Charter teacher to receive award

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

National Heritage Academies, a leading charter school operator, announced that Stambaugh Charter Academy fourth-grade teacher Wendy Thomas was one of only four teachers chosen to receive the 2011 Excellence in Teaching Award.

The award recognizes and affirms the accomplishments of individual teachers across the organization’s 67 charter schools.

Before choosing the four award recipients, NHA reviewed more than 2,300 teachers against a set of quantitative and qualitative criteria including student test scores and achievement data, parent satisfaction surveys and classroom observations.

Based on their ranking among the criteria, 60 finalists were selected in four categories: kindergarten through first grade, second through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grades and co-curricular specialists.

The academy is at 2420 Donald Ave. on the city’s West Side.

A primary reason for Thomas’ selection was her students’ achieving a rate-of-growth of 290 percent in language usage, which represents nearly three years of growth in a single year.

However, according to Stambaugh Charter Academy Principal Alan Harper, student rate-of-growth is only one of many reasons for Thomas’ receiving the award.

“When thinking of what Mrs. Thomas means to our school,” Harper said. “I’m reminded of the following quote by Rosalyn Carter, ‘A teacher takes students where they want to go. A great teacher takes students where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.’ Mrs. Thomas exemplifies those qualities in our school as we strive daily to meet our purpose of challenging each child to achieve.”

As an award recipient, Thomas received a trip for two to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She will also receive $1,000 for school supplies for her classroom.