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Jobynia Caldwell named Woman of Distinction
Congratulations to Tallwood High School principal Jobynia Caldwell on being honored at the recent 21st Annual Women of Distinction celebration sponsored by the YWCA in Norfolk. This prestigious award recognizes 12 women in 12 categories: Arts, Business, Communications, Education, Finance, Government, Law, Medicine, Military, Non-Profit, Volunteerism, and Science/Technology. Caldwell was recognized for her numerous contributions to education

Jobynia Caldwell is a 32-year veteran educator and is the first African American female secondary school principal in Virginia Beach City Public Schools. During her career, she has served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. On July 1 she will assume the role of assistant superintendent of high school education. She is committed to ensuring that all students receive a quality education. Among the highlights of her career are facilitating the opening of two academies, the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School and the Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High.

She is also very proud of Tallwood’s success in initiating the “Living the Dream” Achievement Summit, held annually on the Saturday before the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. The summit’s focus is on assisting African American male students to embrace academic and personal growth and achievement strategies. Seminar attendees have numerous opportunities to reflect on King’s legacy while attending workshops designed to assist their journey to excellence.

Caldwell earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Virginia State University and a Master of Science in Education from Old Dominion University. She is a 1992 graduate of the Danforth Scholars Program in educational leadership at Old Dominion University.

It’s a bird; it’s a plane. No! It’s Super Teacher
Congratulations to Holland Elementary’s “Super Teacher” Shannon Knight. In May first-grade teacher Knight was surprised by Virginia Lottery Officials when they came to Holland with the nnouncement that she had won the Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Award. She was selected from more than 1,000 nominations from across Virginia for her unwavering commitment to students, innovative lesson plans, and her targeted parent outreach.

According to Holland principal Lionel Jackson, “Ms. Knight values each individual in her classroom. Her lessons are not a ‘one size fits all’ model. She tailors assignments and tasks to best meet the learning styles, strengths, and needs of each student.”

Knight is one of eight “Super Teachers” selected to represent the geographic regions of Virginia. The award is sponsored by the Virginia Lottery, Virginia PTA, and The Supply Room Companies, and includes a $2,000 cash prize and an additional $2,000 credit for classroom supplies.

Knight was nominated for the Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Award by Cari Hall, a colleague at Holland. As Hall pointed out in her nomination, Knight works extremely hard to strengthen the home and school connection and ensure parents know what’s happening in their children’s lives. In fact, she sends nightly e-mails to parents highlighting four to seven questions they can ask their child about the school day. To underscore the questions, she also sends pictures of the children in action home to parents, a graphic way to illustrate the dynamics of the classroom.

Knight is a six-year veteran educator with VBCPS, having taught at Holland the entire time. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University.

For information about the Virginia Lottery’s Super Teacher Award or to learn more about how the lottery helps support public education, visit the Virginia Lottery Web site.

Pictured is lottery official Susan Otto (left) and “Super Teacher” Shannon Knight (right).

Lesson plan on classroom project slated for national publication

Congratulations to Shelley Deneau, a third-grade teacher at White Oaks Elementary School. Deneau's class project, the Photo Journal Review, has been selected by nationally-known trainer and educational psychologist Rich Allen to be included in his latest book, High Impact Teaching Strategies for the 'XYZ' Era of Education.

Deneau’s project consists of several steps: First, students are given a list of third-grade concepts/objectives. Their task is to look around the school and at home to identify something that would illustrate the concept or objective. Step two is to take a photo to illustrate each concept and/or objective. Step three involves the students organizing the photos and then mounting them in a scrapbook. The final step calls for the children to write a paragraph describing or explaining how or why the photos illustrate the concepts and objectives.

As the children identify concepts, photograph illustrations of them, and then capture their essence in scrapbooks, they not only learn the concepts but they also reinforce them. Even better, they have a review book in the form of a scrapbook that they created themselves which they can use whenever they need to.

