A pair of Fox Valley educators, including a 2012 Lawrence University graduate, have been named the first recipients of two new annual awards from the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WACTE).
Eli Grover will receive the Early Career Educator Award. He is a second-year band and exploratory music teacher at Einstein Middle School and the Classical Charter School in the Appleton Area School District. Margaret Engman, a social studies teacher at Kaukauna High School, will receive the Pre-Service Educator Mentor Award.
The awards will be presented May 4 at the home of Lawrence University President Mark Burstein.
Grover and Engman were selected for the awards by the faculty of Lawrence’s college and conservatory teacher education program. Every college or university that belongs to WACTE was invited to select a recipient for each award.
A Passion for Music
The Early Career Educator Award honors an outstanding educator within the first three years of his/her professional career.
Grover earned a bachelor of music degree in instrumental/general music education from Lawrence in 2012 and joined the Appleton School District that same year. Lawrence cited him for his advocacy of music education both in and outside the classroom.
“Eli spreads passion for music wherever he goes,” said Stewart Purkey, associate professor of education and Bee Connell Mielke Professor of Education at Lawrence. “His students create music of all kinds in the school and community, including concert band, body percussion, Balinese Gamelan and bucket band. His advocacy for music education includes leading outreach activities at the Mile of Music Festival and The Building for Kids Children’s Museum.”
Encouraging, Nurturing, Inspiring
The Mentor Award recognizes an outstanding educator who has demonstrated a sustained pattern of mentoring pre-service educators for at least five years. Engman joined the Kaukauna High School faculty in 1990.
In selecting her for the award, Lawrence cited Engman for her enthusiasm for the subject material, consummate teaching skills and dedication to the intellectual and emotional well being of her students.
“Without question, Margaret would be on anyone’s list of ‘best teachers,’” said Purkey. “As a methods instructor in Lawrence’s teacher education program, Margaret provides aspiring K-12 teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to become effective practitioners. Perhaps more important, she encourages them, nurtures them, inspires them so that they leave her classroom as passionate about the art, the craft and the profession of teaching as she has been throughout her career.
“Lawrence is pleased and honored to recognize and celebrate the work of these two exceptional educators,” Purkey added.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
