Outstanding Educators

Tag: Outstanding Educators

Lawrence Honoring Deerfield, Milwaukee Teachers as ‟Outstanding Educators”

Ryan Petersen, music teacher at Deerfield High School, returns to his alma mater as one of two recipients of Lawrence University’s 2015 Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin Award.

Tim Grandy, an English teacher at Milwaukee’s Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, also will be honored as an outstanding educator.

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Ryan Petersen ’98

Petersen and Grandy each will receive a certificate, a citation and a monetary award Sunday, May 3 from Lawrence President Mark Burstein in ceremonies at the president’s house. Their respective schools also will receive $250 from Lawrence for library acquisitions.

Recipients are nominated by Lawrence seniors and selected on their abilities to communicate effectively, create a sense of excitement in the classroom, motivate their students to pursue academic excellence while showing a genuine concern for them in and outside the classroom.

Since launching the award program in 1985, Lawrence has recognized 64 teachers.

Petersen, a 1998 Lawrence double degree graduate (B.A. and B.S.) with majors in music education and anthropology, joined the Deerfield School District that same year as band director for grades 6-12. He directs the high school jazz, pep and marching bands, the concert and jazz bands in middle school as well as 6th grade band.

In addition to music theory and music technology courses, he teaches junior- and senior-level high school classes in anthropology and archaeology. For the past 15 years, Petersen has taken his archaeology class on field trips to Bjorklunden, Lawrence’s northern campus in Door County, for site excavation exercises.

Petersen also teaches music appreciation and archaeology classes online through the Jefferson Eastern Dane Interactive (JEDI) Distance Learning/Charter School/Online School program.

Lawrence senior Savannah Vogel, who nominated Petersen for the award, was a student of his from 6th grade through graduation.

“He always had high expectations of me which allowed me to set high goals for myself as a musician and as a student,” said Vogel. “His passion for his students is apparent in the amount of time he spends working toward their success.”

Vogel said Petersen’s degree in anthropology from Lawrence helped him introduce the discipline at her school.

“Most students at Deerfield High School had never heard of anthropology and probably wouldn’t have before college if it wasn’t for Mr. Petersen,” said Vogel. “He drew a large variety of students into these classes which resulted in anthro becoming a very popular class, despite the fact that it was one of the hardest classes offered at our school.”

“His passion for his students is apparent in the amount of time he spends working toward their success.”
— Savannah Vogel ’15

He was recognized with the Wisconsin Music Educator’s Association Outstanding Young Music Educator Award in 2004. He is also a five-time winner (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2015) of Deerfield High School’s Significant Educator Award, an honor chosen by the valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior class.

A native of Silver Spring, Md., Petersen is a member of the Madison Wind Ensemble and McFarland Community Band, which he also co-directs. He has served as co-president of the Deerfield Education Association since 2007.

After graduating from Lawrence, Petersen earned a master’s degree in music education from Boston University.

Tim-Grandy_newsblog
Tim Grandy

Grandy joined the English department at DSHA in 1980. He teaches junior-and senior-level classes on major British writers, modern American women writers, major themes in literature, Shakespeare, a college composition course and advanced placement English literature.

Lawrence senior Marie Jeruc credited Grandy with inspiring her to pursue a major in English in college.

“I have never had a teacher who is so genuinely excited about the course materials,” Jeruc said of Grandy in her nomination. “He is engaging and exciting, but always genuinely passionate about English literature and extremely intelligent about the subject. Despite his reputation as a demanding teacher, he is also a wonderful man, full of enthusiasm, encouragement for his students and has the energy of three men combined.

“Mr. Grandy’s intensity definitely applied to his expectations for his students,” Jeruc added. “Most high school students dread writing analytical essays on literature, but writing for Mr. Grandy comes with even greater challenges. For as strict of a teacher he is, he does everything in his power to make sure his students learn as much as possible about literature and writing. He demands insightful commentary and eloquent writing, but also encourages creative thoughts and unique analyses.

“Despite his reputation as a demanding teacher, he is also a wonderful man, full of enthusiasm,
encouragement for his students and has the energy of three men combined.”
— Marie Jeruc

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Grandy also has served as DSHA’s yearbook advisor for much of his career. He was the recipient of a $1,000 Kohl Foundation Fellowship in 2005 and was recognized by the University of Chicago with its Outstanding Teacher Award — also through a nomination by a former student — in 2002.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in English education from UW-Milwaukee and a master’s degree in English and American literature from Marquette University.

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 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Lawrence Honoring Two State Teachers as ‟Outstanding Educators”

Eric Anderson, band director at Verona Area High School, and Lynette Schultz, an English teacher at Williams Bay Jr./Sr. High School, will be honored Sunday, May 4 with Lawrence University’s 2014 Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin Award.

Eric-Anderson_newsblog
Eric Anderson

They each will receive a certificate, a citation and a monetary award from Lawrence President Mark Burstein in ceremonies at the president’s house. Their respective schools also will receive $250 for library acquisitions.

The recipients are nominated by Lawrence seniors and selected on their abilities to communicate effectively, create a sense of excitement in the classroom, motivate their students to pursue academic excellence while showing a genuine concern for them in and outside the classroom. Since launching the award program in 1985, Lawrence has recognized 62 high school teachers.

Anderson has directed the concert band, wind ensemble and symphonic band while also teaching AP music theory at Verona High School since 2006. Additionally, he directs pep band, oversees rehearsals for school musicals and organizes tours around the country for all of the band students.

