14 IPS Educators Named Finalists for Hubbard Life-Changing Teacher Award
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United Way of Central Indiana and Hubbard Family Foundation to present $25,000 each to six winners – four teachers and two principals – on May 18
Award-winning and veteran educator Mariama Carson to emcee awards ceremony.
INDIANAPOLIS – Fourteen Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) educators out of 591 nominees have been chosen as finalists for this year’s Hubbard Life-Changing Educator Award. Now in its third year, the award honors teachers and, new this year, principals who have made a significant difference in the classroom and in the lives of students.
At a reception on Wednesday, May 18 at the Eiteljorg Museum, four teachers and two principals will be presented with the Hubbard Life-Changing Teacher Award and will receive $25,000 each. The remaining eight finalists will receive $1,000 each.
The finalists are:
Teachers (from 486 nominations):
Carter Bell, Rousseau McClellan School 91
Maggie Brown, Project SITE
Cassie Davis-Woodall, Key Learning
Daphne Draa, CFI 2
Para Lee Gale, Charles Fairbanks, School 105
La Meca Perkins-Knight, Theodore Potter School 74
Rebecca Pfaffenberger, Rousseau McClellan School 91
Antonia Powell, Arlington Woods School 99
Marleen Signer, McFarland School
Stella Vandivier, Marion County Jail School
Principals (from 105 nominations):
Ami Anderson, ROOTS
Julie Bakehorn, Arsenal Tech High School
Christine Collier, CFI 84
Margi Higgs, Rousseau McClellan School 91
“We’re delighted to honor our extraordinary teachers once again this year, and we’re even more excited to add principals to the honor roll,” said Al Hubbard, who is chairman of E & A Companies, an Indianapolis-based business, and the director of the National Economic Council under President George W. Bush. “These caring and talented educators go that extra mile every day to teach, nurture and inspire our students to be the best they can be, and we are proud to celebrate and award their achievement.”
United Way of Central Indiana managed the selection process. Five education experts volunteered to serve on the review panel and select the 14 finalists. The finalists were reviewed on instructional excellence, student achievement results, and how they made a positive impact on their students’ lives.
In addition to reviewing nominations, the selection process included videos of each finalist in the classroom environment and personal interviews with semi-finalists to select the six winners.
Mariama Carson, an award-winning and veteran educator, will emcee the awards ceremony on May 18.
Winners of the Hubbard Life-Changing Teacher Award in 2015 were: Donna Pope-Green, Ann Mennonno, Roslyn Stradford, and Doris Young.
About Our Emcee
Mariama Carson is a former a classroom teacher and principal with the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township. From 2007-2014 she served as the assistant principal and then principal at Snacks Crossing Elementary School. While serving as the building’s leader, she transformed the instructional culture to be student centered with a keen eye on data based decision making and student outcomes. Under her leadership, the school’s letter grade rose from a D to a B.
Carson has received many notable honors during her nearly 20-year career in education, including the $25,000 Milken National Educator Award, known as the "Oscar" of teaching. In 2013, she received United Way of Central Indiana's Student Success Grant, securing more than $242,000 to implement innovative practices school-wide to enhance student learning. In 2014, IUPUI awarded Carson with the title of Transformational Educator.
Carson is currently the eighth recipient of the highly competitive Education Entrepreneur Fellowship through The Mind Trust. She is the founder and principal of Global Preparatory Academy, the first Dual Language immersion school to be chartered in the state of Indiana. Global Preparatory Academy will be a charter/innovation school located at Riverside 44, a school within the Indianapolis Public Schools. Students at Global Prep will receive instruction in both Spanish and English throughout the day and will develop strong critical thinking skills through a “hands on” dual language curriculum. The educational team at Global Preparatory Academy will unlock the world for students through language immersion and hands-on learning in a loving and nurturing environment.