Award Winning Alumni
Titan Education Excellence Award Winners
The
College of Education is recognized for its reputation
of excellence in preparing teachers and educational
leaders. In recognition of the inauguration of the
College of Education in July 2004, two awards are granted
annually. These awards honor excellence in teaching
and educational leadership of a Fullerton graduate
as well as the high quality of educational endeavors
accomplished in partnership with Cal State Fullerton
and its many school- and district-based programs.
2005 Awards
Individual Category
Linda Knudsen
Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Linda teaches
at Los Alisos Intermediate School in Saddleback Valley
Unified School District and will receive her master’s
in Educational Leadership in May, 2006. She has demonstrated
teaching and leadership skills in developing instructional
themes that integrate the life sciences, implementing
technology to support student learning, using unique
approaches in teaching genetics and heredity, and
in mentoring and coaching her science teacher colleagues.
She has written several grants in the last five years
totaling $30,000 in support of a variety of innovative
science projects for her students. Via one grant, she
organized science assemblies for the school that brought
science-based standards presentations on animals and
survival mechanisms. The most recent grant is a $10,000
Toyota Tapestry/NSTA award for A Spool of DNA that
teaches her 7th grade students state science standards
and requires writing and research skills for their
presentations. This grant provided technology and materials
in support of teaching her students forensics and genetic
engineering techniques. She further serves as peer
coach in this project for her colleagues so that all
the science teachers and students at Los Alisos have
benefited.
Our congratulations to Linda, an outstanding science
educator who in less than six years, has had a significant
positive impact on her students and her peers.
Partnership Category
Teachers as Artists Program
Dr. Teresa Crawford
Elementary and Bilingual Education Department
Ginger Geftakys
Elementary and Bilingual Education Department
This partnership includes
CSU Fullerton’s Ginger
Geftakys (part-time faculty) and Dr. Teresa Crawford,
both of the Elementary and Bilingual Education Dept.,
Topaz School in the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District,
and Golden Hill Elementary in the Fullerton School
District. Principals Susan Fendell and Kathy Kreil
scheduled three professional development sessions for
their teachers and student teachers on drawing and
painting techniques integrated with content areas – science,
social studies and language arts. The teachers and
student teachers then planned subject matter curriculum
that incorporated art techniques, allowing K-6 students
to express through a visual medium what they had learned.
Concepts of scale and art vocabulary are but a few
elements that enriched the students’ learning.
This year, 50 teachers, 5 Fullerton student teachers,
and hundreds of elementary students have participated
in this program. The beautiful artwork that appears
on the walls of the Education Classroom Building is
a sample of the students’ creative work.
In a milieu of focus on test
outcomes, including art in the curriculum in conjunction
with academic subjects sends the important message
that the arts do play a key role in students’ learning
processes.
Congratulations to Ginger Geftakys, Teresa Crawford,
Principals Kathy Kreil and Susan Fendell, master teachers,
student teachers, and K-6 students.
2005 Awards
Francis Kay Krausman
Fullerton School District
Kay has a longstanding passion
for teaching – particularly
for science instruction.
She is recognized for her commitment
to the teaching profession and mentoring other teachers
in becoming knowledgeable about science instruction.
She passes on her passion for the sciences to her
students and has inspired some to pursue careers
in the sciences. She has conducted post-graduate
science seminars both locally and nationally, has
written an integrated inquiry based science curriculum
for her school district, and has been selected as
the outstanding science teacher in Orange County
and recipient of the Project Tomorrow Vision of Excellence.
A colleague says that “Kay excels as a teacher,
a professional leader and a builder of our school community.” Her
principal states that “Kay is a teacher of teachers.” And
from a parent, we hear that “Kay is a rare gem
among many in an illustrious profession.”
Carole Shelby
El Modena High School
Orange Unified School District
Carole is
known for her passion to teach the English language
arts, especially poetry.
Her demanding and energetic
approach has earned her the reputation as tough,
fair - and fun. Through her drive and innovative
approaches to teaching, she ensures that all of her
students succeed – those who
are traditionally successful as well as those who face
particular challenges such as learning English as a
second language or a learning disability. She has served
in several leadership positions at her school. Her
collaborative leadership style, determination, motivation
and follow-through have ensured successful implementation
of new school-site endeavors
A colleague says that “Carole’s desire
to share new strategies and research data is phenomenal.” One
of her students states that “After a week in
her class I thought I was going to die…Having
Mrs. Shelby two years in a row was not only hard but
fun. She inspires me and never fails in teaching me
something new.”
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