Fulton Educator Named Finalist For National Teaching Award

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Chantrise Sims-Holliman, an English teacher at Westlake High School in south Fulton County, is one of only six teachers nationwide to be named a finalist for the 2015 Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice.

She learned the news on Thursday in a surprise announcement at her school.

Sponsored by TNTP, a nonprofit organization that advocates for teaching excellence, the Fishman Prize recognizes the nation’s most effective teachers working in high-poverty public schools. The award is extremely selective, with more than 5,000 teachers nominated this year and nearly 800 submitting applications from 46 states and Washington, DC.

“Ms. Sims-Holliman sets the example that all students can learn at high levels, no matter their backgrounds or circumstances,” said Superintendent Robert Avossa. “She is truly inspiring and doesn’t accept ‘I can’t’ or ‘I won’t’ for an answer. She believes that all students have a bright future and pushes them to pursue it.”

Sims-Holliman entered the classroom 10 years ago from a career in business and has not looked back. A pillar at Westlake High School, she is known for her tenacious spirit and her strong rapport with students. Her classroom atmosphere is electrifying as students eagerly engage in discussion on the literary components of biographical texts.

She eloquently weaves in historical context while tying in modern day comparisons, leaving students bursting with ideas to share and anxious to hear more. As a result, her students achieve amazing classroom results. On the 2013-2014 state graduation test, 100 percent of her English students passed the exam, with 85 percent scoring in the “exceeds expectations” category.

Ten finalists were selected for in-person interviews with an expert panel of judges in New York City before four were ultimately named the winners. Six of the finalists, including Sims-Holliman, will receive $1,000 from TNTP, and the four overall winners will receive $25,000 each.

Now in its fourth year, the Fishman Prize is named for Shira Fishman Printup, a current DC Public Schools (DCPS) math teacher who was named the 2011 DCPS Teacher of the Year and received a 2011 Milken Educator Award. She left a career in engineering to become a teacher through TNTP’s highly selective DC Teaching Fellows program in 2004 and has been teaching ever since.

To learn more about the Fishman Prize and this year’s winners and finalists, visit www.tntp.org/fishmanprize.

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Photo: Chantrise Sims-Holliman with her students.Credit: TNTP