Teacher Appreciation Week 2021
Thank You Notebook

Angela McCarty achieves remarkable learning gains with her 700+ students every year by empowering an exceptional group of committed teachers who share the belief that all children can succeed, and then working with them to launch innovative initiatives. As an...

It’s been three years since rockstar teacher Martha Brown’s beloved Denton Creek Elementary became an Out Teach partner school, and they’ve done amazing work in their Outdoor Learning Lab, which students have lovingly nicknamed the Trailblazer Discovery Trail.  In...

Mr. Gillespie, now deceased, taught high school English in the 90’s and was my best teacher ever. He loved everything William Faulkner (he even looked like him), ran 6 miles most days, and wouldn’t let students use any form of the verb “to be” in their writing. He...

Sean Splawski is a dedicated, motivated and passionate teacher. In fact, his name is synonymous with wonderment. There is never a dull moment when you step into Mr. Splawski’s K-5 STEAM Lab. Whether he is harvesting hundreds of sweet potatoes and making everything...

Our cohort at Union Elementary believes in the power of outdoor experiential learning! Ts Hill, Caines, Phillips, Burrows, Payne, and Jarzombeck develop lessons that drive critical thinking and promote SEL. The cohort is supported by Ms. Glasheen, who helps create and...

Principal Belton at Paw Creek is a true leader that empowers her team to step outside of the classroom to increase student engagement, drive critical thinking, and provide unique learning experiences.

Ms. Walker at Southside-Ashpole has a contagious enthusiasm for teaching and learning! Her students have adopted a large tree on campus as their outdoor experiential learning classroom!

Ms. Catlin from Eno Valley is a great communicator, helps Ts use the outdoor space more effectively, and develops more outdoor learning spaces on her campus. She is a great advocate for outdoor learning!

Mr. Crow at Governors Village STEM Academy is a great advocate for outdoor experiential learning. He spends hours in their outdoor classroom involving parents, community members, and students from the nearby high school. He also created a trail into the woods of for...

The Out Teach cohort at Gwynns Falls Elementary in Baltimore is passionate about providing an engaging learning experience for their students. Thank you for your dedication to including outdoor learning in your daily instruction!

The hard work of the Out Teach cohort at Montpelier Elementary in Prince George's County has not gone unnoticed! Thank you for your dedication to improving your practice to support student achievement.

Garrison elementary has such an inspirational group of teachers in their Out Teach cohort! Thank you for taking learning outdoors and making such a beautiful impact on your students’ lives.

The Out Teach cohort at Brookfield Elementary had a great year of empowering and educating students. Thank you for taking learning outside and teaching students in such an engaging way!

Ms. Hence of Brown Elementary promotes curiosity in her classroom. Her dedication to learning science and engineering practices is admirable. We provided support for her, but she was very supportive of us!

We learn so much from Catherine Tommasello at Tritt! Her differentiation of content is top notch. We’ve never seen kindergartners rotate through learning centers so efficiently. It’s been a pleasure coaching her!

Lambert Bales of Norton Park ensures every student experiences hands-on learning regardless of their different learning needs. He facilitates student-led inquiry instead of giving answers directly. Thank you!

Nicole Uqdah in is a very engaging teacher! Never a dull day in her class. We love visiting her classroom. She embraces her time with OT and is always grateful for our support. Thanks for all you do!

Principal Karen Carstens acknowledges the hard work of her amazing Ts. Every compliment, she immediately credits the Tritt STEAM teachers. Thank you for recognizing teachers throughout the year and not waiting until May!

Ms. Jones is an incredible teacher who inspires a love of learning and inquiry among her Gifted and Talented students. Ms. Jones' class is an enrichment class and we weren't sure how that would be addressed during this At-Home time. We were so delighted to find out...

Mrs. Rodriguez has definitely embraced online learning and has made it fun for herself and the kids. She has an interactive online classroom and she’s part of the spirit committee and keeps the kids involved with our spirit week. The kids look forward to her class and...

