Mike Cohen Received AZ 2008 American Star of Teaching
Written by Shelly York
Thursday, 02 April 2009 22:53
Retired
engineer and second-career teacher Mike Cohen was honored Tuesday, Oct. 7, as Arizona’s 2008 American
Star of Teaching. A representative of the U.S. Department of Education made the
surprise announcement at Palo Verde Magnet High School, where Cohen teaches
engineering.
After
retiring as a senior engineer from a Fortune 500 company, Cohen decided to
teach after noticing that few minority students and women seemed to be entering
the engineering profession. With more than 30 years of engineering experience,
Cohen built Palo Verde’s engineering program from scratch, increasing the
number of students from 20 five years ago to 130 today. He also boasts a 100
percent graduation and college-bound rate of success.
Cohen helps
students after school and on weekends prepare for competition, such as building
robots and generators. He also works with community leaders to provide
internships, employment, and support for scholarships to universities so that students
can continue their academic studies.
“Mr. Cohen
is a superb example of unprecedented results in classroom focus at the most
rigorous level,” said Palo Verde Principal Tina Isaac. “A visit to his
classroom is a true engagement in learning.”
Tori
Hatada, an acting regional representative from the U.S. Department of Education,
made the presentation at Palo Verde, 1302 S. Avenida Vega. Palo Verde is an
inner-city public magnet high school that enrolls approximately 1,500 students.
Of those, nearly 40 percent are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunches,
and more than 48 percent are minority students.
Teachers
across all grade levels and disciplines are being honored this fall as American
Stars of Teaching. One teacher is being recognized in every state and the District of Columbia. A
committee of former teachers at the U.S. Department of Education selected the
winners from among 4,000 nominations based on their success in improving
academic performance and making a difference in students’ lives.
Started in 2004,
the American Stars of Teaching is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative which includes regional and district workshops,
roundtables for teachers and principals, regular e-mail updates and digital learning.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 April 2009 22:56 )
2009 Arizona Teacher of the Year Candidates are Announced
Written by Shelly York
Friday, 02 January 2009 23:05
(Phoenix)-The 5
candidates - "Ambassadors for Excellence" - for 2009 Arizona Teacher of the
Year have been identified. One of
these 5 teachers will be named the 2009 Teacher of the Year by the Arizona
Educational Foundation at its annual awards luncheon on November 12, 2008 at The
Camelback Inn in Scottsdale.
The five Ambassadors, one of whom
will be selected as 2009 Arizona Teacher of the Year, are: Sarah Baird, Kindergarten
through 5th Grade Math teacher at Lomas and Milenio Schools in the
Kyrene District, Phoenix; Becca Hughes, 6th, 7th and 8th Grade English Language Development teacher at La Cima Middle
School in the Amphitheater District, Tucson; Manuel Chavez, 6th Grade teacher at Avenue B Elementary School in San Manuel; Brian MacKenzie,
9th through 12th Grade History teacher at Patagonia Union
High School in Patagonia; and Deb Moore, 9th through 12th Grade Marketing/Career & Technical Education teacher at Sunrise Mountain
High School in Peoria.
The winner will receive $20,000, a laptop from
Intel, a SMART board, a full scholarship to Argosy University and many other
prizes. He or she becomes Arizona's candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
The Ambassadors for Excellence will receive $5,000 and a laptop
from Intel. The winner will meet the President of the
United States in April 2009, and attend International Space Camp in Huntsville,
Alabama next July. The Teacher of the
Year and the four Ambassadors for Excellence will make scores of public
appearances throughout the state in 2009, speaking to professional, educational,
business, civic, parent and student groups to promote excellence in education and
to advocate for the teaching profession.
Five additional Semi-Finalists, who
are not in contention for 2009 Teacher of the Year, will be honored for their
accomplishments in the teaching profession at the November 12 awards luncheon. Each
of these 5 Semi-Finalists will receive $1,000. They are: Becky
Cuperus, 4th Grade, Harold W. Smith School, Glendale (Glendale
Elementary District); Sara Egli, 1st Grade, Maurice C. Cash
Elementary School, Phoenix (Laveen District); Melissa Haile, Kindergarten,
Palmcroft Elementary School, Yuma; Rebecca Hurst, 9th Grade
English, Flowing Wells High School, Tucson; Christopher Martin, 9th - 12th Grade Science, Howenstine High Magnet School, Tucson (Tucson
Unified District).
The finalists
were selected from scores of applications that were submitted by public school
teachers from across Arizona. A panel of
business and community leaders, educators, and students interviewed the top 10
candidates. Applicants are judged on
many factors related to teaching: educational background; professional
biography; community involvement; philosophy of teaching; education issues and
trends; and contributions to the teaching profession. Following the evaluation and interview
process, 5 Ambassadors were selected, from which Arizona's Teacher of the Year
will be chosen and announced on November 12.
Wells Fargo and the Arizona
Educational Foundation, for the 25th consecutive year, present the Teacher of the Year program in collaboration with
The Arizona Republicand Intel Corporation. Ambassador
Sponsors include Intel, Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, SRP and the Whiteman
Foundation. A video of the 5 Ambassadors, sponsored by
the Arizona Education Association, will be shown at the luncheon. Sponsorship
opportunities for the luncheon and information are available by contacting the
Arizona Educational Foundation at 480-421-9376.
Copied from Arizona Educational Foundation Release: Contact: Bobbie O'Boyle, Arizona Educational Foundation, (480) 421-9376.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 April 2009 22:58 )
PUSD CTE Teachers Garner More Kudos
Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 06 February 2007 07:08
Peoria High School agriculture teacher James Kaltenbach and Sunrise Mountain High School business technology teacher Barbara Coakley received top awards at the Association of Career and Technical Educators of Arizona (ACTEAZ) in Tucson.
Kaltenbach won the Arizona Agriculture Teacher of the Year Award from the Arizona Agriculture Teachers Association after being nominated by educators from the Black Canyon Future Farmers of America (FFA) District. The award was based on Kaltenbach’s service, professional association, classroom teaching abilities and state standard accountability. Kaltenbach has taught biotechnology in the Agricultural Sciences department at Peoria for the past five years and serves as the school’s FFA Advisor.
Coakley was named the New Teacher of the Year by the Arizona Marketing Educators’ (AME). She was selected for this prestigious award because of her ability to make technology content relevant to her high school students through innovative and creative methods. Coakley taught business courses at Sunrise Mountain for the past three years, and will begin teaching business law, business technology and marketing at Liberty High School in the fall. She was also named President-Elect of the AME.
