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FWISD Announces 2021- 2022 Chairs for Teaching Excellence

Fort Worth ISD and its dedicated community partners are celebrating and rewarding 16 outstanding, highly-qualified teachers as the 2021-2022 Academic Chairs for Teaching Excellence. The selected teachers will be conferred with the title of Chair for Teaching Excellence for one year and receive a $5,000 honorarium. Each Teaching Chair’s campus will receive a flag to display in a prominent location.

The 2021 Academic Chairs for Teaching Excellence winners will be recognized at an awards luncheon Thursday, November 18.

This year’s Teaching Chairs sponsors and honorees are:

Angela D. Paulos Chair for Teaching Excellence in Visual Arts
Andrea Cantrell, Burton Hill Elementary School

Blue Zones Project Chair for Teaching Excellence in Health & Physical Education

Joe Gonzales, Sam Rosen Elementary School

Broadway at the Bass Chair for Teaching Excellence in Dance & Theater

Christen Reyes, IM Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA

Central Market Chair for Teaching Excellence in Acquisition of Language

Carrie English, Success High Schooll

Chase Chair for Teaching Excellence in Secondary English

Janet Allen, Young Men’s Leadership Academy

Facebook Chair for Teaching Excellence in Career & Technical Education

Ronnie Cope, Trimble Tech High School

Friedman Chair for Teaching Excellence in Performing Arts

Emily Saenz, Benbrook Middle-High School

Kroger Chair for Teaching Excellence in Special Education

Kristin Miller, ML Phillips Elementary School

Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Chair for Teaching Excellence in Elementary Reading

Kathryn Hobbs, Luella Merrett Elementary School

Lockheed Martin Chair for Teaching Excellence in Elementary Math & Science

Angela Ferguson, Lowery Road Elementary School

Lockheed Martin Chair for Teaching Excellence in Middle School STEM

Shawn Massey, Young Men’s Leadership Academy

Lockheed Martin Chair for Teaching Excellence in High School STEM

Nicholas Clark, Arlington Heights High School

Sewell Lexus & Infiniti of Fort Worth Chair for Teaching Excellence in Humanities

Philip Collier, Polytechnic High School

TTI, Inc. Chair for Teaching Excellence in Secondary Math

Lisa McGlothlin, Rosemont Middle School

University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Chair for Teaching Excellence in Secondary Science

Jamie Avalos, OD Wyatt High School

XTO Energy Chair for Teaching Excellence in Early Childhood Education

Marisol Martin, West Handley Elementary School

This rigorously adjudicated award program requires an application, a video teaching demonstration, and panel interview, but the rigor actually begins with applicants’ eligibility at the outset. To meet eligibility requirements, teachers must have either been elected Campus Teacher of the Year by their peers during the past five years or must provide details on the application about their leadership roles on campus and in the classroom.

This year, a record 157 teachers applied across the 16 categories, beating last year’s record of 140 applications. Applicants had to explain their philosophy of teaching and learning and share how the pandemic has affected the way they engage their students. Once the selection committees reviewed applications and determined the finalists for their categories, the 50 teacher finalists had to submit demonstration videos for review and evaluation.

Through it all, teachers impressed the judges with the creativity, ingenuity, and grit they displayed as they navigated the challenges of teaching this school year.

Once the committees had completed their duties and selected 16 Teaching Chairs from 157 initial applicants, it was time to celebrate. The 16 corporate sponsors spearheaded surprise campus visits to notify the winners of their selection. Campus principals staged fun, and sometimes elaborate, events in the winners’ honor. Most of the events were held outdoors and featured signs, confetti, flowers, cheerleaders, and musicians where sponsors, committee members, colleagues, students and family members gathered around the new Teaching Chair winners to congratulate them.

This annual teacher recognition program is made possible because of dedicated community partners who sponsor the awards, including the $5,000 cash prize, and who serve on the selection committees from April through November.

-FWISD-