Kudos to Mr. Rivera for making Math and Science lessons fun, interactive, and engaging from afar. Since we have been sheltered-in-place, he has gone above and beyond in teaching his lessons with Zoom and Loom. He has found such creative ways to present multiplication,...

We have always considered Ms. Kane an outstanding teacher. The At-Home Learning situation has given us a closer look at how truly phenomenal she is in ensuring the academic success and emotional well-being of all her students. Ms. Kane has worked hard in developing...

Mr. Damian Bautista has always gone over and beyond for the students that he serves. He led the students in a chess club, took them to tournaments during the weekend, all while teaching and ensuring students are meeting their goals. Covid-19 changed our way of...

There were two nominations for Ms. Cunniff "Ms. Cunniff is the best teacher because she gives us chances and she is nicer than all of the other teachers. She goes above and beyond to help us understand what we are learning and she lets us play while learning." and...

You want to see real transformation first hand - go to Sudie Williams and ask to sit in on Ms. Neel's class. She is an amazing educator with a heart for kids and a passion for learning herself. "Hey since I can make it to your model lesson, I'm going to have my sub...

You want to see the practical application of knowledge and skills in a real world setting. Look no further than Dr. Popa's 6th grade class at Sudie Williams TAG Academy. Good thing I forgot my lunch because students were building ovens and cooking hot dogs using...

No one engages students in 5th grade writing and science the way Ms. Soto does. She is thoughtful in her planning and discussions with students. She loves to motivate them to do their best everyday.

Kinder is such a critical year - it sets up a child for success. They will walk away life long learners or be disinterested in learning for life. I can tell you that in Ms. Gongora's classroom they will have a love and passion for learning that goes beyond the four...

The minute she was off her "walker" after surgery - she was outside teaching kids. I have to give a shout out to Ms. Hernandez because even though she was limited in some aspects of our work - she delivered an amazing lesson on living and non-living things. Her...

" Wow, I am so excited to try a lesson on angles out here" - she was hooked ever since. Ms. Rentowski is always willing to take risks and try new things, especially if it benefits kids. From the moment we met, I knew she was special and I was impressed at the way she...

Mr. Gutierrez was so excited by experiential learning outdoors - he invited a colleague to join him. In fact, together they developed a lesson on the Needs of Plants that can be found on our website. All 2nd graders had a chance to plant seeds and observe them over...

Samantha goes above and beyond to make her students feel welcomed and accepted, no matter what! She understands the importance of a smiling face and the impact that she can have on her students lives for years to come.

More than 20 years ago, Dr. Katrina Macht showed me excellent teaching in action through outdoor learning, when I first visited Hillside Intermediate School in Bridgewater, New Jersey. To this day, she uses all the best practices to engage her students --...

Join Out Teach in celebrating teachers who go above and beyond as part of our #EducationIsOpen campaign.  Nominate your favorite teacher here!  When you're done, you can also make a donation in their honor here!  During #TeacherAppreciation week, your donation will be...

Before COVID-19, we considered Mrs. Neal an amazing teacher. Now that we are in At-Home Learning situation, we see that she is more than just amazing, she is off-the-charts PHENOMENAL. To meet the needs of her students, Mrs. Neal created her own class website that...

Lisa represents our staff’s ability to connect with students and families , especially during our At Home Learning, masterfully. She has gone out of her way to promote literature, poetry, outdoor experiences and social emotional learning throughout her virtual...

Jonathan is THE promoter for OUT TEACH on our campus. He always brings the Best attitude to campus and in turn motivates and inspires his students daily. He’s been such a promoter of dual language instruction within science and writing and even leads professional...

Mrs. Gann has always been amazing but especially so during this time of uncertainty. She has gone above and beyond creating meaningful lessons and I see growth in my kindergarten now just as I did before when they met as a class. She is kind-hearted , caring and well...

