For Immediate Release:
August 10, 2009

Media Contact: Felicia Michael
Title: Public Information Officer I
Phone: (254) 297-1255
E-mail: fmichael@esc12.net

REGION 12 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCED

Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 is pleased to announce that two extraordinary educators from Central Texas have been selected as the 2010 Region 12 Teachers of the Year. The Region 12 Elementary Teacher of the Year is Evelyn Thompson of Copperas Cove ISD, while Bruce (B.J.) Williams of Midway ISD is the Region 12 Secondary Teacher of the Year. Both Thompson and Williams will be Region 12’s nominees for the Texas Teacher of the Year.

“We are so proud to hear that these wonderful and deserving teachers are being recognized for their hard work and dedication to teaching students,” said Dr. Tom Norris, executive director of ESC Region 12. “The commitment they have to being a good teacher, motivator and mentor is truly an inspiration.”

Thompson has served as an educator for 28 years. She has taught special education classes at Martin Walker Elementary in Copperas Cove for the past nine years. She believes good teaching must come from the heart, and receiving a good education should not be based on economic, social-emotional or environmental situations.

Thompson has won numerous awards, including a two-time recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Killeen Daily Herald I(1999 and 2009). She also received an invitation to Cambridge’s Who’s Who among Women Teachers in Special Education in 2006, and was Applebee’s Teacher of the Month on four occasions. She has served as a Copperas Cove ISD Reading Academy facilitator; a mentor for the Tarleton Teacher Prep Student Organization, and 3 Tier Leadership team member for the Pilot Program at the University of Texas. In addition, Thompson was a supervisor for teacher prep students at both ESC Region 12 in Tarleton and Central Texas College, and was an observer for Mary Hardin-Baylor educational students.

Thompson earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Tulsa. At Martin Walker Elementary, she serves as a special education grade chair, a Student Assistance Team committee member, and PTA member. She is also involved in the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International as awards and achievements chairman.

Having taught throughout the United States and internationally, Thompson began her career teaching students with intellectual developmental disabilities in Oklahoma and later in Ohio. She then taught Basic Skill Education Program/Health Services Collegiate Program (BSEP/HSCP) at Big Bend Community College in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, followed by second grade in the Department of Defense schools in Vicenza, Italy.

Williams, Region 12’s Secondary TOTY, has been teaching for 14 years. He has taught mathematics at Midway High School in Midway ISD for the past four years. Williams believes that teaching is his calling, and incorporates fun activities into his classroom including basketball, singing and Power Point presentations with sound effects to keep students interested and stimulate learning.

He has won several teaching awards to date, and was most recently named the Midway District Secondary Teacher of the Year and the Midway High School Teacher of the Year. He also received Waco High School and A.J. Moore Academy Teacher of the Year honors. He was selected as a Teacher for Showcase of Stars, and won two education foundation grants in 2007 and 2006. Williams has assisted interns and student teachers at Baylor University, and is a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) and previously was a member of Texas State Teacher Association (TSTA).

Williams graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Math from Grove City College, and received his education certification from Baylor. He is currently working on post-graduate studies at Lamar University.

Besides teaching in school, he serves as youth director at Cogdell United Methodist Church and has been the pastor of Meier Settlement United Methodist Church since 2001.

A panel of representatives from local teacher and administrator organizations chose Thompson and Williams on the basis of their responses to several essay questions. As Region 12 Teachers of the Year, they will serve as ambassadors for public education in Texas participating in special appearances, workshops and other presentations throughout the upcoming year.

The Texas Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony will be held Oct. 30 in Austin, Texas. ESC Region 12 will honor Region 12 Teachers and the Superintendent of the Year in the fall.

For more information or TOTY photos, contact Felicia Michael at 254-297-1255 or fmichael@esc12.net.

About the Texas Teacher of the Year Program (TOTY)
Texas Teacher of the Year is the highest honor that the State of Texas can bestow upon a teacher. Conducted by the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Teacher of the Year Program annually recognizes and rewards teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching. Forty teachers - two from each Regional Education Service Center - are eligible for two titles, Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year and Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. Additional program information is available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/awards/toy/.

About ESC Region 12
One of 20 regional education service centers statewide, the Education Service Center Region 12 (ESC Region 12) is dedicated to serving school districts, charter schools and area private/parochial schools in improving student performance. ESC Region 12 partners with school districts to deliver services and solutions to educators so they may help all children be successful. Based in Waco, with satellite offices in Corsicana, Hamilton, Nolanville, and Teague, the ESC Region 12’s service area includes Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, McLennan, Mills, and Navarro counties.