Kipps Elementary Teacher Selected as McGlothlin Finalist

Winner will be Announced April 19

Stephanie Johnston, first grade teacher at Kipps Elementary School, was selected as a finalist in the McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence. Johnston is one of three finalists for the elementary excellence award.  The winner will receive $25,000 from the McGlothlin Foundation.

Johnston’s focus on the whole child is one reason for her success. “My students view themselves as learners,” she said. “They know anything is possible because we see amazing things happen each day in our classroom.”

The McGlothlin Award includes a stipulation that $10,000 of the award must be used within the first year for international travel or study to broaden the thinking and experience of the teacher. Should she be selected as the McGlothlin award winner, Johnston plans to travel to Reggio Emilia, Italy, to further her studies in the Reggio Emilia Approach to education – a child-centered, project-oriented approach to curriculum.

“Stephanie is an integral part of the teaching team at Kipps,” said Chris Widrig, Kipps Elementary School principal.  “With a constant focus on what is best for the students, she also brings expertise to our school as a whole with her leadership on our bullying prevention, continuous improvement program and social studies teams.”

Johnston is in her seventh year with Montgomery County Schools. She has taught at the first, fourth, third and kindergarten grade levels.

Johnston received her bachelor’s degree in human development from Virginia Tech in December 2003 and earned a masters degree in education from Virginia Tech in May 2005. She is currently completing a masters program in reading education at Virginia Tech.

The McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence are offered as a partnership between the McGlothlin Foundation and Blue Ridge PBS. The award recognizes teaching excellence across parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Finalists were judged on a standards-based lesson plan, including a 20-minute teaching video. Over the next few weeks, finalists will participate in interviews with the judges.

The winners of the McGlothlin Awards will be announced at the McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching awards ceremony on April 19, 2012 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Radford University.  Coach Ken Carter will be the keynote speaker for the event. Carter is a former high school basketball coach who is notorious for locking the gym and benching all players on his powerhouse team due to poor academic performance. 

Additional information about the McGlothlin Awards is available online at http://www.blueridgepbs.org/html/mcglothlin/index.html.

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