 |
| Teacher of the Year finalists Alicia Brown-Forbes, Tracy Graham and Matt Earhart |
Last night, the Long Center was buzzing with excitement at Salute,
an
annual event recognizing exceptional teachers and staff members in the
district. Sponsored by AISD and Austin Partners in Education, Salute is
our opportunity to celebrate teaching excellence in our district. A
lively crowd welcomed this year's Teachers of Promise, Teachers of the
Year, newly Board Certified Teachers, and nominees for Teacher of the
Year, Principal of the Year and Classified Staff of the Year. It was
great to recognize and honor our outstanding educators. They're an
energetic group!
Matt Earhart, above right, was named
AISD Teacher of the Year and will serve as the district’s nominee for
the Texas Teacher of the Year. He
teaches five sections of Advancement via Individual Determination and
one section of Contemporary Issues at Anderson High School. During the
fall of 2008, Earhart requested to take over the uncertified and
dilapidated AVID program. Nearly four years later, the Anderson AVID
program has 122 students and plans to expand to 150 students next year.
 |
| Teacher of the Year Matt Earhart is mobbed by delighted students! |
 |
| Principal of the year finalists Joel De La Garza, Blaine Helwig, and Donna Houser. |
 |
| AISD Board Members congratulate Principal of the Year finalists. |
Donna Houser was named AISD Principal of the Year. She has led Anderson High School
since 2007. In that time, the school has been named to Newsweek’s and
the Washington Post’s Top High Schools in America, recognized by the
Texas Business and Education Coalition as one of the Top 20 High Schools
in Texas and named as a Top Ten High School in Texas by Children at
Risk.
 |
| Classified Staff of the Year finalists Diana Luna de Valladares, Rosalinda Rivera and Janice Snyder stand to be recognized. |
 |
| And the winner is....Diana Luna de Valladares! |
Diana Luna de Valladares, AISD Classified Staff Member of the Year,
began her career with AISD in 2008 as a substitute food production
specialist. She has worked at Paredes Middle School, Gorzycki Middle
School, Walnut Creek Elementary and Cunningham Elementary School. During
her time with AISD, she improved the cleaning areas and assignments to
better meet the campuses’ cleaning needs.
 |
| Travis High Teacher of Promise Commander Rick Hamblet described the challenges facing a new teacher. |
 |
| The 30 newest National Board Certified Teachers line the stage. |
 |
| 2012 AISD Teachers of the Year |
 |
| Anderson High School Trojan Belles |
 |
| McCallum Knights of Steel |
 |
| Bowie High School Jazz Band |
 |
| Anderson High School Quartet |
 |
| The Gorzycki Drum Line roused the crowd! |