Deneau is a 24-year veteran teacher and has served at White Oaks Elementary for all of those years. She received her National Board certification in 2000, the second teacher in VBCPS to do so. Allen's book will be released in 2010.

Central Academy’s Geroux named Educator of the Year
Congratulations to Kema Geroux, Virginia Beach Central Academy site coordinator for the Challenge Works Ropes Initiative Course Program. She was recently named the 2009 Educator of the Year by The Association for Experiential Education Mid-Atlantic Region (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C.).

Geroux was cited for her contributions to the field of experiential education and her ability to inspire others to reach or continue to maintain a high standard of excellence. For the past 10 years she has provided powerful learning experiences to thousands of Virginia Beach City Public School students and teachers through their involvement in Challenge Works: Virginia Beach Public Schools Ropes & Initiative Course. Geroux is an exemplary educator and an outstanding example to all educators in the Mid-Atlantic Region and beyond!

As site facilitator for The Challenge Works: Virginia Beach Schools Ropes and Initiatives Course, Geroux plans and implements teambuilding and leadership training programs for middle and high school students and staff. The programs she designs range in length from one hour to several days, depending on specific program objectives and logistical needs. Among the students who participate in the program are those enrolled in regular education classes as well as in alternative education, special education programs, gifted and academy, and vocational education programs. School administrators often request Geroux’s help with leadership programs or with programs targeting the needs of specific populations. Coaches and sponsors also bring teams and clubs to participate in the program.

In response to a question about the nature of “experiential education”, Geroux responded this way:
Experiential educators are social constructivists who believe that knowledge is generated out of personal experience within a social framework. Experiential educators provide learners with a shared experience and then provide opportunities to reflect and create meaning from their work together. After the shared experience, facilitators guide group members to think about what happened as they worked together. Some of this involves thinking about their meta-cognition. How did ideas evolve? Who generated those ideas? How did the group decide upon strategies? What were participants thinking, believing, and feeling? How did the group react at different times during the experience? What influenced the group's action plan? The group also spends time framing the importance of what happened and determining how members can apply what they've learned from this experience to the next experience they share or to other life situations. Throughout the day, facilitators also provide group members with tools they can use as they solve problems together. Experiential education provides learners with opportunities to develop skills involved with collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, innovative thinking, and with being flexible, adaptable and resilient. Many activities help participants recognize and appreciate the diverse skills team members bring to the group process. I practice experiential education during challenge course programs, but many teachers also incorporate these practices in elementary school, secondary school, and college classrooms.

Geroux is a 12-year veteran educator with all of those years dedicated to VBCPS. Geroux holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Nebraska, a Master of Arts in Leisure Service Management from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently working toward a doctorate in educational leadership at ODU.

Gifted Resource Teacher of the Year named regional winner
Congratulations to Carolyn Stamm, gifted resource teacher (GRT) at Brandon Middle School, on being named the Virginia Association of the Gifted (VAG) Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted for Region II. Stamm was previously named VBCPS Citywide Gifted Teacher of the Year representing secondary education. She has long been committed to gifted education and has served as a teacher of gifted students at Old Donation Center, Kempsville Middle, and Kemps Landing Magnet prior to accepting her current position at Brandon Middle. Director of the Office of Gifted Education Kelly Hedrick comments that Stamm is “tireless in her efforts to engage gifted learners in challenging and exciting educational experiences. Her experience in gifted education is extensive and she is most generous in sharing her expertise with colleagues to further gifted instruction.”

According to her principal Catherine Rogers, “Carolyn Stamm is a catalyst of change. Her work to inspire and coach the teachers at her school has impacted teachers and students in remarkable ways. Mrs. Stamm models and creates differentiated lessons always searching for what is the best practice in any given situation. Her impact is evident throughout her school as she implements opportunities for performance tasks, seminars, and other appropriate strategies. She provides support to teachers at every opportunity. Her impact on students and teachers cannot be underestimated. Mrs. Stamm is truly an outstanding teacher of the gifted.”

