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OCPS announces 2022 TOY finalists
Posted on 11/03/2021
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Orange County Public Schools is excited to reveal the five Teacher of the Year finalists. The winners will be announced at the Stellar awards ceremony in February. The finalists are:  

Headshots of five finalists


Maribel Lopez, Visual Arts, Timber Springs Middle School
 
As a teacher leader, Ms. Lopez teaches interns that it is important to know the material and design standards-based lessons, but it is crucial to know the students. She believes when students trust that their teachers care about them, they are more likely to develop a growth mindset. Ms. Lopez provides her students with the real-world applicability of showcasing their art through a variety of contests and exhibits. She also encourages her Art Club students to participate in community events using their artistic skills to offer hands-on activities and face-painting.


Corin Metz, Students with Exceptionalities, Thornebrooke Elementary
Ms. Metz’s biggest inspiration is seeing her students with exceptionalities thrive socially, behaviorally and academically. Students in her self-contained classroom flourish, in part, because she instills in them the belief that there are no limitations to what they can achieve. To help students attain academic success and skill acquisition, she creates adaptive materials to provide access for students with disabilities to the grade level standards. Students’ learning gains confirm the academic decisions she makes for each student impacts their learning. 

 
Alexandra Pittman, English Language Arts, grade 7, Innovation Middle
Using the Socratic Method, Ms. Pittman teaches her students how to transfer their verbal reasoning skills into written text evidence. This tactic proved successful as her students made significant learning gains in reading and writing. Ms. Pittman enjoys seeing students grow outside of the classroom, too. Sponsoring National Junior Honor Society and Student Government Association, she inspires members to develop innovative practices, such as community beautification projects and the “Test Stress Relief” games they held for students before FSA testing.

 
Jessica Roberts, Intensive Reading/Media Specialist, Corner Lake Middle  
Ms. Roberts is passionate about reading and inspires her students to find content that interests them. Under her tutelage, her intensive reading students improved their growth in reading more than 150%. She also created a Lunchtime Book Club, to provide a select group of students extra assistance; and First Chapter Fridays, a video series of her reading the first chapter of a high-interest book. Book checkout has increased exponentially. In addition to assisting students’ growth, Ms. Roberts serves as a new-teacher mentor to help others improve their craft.

 
Nancy Welch, Practical Nursing, Orange Technical College
Using a student-centered approach to teaching, Ms. Welch embraces the “village” of educators and health care professionals to support her students’ growth. She’s a strong believer that it takes a collective effort to build their nursing efficacy and increase their emotional intelligence. One of the most rewarding aspects of her job is seeing former students thrive in their careers at the hospital. Along with her teaching responsibilities at OTC, Ms. Welch teaches new educators best practices, provides resources and helps them build their capacity as educators. 
 
 
You can access high resolution images in this folder.