Rochester-Area Educators Receive Top Teacher Recognition

Teachers who live in Rochester and Rochester Hills were among the educators honored recently at the Oakland Schools Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards.

Jennifer French of Rochester teaches eighth-grade American history at Oakview Middle School.

Eva Ostrowski of Rochester Hills teaches seventh-grade English at Smith Middle School in Troy.

There were among the 51 educators honored last week at the 24th annual awards.

Teachers representing 18 school districts throughout Oakland County were recognized as nominees for the award. Winners were announced at the end of March and were on hand Thursday evening to give insight into what receiving this prestigious award has meant to them.

The 2011 Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards at the elementary, middle and high school levels went to Bobbie Blazo, Chris Walker and Amanda McCartney, respectively. All three were awarded $2,000.

Blazo, a Novi resident who teaches at Beechview Elementary School in Farmington Public Schools, noted during her speech that she tries to really show up in her classroom. According to Blazo, it is necessary for teachers to not just to show up and do their job, but to actively participate with their students and be there for both the small and big moments.

Walker earned the honor for his work as a math teacher at White Lake Middle School. Principal Paul Gmelin, who introduced Walker at Thursday's event, explained in sport terms that he is the MVP, all-star team captain and fan favorite at the school.

McCartney was honored for her work with autistic children at Walled Lake Central High School. “I teach for a very selfish reason — to learn from my students,” she said.

It was a sentiment many of the educators who were nominated for the award seemed to relate to.

The Walled Lake Central High School string quartet and choir performed for the audience before the nominees and winners were introduced.

After the nominated teachers received their certificates, the audience was treated to a video of the reactions of Blazo, Walker and McCartney as each learned he or she had won the top honors. The presentation, produced by Oakland Schools Technical Campus Southwest visual imaging students, included students' input about each of the three educators.

“When I judge, I look through the nomination forms for the ones that paint a picture,” said Shelley Rose, director of communication services at Oakland Schools, about judging the incoming nominations. “These teachers deserve every accolade and acknowledgement they receive.”

Each teacher honored was nominated by a colleague, parent or student. Only three teachers can be nominated for each participating district. A selection committee, which Rose serves on, then scores the nominees based on criteria including ability to engage students, school community involvement and knowledge of subjects taught, among others.

Following the ceremony, educators and guests enjoyed a strolling dinner in the atrium, sponsored by the Oakland Schools Education Foundation and Health Alliance Plan.

“It was really nice to hear some good news about education tonight,” said Johnny Borg, physical education teacher at Ferndale Elementary School who was nominated for the Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award.