OCTM Area Recognition Awards — 2008
by Patty Sandoz, OCTM President, La Grande, Oregon
Equity
“Excellence in mathematics education rests on equity—high expectations, respect, understanding, and strong support for all students…. A culture of equity maximizes the learning potential of all students.”
—from NCTM’s Position on Equity, 2008
OCTM RECOGNIZES INDIVIDUALS WHO have helped math education regionally through a variety of mathematical learning opportunities for teachers so that all students receive excellent math instruction. These individuals have promoted equity through effective instruction and learning of mathematics for both students and teachers in their schools and districts and geographic areas. Congratulations to this year’s recipients of OCTM’s Area Recognition Awards—you are making a difference!
Area 1: Becki Horness, Clatskanie Elementary School, Clatskanie
Nominated by Theresa Trotter
Becki is a great mom who went back to school after working as a library aide in our district to obtain her teaching license. Even though this is only her second year of teaching and she is very involved in the active lives of her three children, she has found the time to become a leader in math education in our district. She is a member of the Columbia County Math Leaders Academy, helped to put on Family Math nights at the elementary and middle school, and has coordinated the All-Star Math competition for our district. Becki has also volunteered to help put on a Pizza, Pop, and Problems event and to revamp our family math nights for the future. Becki is a real treasure to education in general, but especially in math education. I’m so glad she works for our district.
Area 1: Heidi Lent, Warrenton High School, Warrenton
Nominated by Lynn Bonser
Heidi works with all levels of students at her school and brings an enthusiastic approach to her instruction. She attends a variety of professional development opportunities and brings back what she has learned to share with colleagues in her own district as well as generously sharing her time to present to her colleagues around the county through the County Math Academy and other math related activities in the community.
Area 2: Nancy Low, Portland Public Schools, Portland
Nominated by Tari Querin
Nancy has been active in the Oregon mathematics community for the past 15 years, serving on the State Mathematics Content Panel for 5 years. She has worked for Marilyn Burns Education Associates, Scott Foresman and Teacher Development Group. Currently Nancy is one of four TOSAs (Teachers on Special Assignment) in the Portland District supporting classroom teachers through site-based professional development, modeling lessons, and helping grade level teams do collaborative planning. She helps with Family Math Nights and daytime “Math and Muffins” sessions for parents. Also having her reading endorsement, Nancy enjoyed doing a Math and Literacy workshop at the Northwest Math Conference in Bellevue, Washington last fall. Nancy has credibility with teachers as she has a realistic approach of what can be accomplished in the classroom. Portland students, teachers and parents truly benefit from her expertise and enthusiasm.
Area 2: Julie Rierson, Franklin High School, Portland
Nominated by Tari Querin
Portland is proud to recognize high school teacher Julie Rierson. Franklin High School administrators recognized the need for improvement in mathematics and created a half time Math Coach position. Julie was already teaching math full time at Franklin but agreed to take on the position in addition to teaching math half time. It is clear that the school administrators recognized the leadership she brought to the math team. Julie plans and carries out excellent professional development for the math department. She believes very strongly that “Kids can do it” and for the first time, Franklin made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in math last year. Julie is active in district level math groups and provides leadership for her colleagues around the district in math.
Area 3: Traci Mulligan, McKay Elementary School, Beaverton
Nominated by Charlotte Ogle and Shawna Dehler
Traci has used her considerable skills in integrating math instruction to collaborate with her ESL team and supporting extra members of her grade level team. She takes the time to prepare other teachers in subject knowledge and material support. Her positive attitude and willingness to share her time and experience has benefited all the children at her level.
Area 4: Stephanie Legard, McMinnville School District, McMinnville
Nominated by Marie Cramer
Stephanie has participated on the Math Content Panel for several years. She serves on the OCTM Board and on the programming committee for the NWMC. Stephanie has written questions for the state multiple choice tests and has scored the state problem solving assessment. She has written articles for TOMT and currently supplies problems for the Elementary Problem Box. She has taught prospective mathematics teachers at George Fox and currently serves as McMinnville School District TAG coordinator and Math/Science TOSA.
Area 4: Nancy Anderson, Educational Consultant, Salem
It is an honor to acknowledge Nancy Anderson for her many contributions to education since 1968. She has taught math, and a few years of science, in the Peace Corps in the West Indies, in American Samoa and in Salem, Oregon. She has also taught education classes for Chemeketa Community College, Portland State University and Willamette University. In addition, Nancy has made math come alive for many educators through her numerous workshops for the Math Learning Center, the Northwest Mathematics Conference, Hands-On Equations and for different schools and districts around the state. Nancy has been an active member of the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics since 1974, missing only two years of the OCTM sponsored conference – Oregon Math Leaders — when her children were born. In 1989, Nancy was recognized by the National Science Foundation and awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. At the end of September 2001, Nancy “retired” and started an independent mathematics consultant business, Making Math Count. Her knowledge, enthusiasm, expertise and dedication to teaching math continue to be shared and instrumental in strengthening the mathematics community.
Area 5: Claudia Raleigh, Adams Elementary School, Corvallis
Nominated by Gail Gerdemann
Claudia has been a math enthusiast and a leader of other teachers. She has helped develop and has piloted grade-level math assessments, a co-leader of grade level-math inservices, and for many years was a part of the math leadership team in the Corvallis School District. She has reached out on her own time to new teachers and helped them to organize math materials and coached them as they started their teaching career. For the past several years she has been the district’s official co-presenter of the math curriculum overview (and practical teaching tips) for the district’s new teachers. Claudia is a champion of excellent math practices for young children and an inspiration to other teachers.