Infectiously Enthusiastic

Lawrence senior Catie DeMets called Anderson “one of my most influential mentors” in nominating him for the award.

“He brings an incredible amount of energy to each of these activities, devoting such sincere attention and enthusiasm to each student that they can’t help but feel excited, inspired, and valued,” wrote DeMets, a 2010 Verona High School graduate and environmental studies and geology major at Lawrence. “His communication skills in teaching and directing never failed to be engaging, clear, and stimulating. He constantly challenged us to pour all of our energy into the task at hand. But he didn’t force this with practice records or required lessons. We were simply motivated to do so because he was infectiously enthusiastic about music.”

A member of the National Association for Music Educators, Anderson serves as conductor/music director as well as board member of the Verona Area Concert Band and also sits on the board of directors of the UW-Madison School of Music Alumni Association.

He has been the recipient of a Will Schmid Scholarship through the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance Workshop, which recognizes a person who has exhibited “special interest in teaching and an enthusiasm for helping other music educators.”

The University of Wisconsin honored Anderson in 2009 with a Cooperating Personnel Award for “outstanding contributions to the school of education.”

Anderson, who began his teaching career in 1999 as band director at Stoughton’s River Bluff Middle School, earned a bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education from UW– Madison and a master’s degree in education media design and technology from Full Sail University.

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Lynette Schultz

Schultz joined the Williams Bay English department in 2011, where she teaches English 10 and 11, AP English, college prep reading & writing and is the faculty advisor for the school’s Forensics team, creative writing club, and drama club.

She previously spent three years at Kenosha’s St. Joseph High School, two years at her alma mater, Webster High School, and two years as a Title VII/home school coordinator for the Saint Croix Ojibwe Tribe in Hertel.

In addition to her classes at St. Joseph’s, Schultz coached the Forensics team (speech and debate) and oversaw the school newspaper and yearbook.

Engaged, Challenging, Sensitive

Senior Lindsay Browne, a three-year student of Schultz’s at St. Joseph’s and a 2010 graduate of the school, said “nothing could have better prepared me more for my future life at Lawrence than Ms. Schultz’s mentorship” in her nomination letter.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Schultz is an excellent teacher,” wrote Brown, a biology and history major at Lawrence. “Engaged in the material and with the students she’s teaching…her classes are challenging because she expects her students to work hard and think deeply.  She is sensitive to her students’ learning needs as individuals; seamlessly supplementing analytical discussion and writing assignments by incorporating additional digital, creative or theatrical material into her lesson plans in order to interest and engage her students.”

Schultz earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UW-River Falls.

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.

Lawrence University Recognizes Two State Teachers as “Outstanding Educators”

APPLETON, WIS. — Robert Campbell, a physics and chemistry teacher at McFarland High School and Jason Gillette, a music teacher at Brookfield Central High School, will be recognized Sunday, May 3 as recipients of Lawrence University’s 2009 Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin Award.

They will be presented a certificate, a citation and a monetary award by Lawrence President Jill Beck in ceremonies at the president’s house. In addition, their respective schools will receive $250 for library acquisitions.

Campbell and Gillette are the 51st and 52nd Wisconsin teachers honored for education excellence by Lawrence since the program was launched in 1985. Nominated by Lawrence seniors, recipients are selected on their abilities to communicate effectively, create a sense of excitement in the classroom, motivate their students to pursue academic excellence while showing a genuine concern for them in, as well as outside, the classroom.

Campbell joined the McFarland faculty in 2007 after spending eight years at Sun Prairie High School. He began is teaching career in 1995 at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield. He teaches Advanced Placement physics, physics and advanced chemistry at McFarland and taught AP chemistry at Sun Prairie. He served as coach of the academic decathlon team at Sun Prairie for seven years, leading the team to four second-place finishes at the state competition. He currently coaches McFarland’s academic decathlon team.

Lawrence senior Liz Marshall cited Campbell’s enthusiasm, inspiration and dedication in helping students reach their full potential in nominating her former teacher for the award.

“Dr. Campbell’s teaching style was clear and logical, but it was his ability to push students further than they believed they could go that made him a wonderful teacher,” Marshall wrote in her nomination letter. “He was my first high school teacher to push me past my academic comfort zone.”

Marshall, a classics major at Lawrence, said Campbell’s ability to inspire students to still work hard in subjects they weren’t necessarily interested in “is the greatest testament to his teaching ability.”

A native of Ellsworth, Campbell earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at UW-River Falls, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Texas A & M University. He also conducted post-doctoral research in physics at Rutgers University.

Gillette, who began playing the saxophone at the age of seven, has served as director of bands at Brookfield Central since 1996, building the program from 83 students when he started to 175 today. He directs the school’s symphonic band, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, marching band and pit orchestra. He has led the various bands in performances in Dallas, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Orlando.

He was honored as the school district’s “Employee of the Year” in 2004 and was named “Music Teacher of the Year” in 2006 by Milwaukee jazz radio station WJZI.

Lawrence senior Alex Bunke, who played trombone in the Brookfield marching band, praised Gillette’s infectious passion in his nomination.

“Jason has a love of music that rubs off on his students,” wrote Bunke. “He demands excellence, but not in an overbearing or intimidating way. He knows how to draw the best out of you without making you feel inadequate or too pressured. He’s the kind of teacher you want to impress because you can tell it makes him happy.”

Outside the classroom, Gillette has performed professionally with a bevy of musical heavyweights, including Aretha Franklin, Kurt Elling, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and Josh Grobin, among others.

He holds a bachelor of music education degree from UW-Eau Claire.