Teacher Vitae
Experience
Teacher – Social Studies & Journalism. Starkville School District, Starkville, Miss. (August 2007 – Present).
- Teach a student population of 69 percent minorities and 58 percent economically disadvantaged children.
- Developed lesson plans for multiple curricula (Accelerated/Regular World History, World Geography, Mississippi Studies, Financing Your Future, Introduction to Journalism and Newspaper/Yearbook Production).
- Developed lesson plans for block, period, and modified block schedules.
- Identify learning strategies for individual students and develop supporting curriculum.
- Use novels and community-interaction projects to engage students in rigorous, relevant learning.
- Key grades and attendance into STI Classroom software.
- Manage classroom atmosphere during lessons and administer disciplinary action as needed.
- Oversee and advise production of 160-page school yearbook.
- Oversee and advise production of seven editions of school newspaper per year.
- Oversee and advise maintenance of www.shsjacketbuzz.com, website for the school paper.
- Coordinate school day pictures for student body of 1,200.
- Work closely with school photographer to schedule sports team and event photos throughout the school year.
- Work closely with local businesses on advertising accounts.
- Instruct students using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Excel software.
- Developed the journalism program into a more financially stable service to the student body of SHS.
- Developed the Jacket Buzz into a viable means of communication among all SHS stakeholders.
- Organize, manage, and motivate a staff of 21 students to do all of the above.
*****
Awards & Honors I have received:
- Reynolds Fellow: Reynolds Institute for High School Journalism (2009)
- Starkville School District Teacher of the Year (2010)
- Mississippi Third Congressional District Teacher of the Year (2011)
- Broadcast Journalism Adviser of the Year – MSPA (2011)
- Best High School Teacher – Starkville Daily News (2011)
- STAR Teacher (2011)
*****
Awards and Honors my journalism students have received:
- Mississippi Scholastic Press Association Convention
- Jacket Buzz
- 2010 - Placed 2nd in the state in Sports Coverage, 3rd place in layout and design, and we received Honorable Mentions for both our News and Features coverage. Individually, Collin Whitten and Taylor Bowden placed 3rd in Feature Writing for their coverage of Starkville’s winter house fires, Michael Mosley placed 2nd in Cartoons, and Ruth Brown placed 1st in the state in News/Feature Photos.
- 2011 – Placed 1st in the state in sports section, earned an Honorable Mention for Feature Writing and placed third in the Best in Show carry-in competition. Individually:
- Bailey Brocato – Yearbook Staff Member of the Year
Andrew LaFrance – Broadcast Staff Member of the Year
Taylor Bowden – 1st Place Best Feature Story
Hal Sullivan – 1st Pace Best Column
Ruth Brown – 1st Place Best News/Feature Photo
Lammi Micha – 2nd Place Sports Writing
Bailey Brocato – 2nd Place Sports Photo
Taylor Bowden – 2nd Place Depth Reporting
Bailey Brocato – 2nd Place News/Feature Photo
Merve Karan – 2nd Place Editorials
Andrew LaFrance – 3rd Place Feature
Conner Callahan – 3rd Place Cartoons
Bailey Brocato – 3rd Place News/Feature Photo
Mariel Marcum – 3rd Place Sports Photo
Lammi Micha – 3rd Place Sports Feature
Zach Mitchell – Honorable Mention Entertainment Writing
Zach Mitchell – Honorable Mention News Writing
- Bailey Brocato – Yearbook Staff Member of the Year
- The Yellow Jacket yearbook
- 2010 – 1st place Best Ads and 3rd place Best Art.
- 2011 – 1st Place Best Table of Contents and 2nd Place Best Double-Page Spread (carry-in).
- Jacket Buzz
- My.hsj.org National Edition
- Each week, My.hsj.org, a website that hosts 3,432 youth news sites, selects a handful of articles that represent the strongest pieces of high school journalism in the nation and re-post these stories as part of their National Edition. Thus far, four of my students’ stories have been selected for this honor.
- March 29, 2010. Mandatory dress code passes for fall of 2010 by Taylor Bowden.
- August 9, 2010. Cheerleading not sport, Connecticut judge rules by Ty Ringo.
- November 1, 2010. SHS Staff Competes in Biggest Loser by Andrew LaFrance.
- November 1, 2010. Pichardo earns spot on US regional team by Lammi Micha.
- December 2, 2010. Stidham proposes year-round school by Zach Mitchell.
- December 2, 2010. Tardy Troubles by Dominic Henn.
- December 2, 2010. Flex quarter schedule beneficial to students by Tess Long.
- February 14, 2011. District aligns subject area curriculum by Zach Mitchell.
- February 14, 2011. Online gaming: New games pose new distractions by Dominic Henn
- February 14, 2011. Starkville spared from brunt of recession by Taylor Bowden.
- April 1, 2011. Interact raises polio awareness by Cullom McCormick.
- Each week, My.hsj.org, a website that hosts 3,432 youth news sites, selects a handful of articles that represent the strongest pieces of high school journalism in the nation and re-post these stories as part of their National Edition. Thus far, four of my students’ stories have been selected for this honor.
- Southern Miss Photojournalism Project
- 2010: Ruth Brown was selected as one of only six high school students in the state to participate in this exclusive two-weekend training with award-winning photojournalists and university faculty in Hattiesburg. Miss.
