North Carolina School District to Receive Sylvia Charp Award at ISTE 2013

• By Kanoe Namahoe
• 05/21/13

North Carolina’s Rowan-Salisbury School System has won the 2013 Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology, presented by T.H.E. Journal and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Judy Grissom, superintendent, and Phil Hardin, executive director of technology, for the district will accept the award at ISTE 2013 taking place June 23-26 in in San Antonio, TX.

"Rowan-Salisbury is a standout district whose work truly deserves honor," said T.H.E. Journal Editorial Director Therese Mageau who served as a judge for the contest. "The district has made an exemplary commitment to using technology to promote 21st century teaching and learning systemwide. Their initiatives—from model classrooms to WiFi buses, to their expert use of data and their community outreach programs—can truly serve as beacons of best practices for other districts seeking the same goals."

ISTE will honor other outstanding education leaders at next month's conference.

The 2013 ISTE Outstanding Leader Award goes to Chris Lehmann, founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a science and technology high school based Philadelphia. This award recognizes individuals, who work outside the classroom, for their exceptional leadership and achievement in using technology to further education.

High school English teacher Nicholas Provenzano wins this year's Outstanding Teacher Award. The educator and The Nerdy Teacher blogger will receive this award for his outstanding efforts in implementing technology in his classroom.

Kurt Kiefer, assistant state superintendent at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, is the recipient of ISTE's 2013 Public Policy Advocate Award, which honors individuals who demonstrate enthusiasm and dedication in "advocating for education technology policy."

The 2013 Kay L. Bitter Vision Award goes to elementary school teacher Karen Lirenman from Surrey School District in Surrey, British Columbia. This award, named for early childhood educator Kay L. Bitter, honors PK-2 teachers for their noteworthy efforts in bringing technology into the classroom.

Krista Moroder from the Kettle Moraine School District in Wales, WI, wins this year's Outstanding Young Educator Award, which recognizes an educator under the age of 35. The technology integrator will be honored for her "vision, innovation, action and using technology to improve learning and teaching."

ISTE has named the following individuals as Emerging Leaders:

• Justin Aglio, principal, Propel Braddock Hills High School, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Rachel Armstrong, blended learning teacher, Hale Kula Elementary School, Wahiawa, HI;
• Adrienne Gifford, advanced technology specialist, Open Window School, Bellevue, WA;
• Gabriela Hernandez, instructional technologist, Lewisville Independent School District, Lewisville, TX;
• Sara Hunter, STEM coach and teacher, Zionsville Community Schools, Zionsville, ID;
• Bill Selak, teacher, Covina-Valley Unified School District, Covina, CA; and,
• Ashley Webb, photography instructor, Open High School of Utah, West Jordan, UT.

This year's SIGOL (ISTE’s online learning special interest group) Online Learning Award goes to educators Lisa Paris, from Denton Avenue Elementary School in New Hyde Park, NY, and Donna Román, from Mill Creek School in Geneva, IL, for their use of "telecommunication networks to provide innovative learning opportunities for students."

The SIGMS (ISTE’s media specialist special interest group) Technology Innovation Award goes to teams, which include a school librarian and teacher, from an elementary and a secondary school, for their collaborative efforts in producing successful technology programs that "extend beyond the library." This year ISTE awards this honor to:

• Matthew Winner, library media specialist and Albert Yoo, teacher from Longfellow Elementary School in Columbia, MD; and Gretchen Welk, teacher, and Sherry Gick, librarian from Rossville Elementary School in Rossville, IN; and,
• Elizabeth Kahn, librarian, and Lisa Valence, English/Language Arts and math teacher at Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy in Jefferson, LA.

"The 2013 ISTE award honorees are living examples of the how educators are, right now, using thought leadership, advocacy and innovation to leverage technology to transform learning and teaching," said Brian Lewis, ISTE CEO, in a prepared statement. "With their creativity, passion and dedication, they’re inspiring great things in our students, schools and communities. We look forward to recognizing them at ISTE 2013."

All 2013 honorees will receive complimentary registration to this year's ISTE conference, a one-year standard ISTE membership, and various other prizes.