HCPSS Honors English For Speakers Of Other Languages Teachers, Administrator

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Howard County Public School System has named its first ever English for Speakers of Other Languages Teachers and Administrator of the Year.

They are:

• ESOL Administrator of the Year: Allison McCoy, Mt. Hebron High School
• Secondary ESOL Teacher of the Year: Laura Cometa, Wilde Lake High School
• Elementary ESOL Teacher of the Year: Misty Shappell, Ducketts Lane Elementary School

The three were recognized for demonstrating exemplary teaching and leadership for HCPSS’ multilingual learners, as defined by the following criteria:

• positive student impact
• innovative and creative ways of teaching/leading
• cultural sensitivity and inclusivity
• collaboration with colleagues, parents, and the community to support multilingual learners ongoing professional development
• community engagement to promote the importance of language learning and cultural understanding

The award recipients were nominated by their colleagues, co-teachers, and/or administrators. The nominations, as well as letters of support from colleagues, students, parents and administrators and/or artifacts from teachers’ classrooms, were reviewed and scored by an award committee composed of secondary and elementary school administrators, Multilingual Family Registration Center staff, multilingual achievement liaisons and parents.