Angie Gibbs, who was named a Master Teacher earlier this year, has received another honor.
She has been chosen for a COINED Scholarship from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
The award pays for two weeks of study in Santiago, Chile, this summer in Spanish language and literature and Latin American culture. She also expects to get out of the classroom and trek the Andes while in Chile.
Ms. Gibbs, whom we honored in 2005, is a Spanish teacher at Green Valley Ranch High School, part of the Denver Schools of Science and Technology (DSST) school system in Colorado.
A graduate of James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn., she received a bachelor’s degree with a major in Spanish from Connecticut College in 2005. She earned a master’s degree from Lesley University while teaching Spanish at Media Arts & Technology Charter (MATCH) High School in Boston.
Congratulations to Angie on this award, which will enable her to enrich her Spanish courses for her students in Denver.
Master Teacher Angelica Gibbs, right, with her principal, Jenna Kalin, left, and senior student/advisee Oluwatomisin Ogungbenle.
Over the past 20 years, Alma Exley Scholars have pursued a wide variety of paths within the field of education. Many have matured as outstanding classroom teachers. Others have emerged as principals and as leaders at the district and state levels.
It’s always good to learn about their accomplishments, and it is especially pleasing when a recipient is honored for exemplary work with students.
I was delighted to learn recently that Angelica Gibbs, whom we honored in 2005, has been honored as a Master Teacher. Check out this video in which her students and colleagues speak glowingly of her qualities as an outstanding teacher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llQjYj1h0D8&sns=em
Angie, who grew up in New Haven, graduated from Connecticut College. Her first job was as a Spanish teacher at the Match Charter Public School in Boston. Within two years she earned a master’s degree at Lesley University.
After nine years in Boston, she made a new start by heading west. She signed on as a Spanish teacher at Green Valley Ranch High School, part of the Denver Schools of Science and Technology (DSST) system in Colorado.
After just one year in Denver, she was honored with the designation as a Master Teacher. A master teacher typically has more than six years of experience, has demonstrated strong student achievement, and is a positive contributor to school culture.
Angie teaches Spanish 3 as well as Advanced Placement Spanish and Spanish for Native Speakers to senior students. All of her AP Spanish students passed the AP exam last year — a remarkable achievement — and all of her Spanish 3 students showed tremendous growth over time on their trimester final exams.
She received the honor because of the exam results, her 10 years of experience, and positively strong results in surveys of peers, students, parents and administrators about her teaching, collaboration, communication and leadership.
“I feel honored to earn this distinction after just one year in Denver,” Angie told me. “It’s deeply satisfying to have an impact on the lives of so many young people as a teacher. I hope this kind of recognition inspires others to choose teaching as a career.”
As for me, I’m so pleased for Angie, and I’m delighted to have this opportunity to put the spotlight on another of our outstanding Alma Exley Scholars who are making a difference every day in school systems all across the country.
Orlando Valentin Jr. of Meriden, Conn., a student at the University of Connecticut, has been honored as the Alma Exley Scholar for 2016. Seven previous scholarship recipients were among those celebrating with him at a reception on May 4 at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford.
Alma Exley Scholars from 1998-2015 celebrated with Orlando Valentin Jr. at a reception in his honor. Others. from left, Chi-Ann Lin, Violet Jiménez Sims, Dr. Miguel Cardona, Desi Nesmith, Margaret Seclen, Justis Lopez, Nadine Rosa.
Justis Lopez, the 2015 Alma Exley Scholar, was the guest speaker at the 20th annual reception, reflecting on his first year of teaching at Manchester High School and welcoming Mr. Valentin into the scholarship family.
In accepting the honor, Mr. Valentin announced that he had accepted a position as fourth grade teacher at Casimir Pulaski Elementary School in his hometown of Meriden. A graduate of Wilcox Technical High School, he is a student in the five-year Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s Program in the Neag School of Education at UConn. He received a B.S. in Elementary Education with a concentration in science in May 2015. He was scheduled to receive an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction on May 7, 2016.
He has an outstanding record of academic achievement and public service. He has been an active volunteer in Windham elementary schools as a site manager with America Reads and as a team leader with AmeriCorps’ Jumpstart program. He has served as a leader in Bringing Awareness Into Latin Ethnicity (BAILE) and as president of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity. He also served as a leader of a student volunteer project that aided elementary schools in Jamaica.
He has been a martial arts practitioner for 15 years and holds a second-degree black belt. He works as an instructor in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do.
He is a most deserving scholarship recipient, and we are delighted to welcome him to the Alma Exley Scholarship Family.
