* Carole Kihm, principal at Longfellow, has been awarded the Nancy F. Sprague First-Year Administrator Award and has been named the 2009 Outstanding First-Year Principal by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

"Principal Kihm has converted Longfellow into 'a place to thrive,'" says parent Juliana Cofrancesco. "She has created a positive learning environment where students feel a sense of ownership of their school. … She pays attention to detail and creates time for every student without losing sight of the big picture and getting sidetracked."

Longfellow PTA president Wilma Bowers credits Kihm with creating a welcoming environment—not only for parents of Longfellow students but also for parents of the eight feeder elementary schools—and for establishing cordial relationships with the surrounding community, including a neighboring nursing home and a synagogue. Kihm holds weekly student pizza lunches to solicit students' ideas and input on how to improve the school and has instituted a Star Student of the Month program to recognize 20 students each month whose photos and accomplishments are publicized in the main hall. Bowers praises Kihm for making parents feel part of a school their children attend for only two years and for encouraging students to become more independent during that time.

Kihm is also cited for improving communication with parents by using the FCPS Keep in Touch system, FCPS 24-7 Learning, e-mail, traditional mail, and parent coffees and for establishing staff committees to debate and decide matters that emerge from those modes of communication. And while instituting professional learning communities at Longfellow, Kihm "provided the faculty with independence and freedom to create new ideas and checkpoints for the curriculum," says Bowers. (view press release)

For more information about FCPS' employee awards, go to http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/awards/index.htm.

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* Tara Murphy, who teaches sixth grade at Mount Eagle Elementary School, has been named the 2009 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) First-Year Teacher of the Year.

In her first year as an FCPS teacher, Murphy found herself as Mount Eagle’s only sixth grade teacher—with 24 students, 19 of whom spoke English as a second language. A significant number of those students had special needs or were eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Their reading levels spanned from second grade to eighth grade levels. In order to meet the school’s goals of having all students achieve at high levels, Murphy met the challenge by focusing on class building and teambuilding, creating teams of four students based on differing ability levels. With this framework, her students learned to support each other in class, exemplify their strengths, and get help when they needed it. “I have seen tremendous growth in all my students due to their improved self-confidence,” says Murphy.  “Our classroom is an environment of active learning where every student is held accountable and challenged to reach his or her greatest potential.”

Murphy plays “thinking music” as her students work, uses art to help her students visualize concepts, and makes history come alive by directing students to play the roles of historical figures. While doing a review of a social studies unit, Murphy asked her colleagues if they would be available to serve as lifelines for students playing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Murphy’s class played the game with questions based on facts about Colonial America. She differentiates instruction using creative strategies to meet the various learning needs of all her students. If students are not succeeding at performance assessments, she rewrites her lesson, uses different strategies, and teaches the concept in a different way until all the students understand the material.  

In an effort to make a personal connection with her students’ families, Murphy accompanied principal Brian Butler to visit the homes of students who were struggling in school. “The message that Tara is sending when she does this is that she cares deeply enough about the success of her students to step out of the comfort zone of most teachers,” says Butler. Murphy also attended students’ sporting events in an effort to make a personal connection. (view press release)

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* Roxie Godfrey, family and consumer sciences teacher at Mount Vernon, was named the Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Association of Family and Consumer Sciences at its 2009 conference on April 24 in Richmond. Godfrey will also be honored at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences National Conference on June 26 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (view press release)

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* Angela Charlton, counselor at Fox Mill, has completed her doctorate in counselor education from Virginia Tech. Her dissertation topic was "School Counselors’ Perceived Self-Efficacy for Addressing Bullying in the Elementary School Setting."

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* Donna Ruggles, kindergarten teacher at Springfield Estates, has received the
2008-09 Elementary School Teacher of the Year award from the Springfield Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7327. Ruggles, who has been employed by FCPS for ten years and has worked at Springfield Estates for nine years, was nominated by a parent of one of her students. She began working as an instructional assistant in the school’s reading lab, where she taught reading groups in grades K-6. She returned to school in 2004 and earned her master’s degree in education in order to become a classroom teacher. 

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* Franklin math teachers Clara Hauth-Pflugrath, Jo-Anne Carra, and Linda Gillen, assisted by Steve Klarevas and Patti Freeman, presented "Taking the 'Testiness' out of State Standards-Based Testing" at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition held in Washington, D.C., April 22 through 25. The workshop focused on the creation of theme-based, comprehensive reviews for end-of-year state assessments and included instructional strategies, hands-on activities, and planning tools to help make review sessions appropriate and successful for all learners. (Left to right in photo: Linda Gillen, Jo-Anne Carra, Clara Hauth-Pflugrath, Steve Klarevas, and Patti Freeman.)

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* Avemaria Collins (left), family consumer sciences teacher, and Evie Granville, social studies teacher (right), both at Robinson, were presented with the Rotary Club Meritorious Educator Award on Wednesday, May 6, at West Springfield Country Club. Collins and Granville each received a $250 honorarium and $250 for a class project of their choice. The award recognizes teachers for outstanding motivation of students, effectively teaching problem-solving skills, contributions to character building, being an effective role model, and evidence of “service above self.”

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How Do I Get Mentioned in About Our People?

Submit your good news for About Our People to Supergram editor Andy Grunig at andy.grunig@fcps.edu. We want to hear from you!

What Type of Information Is Used in About Our People?

The following categories of items will be published:

• Employees who receive regional, state, or national awards for their professional accomplishments.
• Employees elected to serve in regional, state, or national education organizations.
• Employees who give presentations at regional, state, or national meetings.
• Employees who publish articles or books.
• Those who successfully defend doctoral dissertations.
• Those who receive grants or are selected for scholarships that involve travel or the sharing of ideas.

Editor's Note: Send your electronic photo along with your good news.

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