Annual Teacher of the Year Reception is priceless event

(Published Sunday, March 18, 2007 in Examiner-Enterprise)

Within the Bartlesville Public School District , we are always striving for excellence. That means our teachers, administrators and other staff members are constantly putting forth extra effort to ensure that we are providing the best learning environment possible for our students.

And, with a job well done, there should be recognition as well. That is why events such as the district's annual Teacher of the Year Reception are so important. We want the hard-working people within our school district to know they are appreciated.

On Feb. 27, at the Fine Arts Center on the Bartlesville High School campus, the 2007 Teacher of the Year Reception was held. When the event had concluded, Jennie Butterfield, a kindergarten teacher at Jane Phillips Elementary School , had been recognized as the 2007 Teacher of the Year while Darin Messerli, a technology education instructor at Central Middle School , had picked up the Kurt Schmoldt Award, given annually for educational excellence.

From all of us within the BPSD, I'd like to congratulate both Jennie and Darin. Jennie is in her fifth year at Jane Phillips and is part of a fine, team-oriented staff at that school. Darin is in his 15 th year at Central, and like Jennie, goes out of his way to best tend to the needs of all of his students.

The annual Teacher of the Year Reception has long been a BPSD tradition, dating back to 1981 when Mary Brock claimed the award for Limestone Elementary School . Jennie was the second teacher ever selected from Jane Phillips, following on the heels of Sue Albee, who was honored in 1991.

The theme of this year's event was “Teachers Are Priceless,” and that is indeed the case. Each school within the district selected its own Teacher of the Year, and those dozen instructors were then eligible to earn the overall BSPD honor. In addition to Butterfield, the other nominees for the 2007 Teacher of the Year award were Trish Johnson (Will Rogers Early Childhood Center), Shannon McKinney (Hoover Elementary School), Tammy Shepherd (Richard Kane Elementary School), Kris Zorn (Oak Park Elementary School), Barbara Brown (Ranch Heights Elementary School), Gail Renee Stone (Wayside Elementary School), Kanda Hill (Woodrow Wilson Elementary School), Peggy Burness (Central Middle School), Sonja Jenner (Madison Middle School), Rita Durrett (Bartlesville Mid-High School) and Lois Olsen (Bartlesville High School).

Jennifer Rainbolt, a kindergarten teacher at Hoover , was the district's 2006 Teacher of the Year.

Several people work very hard each year to ensure that the Teacher of the Year Reception is a special event. Among those who worked hard behind the scenes to organize the reception were teachers Marty Louthan , Bridgette Laramie and Cathy Gilbert. Michelle Lowry, of Channel 2 News in Tulsa , served as the master of ceremonies while the BHS String Quartet – comprised of Megan Crawford, Mina Sardashti, Andria Whipple and Courtlyn Shoate – provided musical entertainment.

To date, we've selected 27 Teachers of the Year, and we're proud of each and every one of them.

Darin can be quite proud of earning the 2007 Kurt Schmoldt Award. An annual honor which spotlights excellence in education – be it from a teacher, a coach or a counselor – the recognition celebrates the memory of Kurt Schmoldt, a 1975 College High School graduate who died as a result of complications from leukemia in 1995.

This year's Kurt Schmoldt Award was presented by Kathy Winters Schmoldt, who taught from 1983-94 within the Bartlesville Public School District , including her final four years at Central.