19 Apr 2002
DALLAS — Eileen Bowles, a sixth-grade math teacher at Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School; Jeannette Glass, an eighth-grade career investigation teacher at D.A. Hulcy Middle School; and Sandra Elise Schulz, an art teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School, received Outstanding Teacher awards from the Rotary Club of Dallas for their dedication and accomplishments in and out of the classroom.
Each teacher received a plaque and $2,000 during a luncheon at Union Station Wednesday, April 17.
Sue Albee, a fifth-grade teacher at Lida Hooe Elementary School, and Alana Sloan, a third-grade teacher at L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary School, were the runners-up in the elementary school category. Charles Bowens, a special education teacher at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy, and Cheryl Lever, a physical education teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, were the runners-up in the middle school category. Karen R. Butler, an advanced placement math teacher at H. Grady Spruce High School, and Tara Smith, a science teacher at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, were the runners-up in the high school category. Each of the six runners-up received a plaque and $250.
The awards are given by the Rotary Club of Dallas to call attention to the importance of the public education system and the key role teachers play in the community.
"The primary thing is that everyone we looked at was outstanding, but what sets these teachers apart is their activities and involvement in public service," said Craig Hutton of the Rotary Club of Dallas and coordinator of the annual teacher awards program. "They go above and beyond in what they do after school and in their activities."
Nominations are submitted to the Rotary Club by advisory committees in each of the DISD schools. A committee of Rotary Club members then chooses the winners.
Among Bowles' achievements are developing the curriculum for all her grade-level team members, tutoring students on her own time, establishing a "Check Book" program to teach students about finance and working with a program to bring police officers into the classroom to counsel students about the dangers of drugs and gangs.
Her philosophy of teaching is that "a teacher should teach each child as if he or she were your very own child."
"This award means everything to me because it validates my profession and tells me that this is what I need to be in," Bowles said. "There are so many teachers who deserve this award, too, that I feel a little bad that I got it."
Among Jeannette Glass' achievements are organizing a Red Ribbon campaign at the school, organizing a career day, designing an "Empowerment Time" program to motivate students to learn, organizing a Corporate Caring Day for the school and volunteering with the African American Read In.
Her philosophy of teaching is that "every teacher should have a dream of making each child they touch a better and stronger person to be able to cope with the things they will face as they grow from one stage of life to another."
"One of the things I told my colleagues is that this award is not for me, but for everybody, because if not for everyone working with me, none of the programs I do would be successful," Glass said. "It takes a lot of people to make an organization work."
Among Sandra Elise Schulz's accomplishments are sponsoring and organizing community beautification projects with her students; sponsoring the robotics club at the school; taking students on weekend trips to visit area colleges and universities; tutoring students in reading; designing an interdisciplinary art curriculum to encompass math, science and language arts; and decorating the school for several events.
Her philosophy of teaching is "to educate the whole student by helping him to grow creatively, academically, socially and emotionally."
"I don't do it for the awards," she said. "I do it for the kids. But [the award] lets people know that DISD is a good district, and that there is still a lot that can be gained with a public education. I am a product of DISD. My experiences in public school have made me what I am today."
Craig Hutton of the Rotary Club of Dallas can be reached at (972) 239-8510.