Education (DOE). Working independently, each reader assigned a numerical valueto each portfolio. The next step in the selection process was to conduct a formal observation of each candidate,which was scheduled for late September. Two observers, a former State or district Teacher of the Year and a member of the DOE staff,visited each candidate’s classroom to conduct the observation.

Finally, based on the scores assigned to the portfolios as well as classroom observations,another independent panel of judges selected the one teacher who will serve as the 2006 Teacher of the Year.This panel consisted of: the current State Teacher of the Year; the President of the State Congress of Parents and Teachers;the President of the State Student Council Association; the President of the Delaware State Education Association;a representative of the State Chamber of Commerce; a member of the State Board of Education;and the Chair of the Professional Standards Board.

The teacher chosen to become the State Teacher of the Year will become Delaware’s entrant in the national programsponsored by the Council of Chief State School officers and Scholastic, Inc.

The State Teacher of the Year will also take on the important task of representing all teachers in Delaware.The individual will address community groups, business leaders, legislators, and educational organizationsin an effort to inform the public about the status of Delaware schools.

By action of the General Assembly, the State Teacher of the Year will receive a $5,000 grant to usefor the educational benefit of his or her students, as well as a personal grant of $3,000.Additionally, all school district candidates receive a $2,000 grant.

All candidates, listed alphabetically by school district, school and grade/subject taught, are as follows:

School District	Teacher	School	Grade/Subject
Appoquinimink	Laurie J. Wicks	Silver Lake Elementary	Grade 3
Brandywine	Kimberly J. Fawks	P.S. DuPont Elementary	Grade 6 Reading, Writing, Math
Caesar Rodney	Jean Marie Allen	W.B. Simpson Elementary	Grade 2
Cape Henlopen	Lisa W. Martz	Sussex Consortium	Special Education
Capital	Robert J. Adams	Dover High School	Grades 9-10 Biology
Christina	Jane C. McFann	Glasgow High School	Grades 9-12 English
Colonial	Roberta Honig Jacobs	Castle Hills Elementary	Grade 5
Delmar	Christy Lee Parsons	Delmar Middle & Senior High School	Grades 9-12 Science
Indian River	James R. DeBastiani	Southern Delaware School of Arts	Grade 1-8 Drama
Lake Forest	Mary E. Tyndall	Lake Forest North Elementary	Grade 4
Laurel	Garrett Lydic	North Laurel Elementary	Grade 2-4 Physical Education
Milford	Barbara FitzPatrick	Lulu M. Ross Elementary	Grades 2-5 Librarian
NCCo Vo-Tech	Jennifer Linn Walker Kennedy	Hodgson Vo-Tech High School	Grade 9-12 Special Education Science
POLYTECH	Tad A. Damask	POLYTECH High School	Grade 9-12 Mathematics
Red Clay Consolidated	LaVon Peterson	Thomas McKean High School	Grade 12 English
Seaford	Vicki Watson Bailey	Seaford High School	Grade 9-12 Business Education
Smyrna	Kristine W. Schultz	North Smyrna Elementary	Grade 3
Sussex Technical	Jennifer Couch	Sussex Technical High School	Grade 10 & 12 Biochemistry
Woodbridge	Wendy Lea Kupcha	Phillis Wheatley Middle School	Grade 5-6 Math/ELA

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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