Congratulations Mr. Terry Stanton!
Mr. Stanton serves as the NHREC Director of Facilities and has just earned the ProFM credential from the Professional Facility Management Institue. The ProFM credential is a national-level certification for facility managers. Way to go, Mr. Stanton, for earning this prestigious credential!
Inaugural Teacher of the Year and Banquet
The inaugural Teacher of the Year Awards took place May 2022. The awardees were selected from each of the New Horizons campuses that displayed hard work, determination, and a passion to illuminate minds, ignite passions, and shape futures. After each program's Teacher of the Year was selected, an overall organizational Teacher of the Year was chosen. All participants and finalists were invited to a banquet to celebrate this coveted honor. Health Cordasco, President of New Horizons Educational Foundation, presented a $2,500 check to the organizational Teacher of the Year. View the awardees and overall Teacher of the Year, Tanya Rogers, information and photos below.
Rogers Receives 2022 NHREC Teacher of the Year Honor
Tanya Rogers was named the 2022 New Horizons Regional Education Centers Teacher of the Year. Before her selection, she was honored as the 2022 Program Teacher of the Year for Butler Farm CTE. Rogers has been in her current role as a Cosmetology II Teacher for over eight years. Her community involvement includes but is not limited to the following: St. Therese Catholic Church, Habitat for Humanity, Serve the City Peninsula, Special Olympics, Hope/Cannon Community Events, Grove Community Center Williamsburg Prom Event, and Foodbank of the Peninsula.
Patterson Named GSST Program Teacher of the Year
Dr. Mary Patterson has been with New Horizons for 11 years. She has served in her current role for the last three years as a Biology Teacher focusing on Advanced Biological Analysis. She serves as a mentor for the Senior Mentorship Program, sponsors students for the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools, virtual Student Conference, and in the role of sponsor for the Pre-Health Sciences Club, Student Advisory Board, T-Shirt, and Yearbook Committees. Patterson believes that each of her students is precious and has all the potential in the world to have a positive impact on society’s well-being. But they need support, our encouragement, our wisdom shared, our ability to see, listen to, and hear them.
Troup Represents Center for Autism as Teacher of the Year
Laura Troup is the 2022 Center for Autism Program Teacher of the Year. Troup is based at York Middle School. She has been employed with New Horizons for 17 years, with 13 of those years dedicated to the role of Teacher Specialist. She regularly volunteers to assist with parent activities hosted by her program and supports the school’s food and gift basket drive for holiday baskets for the students.
Amos Named Newport Academy Program Teacher of the Year
Shannon Amos was tapped as the 2022 Newport Academy Program Teacher of the Year. She has been in her current position of Teacher Specialist for three years and has been a part of the New Horizons Team for 11 years. She is a school board member in her community. She serves on the Special Education Advisory Committee and Disciplinary Action Committees for King & Queen County. Mrs. Amos shared that her students are an expansion of her family and she treats them and cares for them just like they are her own children. Seeing her students’ smiles and their sense of accomplishment keeps her coming back.
Bane Selected as Woodside Lane CTE Program Teacher of the Year
Teri Bane is an Early Childhood Instructor at Woodside Lane CTE. Bane has been a valued member of the New Horizons Team for three years. She volunteers at The Lord’s Lunchbox which feeds the homeless in the Newport News area and provides clothing, toiletries, a good sermon, music, and worship. Bane says it’s simple, she teaches because she loves it. She cannot see herself doing anything else. She says Education is hard but well worth it. You may not feel it when you are doing it but you are making a difference and touching the lives of children by focusing and putting forth your best effort every day.
Kathy Whitehead
Whitehead is a Medical Assistant instructor for the Career and Technical Center at the Butler Farm campus. Her innovation idea for Medical Skills Builder won this year. Whitehead's grant includes a way for students to engage in a more in-depth and engaging learning experience. Her Medical Skills Builder will grants students access to simulations and training through interactive technology that includes gaming elements to further practice and apply their knowledge. This technological tool is offered through the National Healthcareer Association which is the same organization students receive credentials at the end of the year through.
Kerry Brown & Erica Knight
Brown and Knight displayed creative thinking for their innovation grant proposal. Both are staff of the Center for Autism as Transition Teachers and won this year for their School-based Enterprise: Bath Fizzies and Bean Me Up Coffee Cart. This proposal will assist Center for Autism students in transitional life skills and add work experience to their skill set. Students that participate in the school-based enterprises will develop social skills, teamwork, and motor skills that can help bridge them to employment outside of the Center for Autism.
Zachary Avarich
Avarich, a Special Education Teacher at Newport Academy, won a Teacher Innovation grant for his Garden Project. His student-forward, innovative idea will help students in subject areas such as science, life skills, and career skills. This project also includes ideas for a composting station that staff and students alike can participate in to help with creating a greener earth. Maintaining a garden with the students at Newport Academy will consist of daily tasks and responsibilities that the students will carry out such as watering, mulching, and harvesting. These responsibilities will promote exercise, teamwork, and basic life skills. Should the garden project have success, it will be expanded to provide collaboration with other New Horizons programs like the Career and Technical Center to provide food for the culinary program to work with.
Keith Harrison
Harrison's proposal, ClicBot Robots - STEAM Projects and Algorithmic Thinking, won this year for the Teacher Innovation Grant. Harrison is a Mathematics Specialist at the Center for Autism where he hopes his idea will increase student engagement and interest in subjects like math, science, and technology. Bringing ClicBots into the student curriculum will offer a more kinesthetic approach for students to learn STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) areas. ClicBots are robots that do not require tools to build and can be programmed to do different actions. Projects taken on by the students will also allow them to build skills in following directions, writing observations, and completing lab reports.
New Horizons Regional Education Centers
Email: asknhrec@nhrec.org
Website: www.nhrec.org
Location: 520 Butler Farm Road, Hampton, VA, USA
Phone: 757.766.0000