Virginia Beach Schools 2002 Citywide Teacher of the Year Named Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, a computer resource teacher at W. T. Cooke Elementary School, was recently named the Citywide 2002 VBCPS Teacher of the Year. In a surprise visit to her classroom, Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney and Associate Superintendent Sheila S. Magula made the announcement and presented her with roses and other congratulatory gifts. Chosen from an initial pool of 85 teachers representing their schools, Nussbaum-Beach was one of seven finalists selected to receive classroom visits by the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee. According to Chairperson Margaret Buxton, all the finalists were outstanding, but Nussbaum-Beach stood out because of her dynamic and revolutionary strategies in working with students and teachers alike to bring out their personal best. Nussbaum-Beach is a 13-year veteran teacher. She came to the Beach in 1998 and has been Cooke's computer resource teacher since that time. Prior to her employment with Virginia Beach Schools, she was an instructor with Republic Research Training Center in Charlottesville, VA and an instructor in the Early Childhood and Reading Education Department at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, GA. According to Gregory Anderson, principal at Cooke Elementary, Nussbaum-Beach "is a teacher who has had a profound impact on students, staff, and parents. This brilliant lady has put into place programs that were simply not imagined just a few short years ago at Cooke. Her ability to teach and inspire is incredible." Nussbaum-Beach has served in numerous leadership roles, among them Classroom Connect through which she serves as a learning specialist offering workshops and in-service training on integrating technology into the content area curricula to schools across the country. She is also a faculty member of Connected University through which she teaches online staff development courses to teachers nationwide. In addition, she is the owner/founder of a consulting outreach firm dedicated to improving education through creative technological applications and innovative delivery of standards based curriculum. Nussbaum-Beach's awards and honors are numerous and she is a committed volunteer locally, nationally, and internationally serving as a mentor, tutor, and visiting scholar. For more information about the Virginia Beach Schools 2002 Teacher of the Year, please call Margaret Buxton at 757.427.4614. ###