Wednesday, September 25, 2002
|
Wednesday, September 25, 2002 |
|
Peachtree City educator wins national award for innovative teaching
Oak Grove Elementary teacher Mary Filko has been awarded $2,000 for being recognized as one of the nation's top educators in the 2002 Education's Unsung Heroes Awards program sponsored by ING Northern Annuity. As one of 100 winners, Filko will now vie with other winners for one of the top three prizes - an additional $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000. The Education's Unsung Heroes Awards recognizes kindergarten through 12th grade educators nationwide for their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects and ability to make a positive influence on the children they teach. Now in its seventh year, the program has awarded more than $1.5 million to 660 educators across the United States. Filko's "Science in the Palm of Our Hands" project puts hand-held computers in the hands of third to fifth grade students to collect and analyze scientific data in the field. In one activity, students visit two lakes, two ponds, a creek and a wetland to take temperature readings and measure pH and oxygen levels to gauge overall water quality. The data is transferred to computers at the school for further analysis and report writing. Findings are published on a student Web site and shared with the local water system, an environmental group, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Through this, students gain a better understanding of science concepts and deepen their appreciation for local ecology, history and geography. "One of the great joys of working with educators like we do, is getting to see these remarkable programs first-hand," said ING Senior Vice President O.V. Williams, Jr. "There's some tremendous teaching by some fantastic teachers out there. We're just elated to play a small part in the continuing success of these projects in schools all across the country." To participate in the competition, educators submit applications describing the projects they have initiated or envisioned for the future. Their applications are judged on project description, benefits to students and the use of funds for the project. The top three award winners are selected each year by ING Northern Annuity's Educators Advisory Board, which consists of seven distinguished educators from across the United States. Anyone who would like to learn about this year' winning projects, as well as those from previous years, can visit ING's Education's Unsung Heroes Awards web site at www.unsungheroes.com. Applications for the 2003 Education's Unsung Heroes Awards are available on the Web site or by calling 866-464-7355, option 1, ext. 25209.
|
||