Area 5: Barb Pastega, Hoover Elementary School, Corvallis
Nominated by Gail Gerdemann
Barb has been a math enthusiast and a leader of other teachers. She has been a co-leader of grade level math inservices and for many years a part of the math leadership team in the Corvallis School District. She has reached out on her own time to other teachers and has done demonstration lessons in the classrooms of reluctant adopters of the district curriculum providing teachers with a model, some practical guidance, and her enthusiasm. This has earned her the fond nickname “the Bridges Queen.” For the past several years she has been the district’s offi cial co-presenter of the math curriculum overview (and practical teaching tips) for the district’s new teachers. Barb champions excellent math practices for young children and is an inspiration to other teachers.
Area 6: Bob Curtis, Lane ESD, Eugene
Nominated by Inga Perham
Bob Curtis is a specialist at Lane ESD. He helps support both science and math in Lane County schools. Bob helps us sponsor math events for teachers throughout the year. He provides the advertisement, room, food and he even finds door prizes. He is always willing to make contacts to help enrich our math community.
Area 6: Janis Swan, Eugene School District, Eugene
Nominated by Theresa Hilkey
Janis has been a true advocate for supporting math education in the Eugene School District. She has helped a group of math leaders in the district set some goals for the district. She has found funding for extra support and smaller class sizes. She has been our voice at the district level. Janis fights to provide us with some of the best professional development and her goal is to help our math programs be the best.
Area 9: Sue Gregory, Ochoco Elementary School, Prineville
Nominated by Diane Randgaard
Sue Gregory is a joy to have at Ochoco Elementary. She started her career here in Crook County School District at our school and now is back as a 5th grade teacher. Sue’s contributions to our school have been many. Her students have benefi ted from her knowledge of math and science in many ways – Wacky Wednesday is always a treat. Her colleagues have benefited by the sheer energy and enthusiasm she exhibits, as well as her leadership skills. Mrs. Gregory is the epitome of a true Life Long Learner. She is constantly looking for ways to improve her craft and knowledge. Sue is articulate and her rapport-building skills increase her success in facilitating groups of colleagues in positive ways. Her peers value her input and know they can trust what she has to share. Sue is a professional who is always seeking ways to improve and get her students engaged in learning. She has fun and they have fun learning.
Area 10: Penny Grotting, Malheur ESD, Vale
Nominated by Cheri Clausen
Penny is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Malheur ESD in Vale. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of all our math education endeavors. Before coming to our area, Penny worked as an elementary classroom teacher and as a regional scoring director for math problem solving. Her knowledge of Oregon standards backed by her practical classroom experiences has enabled her to be a great resource for our area schools. She has kept us abreast of the latest developments in Oregon standards, helped us to align our curriculum, and has offered scoring training at individual schools. Most recently, she has implemented a summer institute for area teachers. This institute has been hugely successful, and has included high quality math training opportunities from groups such as the Teacher Development Group. Each time Penny is asked to support a math education opportunity for teachers, such as the P3 sessions, she cheerfully agrees and generously covers all our needs.
Area 10: James Tooke, PhD, Eastern Oregon University, La Grande
Nominated by Dana Marlia
Dr. James Tooke is an involved professor of mathematics at Eastern Oregon. His enthusiasm and love for math is evident to all who participate in his classes or simply converse with him on the subject. Dr. Tooke is also part of the Greater Oregon Math grant where he teaches, observes, and mentors teachers in various rural eastern Oregon schools. Thank you, Dr. Tooke, for sharing your passion for math!
Area 11: Veronica Cortez, Riverside High School, Boardman
Nominated by Nancy Swarat
Veronica has been instrumental in the Morrow County School District to help implement a stronger CIM math program. Her efforts have helped to improve Riverside High School’s CIM scores to higher percentages than ever seen at RHS. She has spent many hours pulling from other programs to build an integrated program that targets student areas of need. She is a fantastic math teacher and always goes above and beyond. She is greatly appreciated by her co-workers, including past recipient, Betsy Shane.
Area 11: Susan Talbot, Sunridge Middle School, Pendleton
Nominated by Susan Fisher-Alexander
Susan has been a solid math presence in the Pendleton School District for many years. She has taught in several different schools and at several different grade levels. Last year, after attending Oregon Math Leaders (OML), Susan approached her administrator about having a Math Night—for teachers this time— not the traditional student math night. She has organized speakers, refreshments, and location. She is enthusiastic about math and is driven to keep math fresh for all.
Area 13: Brian Goldman, Multnomah ESD, Portland
Nominated by Marla Baber and Sarah Savage
Brian has served as Measurement Specialist for Student Assessment at MESD for many years. Even though the problem solving assessment has been discontinued at the state level, Brian still assists teachers in Multnomah County to be trained to score mathematics problem-solving tasks. He has been on the OMEC board for a number of years and has participated in numerous mathematics assessment related activities, such as the Performance Standards Setting session which was used to set the new recommended “cut scores” for the state multiple choice assessments. He has been a great resource to math teachers in Multnomah County.
Area 14: Kemble Schnell, Wood Middle School, West Linn-Wilsonville School District
Nominated by Jennifer Bell
Kemble Schnell was nominated by her principal for numerous contributions to her students. She has involved her community in providing real world problems and projects for her classes. She organizes family math nights and a math breakfast club for her school. She promotes math and overall literacy by using books in her classroom and having her students write children’s books with mathematical themes. She is a dedicated educator working to improve education for all of her students.
Area 14: Cindy Kuzmanich, Estacada High School, Estacada School District
Nominated by Elizabeth Warren
Cindy gives her all to her students. Her energy and love of math shows. She collaborates with both high school and junior high teachers monthly through the professional learning communities that have been established. She is also printing the programs for the Northwest Math Conference which will be held this year in Portland, October 9 – 11.
