Daily Reporter staff reports
FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon Education Foundation (MVEF) recently played host to the Teacher of the Year (TOY) and, new this year, the Staff of the Year (SOY) awards.
Teacher of the Year winners at each school were: Sara Keljo (Fortville Elementary), Karon Neal (McCordsville Elementary), Kelly Brown (Mt. Comfort Elementary), Deb Thomas (Mt. Vernon Middle School), Sarah Weaver (Mt. Vernon High School) and Byron Simpson (Administration Building/Alternative School at the L.I.F.E. Center).
The overall winner, receiving the Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award, was Deb Thomas.
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The Staff Member of the Year awards, by building, went to Veronica Kirby (Fortville Elementary), Diane Rafert (McCordsville Elementary), Tonya Brown (Mt. Comfort Elementary), Brigitte Bussen (Mt. Vernon Middle School), Kelly Fleming (Mt. Vernon High School) and Gwen Scrogham (Mt. Vernon Community Schools Administration Building).
Gwen Scrogham from the administration building was the overall winner and Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award recipient.
The selection process started with the staff in each building nominating their colleagues. The top three nominated teachers and top three nominated staff members were then rated by their peers based on the district values (dedication, teamwork, caring demeanor, student-centered, life-long learner and innovation).
The building winners then each submitted an application to the MVEF TOY/SOY committee. The committee used the Indiana Department of Education’s TOY scoring rubric to evaluate each building winner and determine the overall Mt. Vernon TOY and SOY.
The Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award, new this year, was thanks to the generosity of foundation donors Jill and Kevin Prefontaine. The cash award was created in honor of Jill’s brother Ryan. Both Ryan and Jill were MV graduates, and their father Kenneth was a math teacher at Mt. Vernon for more than 30 years. The Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award aligns itself and supports the foundation’s strategic plan “in encouraging and recognizing excellence and ingenuity among our educators and staff.”
A special presentation was made to McCordsville Elementary teacher Lauren Hedrick by Make-a-Wish Development Associate Haley Mahan. Hendrick has been named Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana’s Educator of the Year for her work in Make-a-Wish Foundation fundraising. Hendrick and her students have raised more than $25,000 for Make-A-Wish since 2009.
