Linda Brown Fellows Award 2006-07

2006-2007 Linda Brown Fellows recipients

Linda Brown Fellows Award
Recipients 2006-2007:

The Linda Brown Fellows Award was created to promote and recognize excellence in teaching. This honor is presented to teachers who set their personal expectations high and make learning exciting every day. This year, six recipients were selected from a field of 63 nominations for 30 teachers. The award winners each received $2,000 to be used for educational purposes and an additional $1,000 for personal use.

KIM WARREN

Kim's enthusiasm for teaching is infectious. She has an uncanny ability to juggle and satisfy the many and varied needs of her students, yet, through it all, her classroom is always a place of quiet, humor, joy and harmony. One student states that a day in her classroom seems to take only 10 minutes high praise from a 1st grader! Through frequent plays that are put on by her class, she is able to help students with their public speaking, reading and self-esteem. Using multiple mediums such as watercolors, pastels, pencil, clay and paper machier, she helps the students learning come alive. One parent writes, She gracefully integrates traditional classroom teaching with field trips, assemblies, time in the school garden and social lessons to make for a beautiful learning experience.

DIANA WHITTEN

One student writes about Diana, I think if (my teacher) does not get picked, then you would not really have the teacher of the year. But she would still be teacher of the year in my heart and mind Teaching in a special needs environment can be especially trying but her students recognize that she will always go out of her way to be there for them. Diana works with the community to find appropriate resources for her students. She has worked for countless hours with the students to build a new vocational life skills program whereby the students actually run their own business. The money earned funds such projects as new laptop computers, wireless internet for the classroom, and a fuel solar science experiment that is working on a car that runs on water and light. Her students recognize her as a teacher who goes above and beyond for a group of students that are self-described as a handful, maybe two!

PATRICIA STONICK

A student writes No student who came to Sierra High has had a perfect life and some days would be worse than others; she always noticed when there was something out of place and tried her hardest to make sure I got through the day. This teacher makes sure that no one gets lost at her school. Another student says, After getting pregnant, I thought my life was ruined; and giving birth to my son, I never thought that I had any chance of being able to attend a university. However, with a lot of encouragement and help from Mrs. Stonick, I completed high school and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno, where I am still attending. Her colleagues describe her as radiating warmth and affection for our students; tireless and the utmost professional; giving tirelessly of herself, including nights and weekends to help discover her students exceptional qualities. She also spends countless hours tailoring her curriculum to the many and various needs of her students no one size fits all for her.

MONIKA BOCK

Monika is described as truly changing the lives of her students permanently. After Hurricane Katrina, Monika went above and beyond by helping her 5th graders do a clothing drive for the children of the devastation. Along with the clothing, the students sent a CD introducing themselves, offering condolences and extending good wishes for the future. After these efforts the students were written up in the local Florida newspaper.

Monika also spearheaded her schools first ever 5th grade field trip to Pigeon Point. This trip has been a staple of the other elementary schools in the district for years, but Kings Beach Elementary has never had the money to send their students. Through many fund raising activities that brought the community together, they were able to raise enough money for every 5th grader to attend the trip. Many of the students had never seen the ocean or its wonders before this trip.

 

HIEN LARSON

A student nominator writes Before entering her class, I was never a strong writer. She has gotten through to me and probably every other student she has ever had in such an honorable and impressive way that it is hard for me to describe in words.

Through simulations, personal stories, current events as well as teaching writing techniques Hien Larson has inspired the students to be proactive and create history by finding their place in making this a greater world. Through her own history as an immigrant, our recipient has modeled for the students how education, hard work, energy and motivation can help each person achieve their personal goals.

Two of the many projects she has brought to our district that impacted our students lives are the Catalina science field trip for 8th graders at North Tahoe Middle School and the outdoor education program at Alder Creek which took students to the Sagehen facility under the tutelage of field biologists from the area. Students leaving her classes have a new appreciation of their world and their responsibilities in that world.

EMILY HART

Emily Hart can be described as energetic, high spirited and always an active participant. In helping her school with program improvement, Emily developed fun academic games related to math, social studies and reading. Never one to rest on her laurels, she is constantly writing and receiving grants from Excellence in Education to improve her P.E. program. She upgraded the Nordic equipment for her school and then taught the students to snowshoe and ski. Always mindful of sports that her students can do in our environment to help with their physical health, she also obtained new baseball and softball equipment from community donations Emily provided an in-service to her colleagues on the Peaceful Playground to ensure a well ordered play time for her students. She also developed an outdoor Little Olympics in which all of the students could participate.

Ms. Hart volunteers for the Strider Glider program and is working on aligning the district Hug-A-Tree program with state standards. In addition, she volunteers for the Caring about Kids mentor program and organized the Jump Rope for the Heart program for her school One of her fans wrote We have the best P.E. program in the district, the county and quite possibly the nation!

2006-2007 Nominees

  • Tamara Anderson, Truckee Elementary School
  • Micheal Arington, Alder Creek Middle School
  • Mary Berelson, Glenshire Elementary
  • Candy Blesse, Truckee Elementary
  • Claire Boyle, Tahoe Lake Elementary
  • Danny Brolliar, Tahoe Lake Elementary
  • Sara Colborn, Alder Creek Middle School
  • Vicki Decker, Alder Creek Middle School
  • Jenny Dewald, Truckee Elementary
  • Lindee Eckert, North Tahoe Middle School
  • Jean Fournier, Glenshire Elementary
  • Mike Franey, Truckee Elementary
  • Dave Green, Truckee High School
  • Sherry Hollomon, Truckee Elementary
  • Kathy Holmes, Truckee Elementary
  • Lissa Johnson, Glenshire Elementary
  • Margie LaPoint, Glenshire Elementary
  • Tom LeFevers, North Tahoe High School
  • Reina Markheim, Glenshire Elementary
  • Carey Parlette, Truckee High School
  • Carol Reed, Glenshire Elementary
  • Dawn Rye, Tahoe Lake Elementary
  • Darin Veliquette, Glenshire Elementary
  • Monika Bock, Kings Beach Elementary
  • Emily Hart, Kings Beach Elementary
  • Hien Larson, Alder Creek Middle School
  • Patricia Stonick, Sierra High School
  • Kim Warren, Truckee Elementary
  • Diana Whitten, Truckee High School