Orange County Public Schools has had a state winner and two state finalists among the top educators in the last four years. The list of top teachers went from 186 nominees to five vying for the 2012 OCPS Teacher of the Year. They are:
Renee Burke, Boone High, is a journalism teacher with 16 years experience. She believes in peer-to-peer teaching, hands-on application, and self-assessment in the classroom. Mrs. Burke has taken the journalism department at Boone and turned it into an award-winning enterprise that publishes the school newspaper and yearbook. She is well respected by her peers and is a sought-after presenter and teacher for journalism educators.
Kimberly Coppola, Thornebrooke Elementary, is an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher with nearly 12 years experience. She says social skills, self awareness, and self esteem are at the forefront of her educational curriculum. Ms. Coppola teaches children with autism and also runs a model demonstration classroom at the University of Central Florida and the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities at UCF. She is also the co-director of a highly-successful social skills summer program.
Jo DePaola, Wyndham Lakes Elementary, is a music teacher with more than 14 years experience. She says being able to give everyone an opportunity to shine is what she lives for. Mrs. DePaola also treats anyone who walks into her class as a student who is there to learn including the principal. She feels these policies make her a better music teacher. She also uses her music leadership skills outside of school as well. She is a presenter and clinician in Central Florida for Orff, a system of teaching music education to students. Mrs. DePaola’s Orff group was featured at the Orange County Honors Music Festival.
Alison Hannon, Audubon Park Elementary, is a fourth- grade teacher with more than 18 years experience. She is also a four time school-based Teacher of the Year award winner. Her passion is writing. Sprawled across the top of her classroom it reads…Everyone has a Story to Tell…What’s Yours? Mrs. Hannon brings writing to life through blogs, podcasts, and her own virtual classroom. She runs two innovative after school programs called “Rock Star Writers” club and “Comic Camp” community project. She believes in staying current when it comes to technology and that it is her responsibility to her students to ultimately be a learner as well as a teacher.
Michael Pearl, Olympia High, is an English teacher with more than six years experience. He says his favorite day to be an English teacher is the day after his 10th grade students have finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel. On this day, he says if he has done his job correctly, he will have challenged his students to think for themselves and to appreciate the power of literature. Mr. Pearl spent his summer studying at the University of Edinburgh in an international summer school. His co-workers say he makes them think, grow professionally, reach higher, and desire to be better educators.
The winner will be announced during the OCPS Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony on Feb. 24, 2011 at the Rosen Centre Hotel. The winner will be the district’s nominee to be submitted for the 2012 Florida Department of Education/Macy’s Teacher of the Year. The program recognizes and honors the contributions of outstanding classroom teachers who have demonstrated a superior capacity to inspire a love of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities.