Stamm holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of South Dakota and an M.Ed. in Gifted Education from the University of Virginia.

Steve LePock receives Risk Management Excellence Award
Congratulations to occupational safety/loss control specialist Steve LePock on being awarded the 2009 Risk Management Excellence Award by the Virginia Municipal League (VML) Insurance Programs. The Honorable Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Emporia, presented the award to LePock during the VML Insurance Programs annual meeting held in Richmond in May.

Individuals who receive this award are recognized for their dedication to risk management. LePock’s interest, dedication, and expertise in the areas of safety and risk management provide VBCPS a superior level of risk management. For example, LePock has implemented worker safety programs and fleet safety program for Virginia Beach Schools that the VML has used as a model for other school divisions.

The mission of VML Insurance Programs is to meet the risk management needs of member local political subdivisions. It is a non-profit, self-insurance program for local governments of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The program insures more than 480 localities for automobile, liability, property, and workers’ compensation coverage.

Office of Technical and Career Education Names 2009 Honorees
Congratulations to Ellen Vinikoff, Kevin Pace, and Bo Beacham, all of whom were recently honored by the Office of Technical and Career Education at a celebratory luncheon. Vinikoff was named TCE Middle School Teacher of the Year; Pace earned honors as the TCE High School Teacher of the Year; and Beacham was named TCE Counselor of the Year. Profiles of each honoree are below:

Ellen Vinikoff, 2009 TCE Middle School Teacher of the Year
Ellen Vinikoff is a technical and career education teacher at Princess Anne Middle School. According to her principal, James Pohl, this is a well-deserved honor for Vinikoff who is a 20-year veteran teacher. She has spent nine of these years at Princess Anne Middle School. Vinikoff has taught a variety of TCE courses during her career, including career skills, computer exploratory, keyboarding and computer solutions. Pohl remarks that “The school community is fortunate indeed to be the recipient of Vinikoff's sustained devotion to excellence in her craft.”
Pictured are Ellen Vinikoff and principal James Pohl.

Kevin Pace, 2009 TCE High School Teacher of the Year
Kevin Pace serves as an electronics teacher at the Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center where he has taught for three years of his VBCPS nine-year tenure. In addition to being a certified teacher, Pace is a certified electronics technician. According to Tech Center director David Swanger, Pace was “born to teach. This is made evident as soon as you step into his classroom. His enthusiasm and passion for teaching pervade his lessons. He has established a great rapport with his students that encourages them to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and active participants in the learning process.”

Bo Beacham, 2009 TCE Guidance Counselor of the Year
Bo Beacham is a guidance counselor at Kellam High School and has been with VBCPS for 12 years. Not only does he have a thorough knowledge of the entire school operation, he is also especially cognizant of the opportunities that TCE courses make available to students. As Kellam principal Bruce Biehl points out, “His knowledge of what programs there are plus his relationship with his students affords Mr. Beacham the opportunity to truly guide students into making sound educational decisions that impact their future once they have graduated.”

Video-phone a first
Corporate Landing Elementary, Corporate Landing Middle, and Ocean Lakes High are the first public schools in the area to have a video-phone, a telephone that incorporates video to offer enhanced communication opportunities to those with hearing impairments. The equipment features a video screen and works this way: a hearing-impaired person calls a service provider on the video-phone, signs his or her message and is viewed by a translator watching the video screen. The translator, in turn, translates the signed message and relays it to the hearing person receiving the call. The video phone also allows two hearing-impaired people to call one another directly – using video cameras to see each other sign. The service operates 24-hours a day and as a result provides a mechanism by which hearing and hearing-impaired students, staff, and parents can communicate more effectively and in a timely manner. Barbara (Bobby) Bullock-Smith is the point person for the initiative and grade level chairperson for the hearing impaired students and staff at Corporate Landing Elementary.