Schools

'Surprise Patrols' Set To Visit Schools To Name Hillsborough Award Finalists

Finalists for the Hillsborough County School District's Teacher of the Year, Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year and the Instructional Support Employee of the Year will learn of their status at their respective schools today, Jan. 6.

 

Fifteen surprises are in store at schools throughout the Hillsborough County School District as the finalists for three major awards will hear word of their advancement some time today, Jan. 6.

(For a list of finalists, see our updated report, Greater Brandon Teacher, Head Custodian Among 15 Award Finalists.)

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Representatives from the Hillsborough Education Foundation will join school-based staff to recognize the five finalists in each of three award categories: Teacher of the Year, the Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year and Instructional Support Employee of the Year.

These so-called “Surprise Patrols” will include as well representatives of the presenting and founding sponsors of the individual awards: Amscot Financial, Caspers Company McDonald’s Restaurants, the Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union’s Suncoast for Kids Foundation (ISEOY presenting) and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The 15 finalists selected by their peers represent the ‘best of the best’ from Hillsborough County Public Schools,” according to a news release from the Hillsborough Education Foundation.

Today’s announcements “will be made to the finalists in the company of their students and school colleagues,” the release continues.

A winner in each category — Teacher of the Year, Ida S. Baker and Instructional Support — will be announced at the 2012 Excellence in Education Awards ceremony, presented by the Verizon Foundation.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 16 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

Road to “Excellence in Education” Recognition:

  • In all, there were 681 nominations, broken down as follows: 222 for the Ida S. Baker award, 223 for the instructional support award and 223 for top-teacher honors.
  • The annual Teacher of the Year Award program starts with nominees at each of Hillsborough’s public schools, which leads to the selection of one top teacher at each school.
  • In turn, those teachers become the nominees for the district’s list of finalists.
  • “All schools in the district are invited to nominate one teacher at their site whom they feel is the most well-rounded and professional,” according to a notice posted on the Hillsborough Education Foundation Web site. “Finalists are selected by a district committee and individually interviewed. One winner is then selected for the prestigious honor of being named Hillsborough County’s Teacher of the Year.”
  • The district’s top teacher goes on to compete for Florida State Teacher of the Year.
  • The state’s top teacher then enters the national Teacher of the Year contest.
  • Cynthia Folsom Crim, a teacher at Palm River Elementary, was named the 2011 Teacher of the Year.
  • Emily Marrero, a teacher at Philip Shore Elementary School, earned the honor in 2010.
  • Cleveland Elementary School teacher Megan Allen in 2009 won not only Hillsborough’s Teacher of the Year award, but also advanced as a finalist in the National Teacher of the Year contest by earning the state’s top-teacher title.


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