Teachers of the Year Announced for Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Fredericksburg City Public Schools announced last week the 2012 Teachers of the Year. One teacher was chosen from each of the schools: Dinah Robinson from James Monroe High School, Christine Stapleton from Hugh Mercer Elementary School, Steve Swider from Lafayette Upper Elementary School, Katherine “KC” Cowsert from Walker-Grant Middle School and Kelly White from Walker-Grant Early Childhood Center. Dinah Robinson was chosen as Teacher of the Year for the entire Fredericksburg City Schools. 

The teachers were nominated by their peers and chosen by a selection committee based on certain criteria. Teachers must be active within the school and community and have admiration and respect from students, parents and colleagues. They should be focused on improving the every day classroom and continue to find ways to innovate and create new learning experiences. Each of the teachers chosen are an integral part of their respective schools and are well-deserving of the honor. 

Dinah Robinson has been a part of JMHS since 1990. She currently teaches Business Education courses and helps sponsor the Future Business Leaders of America, a national student organization for business students. She coordinated the Cooperative Office Education Work Release Program and is the Career and Technical Education Program Director for Fredericksburg City Public Schools.

Kelly White of Walker-Grant Early Childhood Center is a teacher within the Head Start program. Head Start works specifically with pre-school aged children and focuses on preparing them both academically and socially for kindergarten. White has been with the program since 2008, striving in every way to ensure the children are happy, healthy and prepared in the important early learning years of their lives. 

KC Cowsert has taught at Walker-Grant Middle School for the past 5 years, and is focused on using technology in new and exciting ways in the classroom. Through the use of blogs and avatars, Cowsert introduces learning to her students in a fun technological atmosphere. She has also developed a teacher to teacher blog which allows teachers to post resources and interact with each other to learn within their own community.

Steve Swider just completed his sixth year at Lafayette Upper Elementary and is a lead teacher at the school. He received an Incentive Award for the 2009-2010 school year and has been featured in Newsweek through a special on male teachers. 

Christine Stapleton of Hugh Mercer is a Virginia Tech graduate and has been with the school since 2007. Her creativity and passion for teaching led her to the Teacher of the Year honor, and she remains active in the school and the community. Volunteering at events such as the Special Olympics and Relay for Life, Stapleton is able to help out both her school and the community. 

The teachers of the year will be submitted into the running to become Teacher of the Year for the District, and from there, Teacher of the Year for the State for 2012.