FORT RUCKER, Ala. (March 5, 2015) -- Sticking true to the Aviation motto of "Above the Best," one Fort Rucker teacher has taken those words to heart and applied it to her role as an educator.
Bridget Lester, gifted teacher for Fort Rucker Primary School, was named the 2015-2016 Department of Defense Education Activity Georgia/Alabama district Teacher of the Year, and was surprised with the honor during a school board meeting at the Fort Rucker Elementary School March 3.
Col. Stuart J. McRae, Fort Rucker garrison commander, and Dr. Christy Cabezas, Alabama/Georgia district superintendent, were both on hand to present the award to Lester, who has been an educator at the primary school since 2010 as a gifted resource teacher, first grade teacher, grade-level chairperson, Continued School Improvement Team member, Professional Learning Team facilitator, and a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math committee co-chairperson and lab teacher.
"She is an outstanding educator," said Cabezas during the presentation. "She exhibited her passion for math and science by transforming the school's outdated computer lab into a 21st century Science, Technology, Engineering and Math laboratory, which has ignited a passion for learning for her students and the students of the entire school."
Lester also shares her enthusiasm for the engineering design process with her fellow teachers by creating and sharing lessons that require students to think critically with real-world problem solving activities and projects, said the district superintendent. She has served as a teacher-leader in the school by serving on the Continue School Improvement Team, helping the school develop early childhood assessments to determine learning needs for their students, and the work that she helped lead has also been recognized across the U.S. and is now being used in many schools.
Lester is also currently an Alabama state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science for her work in STEM education.
"Bridget is an advocate of using action research to continually test the validity and reality of rubrics and interventions based on the changing needs of students the school serves," said Cabezas. "She is an educator who changes lives daily, and one that makes you believe that educators must continue to refine their craft in order to effectively facilitate learning that meets the needs of each child entering the classroom."
McRae also presented Lester, who is the second teacher at FRPS to win the award in a row, with a garrison commander's coin, and praised her for her work and dedication to the students and the school.
"This is the best part of my job that I have -- being able to come out and celebrate all of the great folks that we have who win awards, and I'll be honest with you, we win a lot of awards here at Fort Rucker," he said. "With two years in a row … there must be something in the water here."
The DODEA Teacher of the Year program is designed to recognize and honor outstanding educators who exemplify the qualities of professionalism and excellence in the workforce and is modeled after the nation's Teacher of the Year program, said Cabezas. Following the guidelines provided by DODEA, the Georgia/Alabama district, which includes Fort Rucker, Fort Benning and Maxwell Air Force Base, nominated candidates early last year.
Those nominations went to the headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and in December, a list of all teachers who were eligible to apply for teacher of the year was compiled. In the Georgia/Alabama district, there were 15 teachers nominated and of those 15 nominated individuals, nine teachers completed the extensive application process.
Then, a panel made up of a principal, who was from a school that did not have a teacher who was nominated; a former teacher of the year; leadership from the Fort Benning Teacher's Association; a union president from Maxwell Air Force Base; the district Instructional support specialist; a member of the Fort Benning School board, who was a representative of the school that did not have a candidate; and a parent representative of a school that did not have a candidate, reviews each application and interviews each applicant to decide the winner of the award.
Lester now has the opportunity to compete in the application process to become the National DODEA Teacher of the Year, which would represent DODEA worldwide.
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