Mrs. Wescott is one of the most dedicated teachers I know. She is always learning and growing to become the best educator she can be for her students. She has a warm heart and a loving spirit, and she cares deeply for every child in her class. She is always willing to...

From writing and binding our own storybooks to writing and analyzing poetry, Bob Fardy sparked a lasting love of books and literature for all of his young students.  He told stories with a sort of calm energy that enthralled and transported his classes.  Going a step...

Ms. Outlaw is the best teacher! Not only is she on top of her content and instruction, but she is our school's go-to teacher for students to go to when they need a break from their classroom. She is compassionate, empathetic, caring, kind, and always expects the best...

Dr. Miracle has dedicated himself to inspiring the next generation children with content rich, hope filled lessons. While at Devonshire Elementary he over saw a BIG DIG. Now students have professional spaces for learning outside of the brick walls of the school....

Principal Cervantes, at Henry B. Gonzalez Personalized Learning Academy leads by the mission of empowering future world changers through collaboration and transformative thinking. He promotes the whole child and holds all his stakeholders accountable for building a...

At Trinity Basin Preparatory, they believe that every child can succeed and teachers like Ms. Romansky, Ms. Bowman, Ms. Grimes, Ms. Park, Ms. Clements and Ms. Stuart are VERY dedicated to that mission. This is the cohort most strongly dedicated to preparing and...

Ms. Alvarez teaches second grade at Ebby Halliday Elementary, and although she is in her second year – her instruction is as seamless as any veteran. She put in such hard work this year with me as her coach trying new and different instructional methods! A first timer...

The one person who Suzy Peacock, our founder would have envisioned when thinking of a person who brings vitality and creativity outdoors - Andie Threatt! In addition to bringing her own classes outside daily, she organizes community events at her Solar Prep Campus...

From the first time I met Ms. Villarreal at our interview for the Out Teach build and train program I knew she was different.  She was one of those Principals that takes staff, student and community and the outdoor environment and packages it all together.  Its not...

When I think of a person that brings their local community together for the good of their school I think of Rachel Brown. In addition to bringing her own classes outside daily, she organizes community events at her Harmony Science Academy Campus in Forth Worth. ...

Katie has demonstrated consistently quality leadership characteristics that the Mayor would want at the forefront of his council. Katie Benningfield has demonstrated a profound ability to lead others within our campus as well as teachers outside of campus, in our...

Kassandra Dena goes above and beyond her call of duty for her students. She is a firm believer that what she does impacts lives. She meets with her students off-line to provide motivation and coaching. She coaches her students in academic competitions, athletic...

Thank you for creating an environment of enthusiasm for learning, appreciation for growing, and room for support and kindness.

Thanks for teaching, educating and empowering your students. Thanks for making a beautiful impact on your students’ lives.

Thank you for being supportive, dedicated, and caring teachers!

Thank you for teaching. Thank you for caring. And thank you for being outstanding educators.

Thank you for creating a space for the children to be themselves and for being a positive example in their lives.

Mrs. Scott teaches preschool for children with disabilities at J.T. Stevens Elementary, and she has a big heart for her kiddos! She's always up at school early and goes the extra mile for her students, many of whom she has in her classroom for multiple years. Thank...

Mrs. Davis was an incredible educator who made learning come alive! She loved Social Studies and every day a new cultural adventure awaited our class...."flights" around the word, African safaris, Chinese art, traditional feasts from across the world - she made...

3rd grade teacher, Alison Wilkinson along with 5th grade teacher, Kathy Struck, have been heading up our DCE Garden Club for our kids for 2 years in a row now! Learners sign up for Trail Days club according to their passion. Each Friday morning the club groups meet...

Gretchen has gone above and beyond to support our school as we move towards becoming STEM certified. She works hard in the Science lab to cultivate a love of Science for all students K-5.

Brenda has done so much to promote hands on inquiry based learning in nature. Her passion for teaching is contagious and she has touched the lives of countless teachers and young people all over the district. Brenda is one of those shining stars that just makes the...