Pictured from left: Sara Firsching, Teacher of the Year Elizabeth Nairon, Nicole Bauer, and Laura Fischer
WestlakebrAcademy honored four teachers as finalists for Teacher of the Year during abrspecial reception earlier this Month. Elizabeth Nairon, math teacher in thebrMiddle Years Programme, took the honor as Westlake Academy's third Teacher ofbrthe Year.
Naironbrteaches algebra at Westlake Academy and has been teaching math in the DFW areabrfor 20 years. The other finalists included three teachers from the PrimarybrYears Programme: Sarah Firsching, first grade teacher; Nicole Bauer, primarybrmathematics specialist and department head; and Laura Fischer, fourth gradebrteacher.
WestlakebrAcademy has honored a Teacher of the Year since 2013. A selection committeebrcoordinated by the Campus Leadership Team (CLT) selects the winner. The CLT isbrmade up of students, teachers, administration, and community members frombrWestlake and Keller. After submissions to the team from parents, students,brteachers and staff, the list was narrowed to the four nominees.
Thebrselection committee, comprised of prominent academic, IB, corporate, andbrcommunity leaders from around the country, scored the finalists using more thanbr30 characteristics constituting the Academy's Teacher of the Year rubric. Thebrselection committee makes their decision based on several criteria includingbrteaching 21st century skills, using new competencies graduates need, instillingbrInternational Baccalaureate (IB) values, classroom atmosphere, the culture ofbrhow a teacher insures students to be good learners, and knowledge the teacherbrhas in their respective area of expertise.
LenbrAvecilla, CLT Chair, said Nairon achieved near-perfect scores in all five areasbrof performance.
“A few ofbrthe particularly notable high scores referenced exceptional attention tobrestablishing a physical setting (learning environment) conducive to studentbrengagement, excellence in leveraging all teaching and learning resourcesbravailable to her, a high degree of commitment (to students, parents, andbrcolleagues), and her intensity regarding her personal learning (professionalbrdevelopment),” Avecilla said in a press release.
Naironbrreceived a beautiful crystal award and certificate to remember this honor,bralong with a $1,500 cash award to use for personal or professional developmentbrfrom the academy's parent-teacher organization, the WA House of Commons.