DPS Announces Teacher of the Year Finalists

April 6, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Fred Williams, Executive Director
Teacher Recruitment and Retention, 560-2298

DPS Announces Teacher of the Year Finalists

DURHAM – Four stellar educators have been named finalists and will vie for the Durham Public Schools 2009-10 Teacher of the Year award next month.

Teachers were nominated to represent their school in the local competition by other faculty members. A selection committee comprising past winners of the Teacher of the Year award narrowed the list to 10 semi-finalists, who completed a portfolio and participated in interviews. From that list, the selection committee named four finalists. They are:

• Teresa Del Dotto, Durham School of the Arts, English, Grade 9. Del Dotto has taught at DSA for six years, with 10 years total teaching experience. She is a graduate of Trinity University in Texas, where she also earned a master’s degree in teaching.
• Adam Eisenson, Easley Elementary School, Grade 3. Eisenson has taught at Easley for three years and has 13 years total teaching experience. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Manor College in Massachusetts.
• Matt Hunt, Northern High School, Algebra, Algebra 2, AP Statistics, Grades 9-12. Hunt has taught at Northern for four years. He is a graduate of Williams College, holds a master’s of education from Harvard University, and is working on a master’s in science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Brian McDonald, Jordan High School, AP U.S. History, Civics & Economics, and Minority Studies, Grades 10-12. McDonald has taught at Jordan for eight years. He is a graduate of Elon University and is working on a master’s degree at North Carolina Central University.

The selection committee will conduct classroom observations of the top four finalists in order to help determine the DPS Teacher of the Year. 

The additional six semifinalists are: Lauren Miller, Hope Valley Elementary; Laura Roberson, Riverside High; Mary Taylor Elston, W.G. Pearson Elementary; Angela Taylor, Hillside New Tech High; Andy Crutchfield, Little River Elementary; and Susan P. Raper from Spring Valley Elementary. 

Teacher of the Year school winners will be honored at a banquet on May 6 at Croasdaile Country Club. 

Sponsors include SunTrust Bank, Merck, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Duke University, BlueCross BlueShield, Measurement Inc. and Square One Marketing.

2009 Teacher of the Year nominees

(Finalists indicated by **, and Semi-finalists indicated by *)

Maylene Smith – Bethesda Elementary
Jessica Austin – Brogden Middle
Abby Dunn – Burton Elementary
Carrie Jacobsohn – Carrington Middle
Kemnesia Dudley – C.C. Spaulding Elementary
Jonathan Herder – Chewning Middle School
Karen Ingram – City of Medicine Academy
Jennifer Medley-Harrison – Club Boulevard Elementary
Jessica Dunevant – Creekside Elementary
Teresa Del Dotto** – Durham School of the Arts
David Becker – Josephine D. Clement Early College High
Adam Eisenson** -- Easley Elementary
Ashley Faison – Eastway Elementary
Sandra Graham – E.K. Powe Elementary
Matthew House – Eno Valley Elementary
Jacqueline Jones – Fayetteville Street Elementary
Felicia Sledge – Forest View Elementary
Ramona Jones – George Watts Elementary
Crystal Simmons – Githens Middle
Nashonda Cook – Glenn Elementary
Luann Bryan – Hillandale Elementary
Angela Taylor* – Hillside New Tech High
Shanon Kulinski – Holt Elementary
Lauren Miller* – Hope Valley Elementary
Lillian Marshall-McIver – Hospital School
Brian McDonald** -- Jordan High
James Bacon – Lakeview School
Janelle Robian – Lakewood Elementary
Andy Crutchfield* – Little River Elementary
Jamila Bowser – Lowe’s Grove Middle
Katie Neely – Mangum Elementary
Emily McGregor – Merrick-Moore Elementary
Yen Nguyen – Middle College High at Durham Tech
Terry Finch-Miller – Morehead Montessori Elementary
Kartika Tyler – Neal Middle
Matthew Hunt** -- Northern High
Karen McAvinney – Oak Grove Elementary
Leslie Bionde – Parkwood Elementary
Tawauna Griffin-Stewart – Pearsontown Elementary
Laura Roberson* -- Riverside High
Iyenda White – R.N. Harris Elementary
Christine Blystad – Rogers-Herr Middle
Linda Fisher – Shepard Middle
Dorethea Hamidullah – Southern High
Mary Fletcher – Southern School of Engineering
Andrea Underwood – Southwest Elementary
Susan Raper* – Spring Valley Elementary
Mary Taylor Elston* – W.G. Pearson Elementary
Zulma Marin-Cortes – W.G. Pearson Middle
Marshella Reid – Y.E. Smith Elementary

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