MCALESTER, Okla. — With Teacher Appreciation Week underway, a new award is trying to let educators know how valued they are. They're called the Aeros Awards of Excellence, and McAlester's Tina Stewart is among the nominees.
"I was shocked to be nominated for this; it is amazing!" says Stewart, who has been teaching first grade for 30 years.
Crowder's Sherry Ranallo was also nominated. She says, "I've done this for 27 years. You don't do this for the pats on the back or the accolades. It's really about the kids. And I just love what I do. It's such a calling and a passion."
Twenty finalists fill the room for the awards banquet, all in the running for Southeast Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
"I'm very blessed to be where I'm at and doing what I do," says Amber Graham, a counselor with Eufaula Public Schools.
This is the first year for the Aeros Awards of Excellence. A project Ben Capers and Chris Plunkett started in December.
"I found a study from Cornell University, and it showed that teachers are one of the most underappreciated folks in our industry in our community, and so looking at the timeline, it made sense to do something to give back to educators in our community," says Plunkett. Capers adds, "We wanted to give them a really memorable nice night, a nice feeling they can carry with them for years."
So they put out the word, asking administrators for nominations of the best of the best in 21 counties in southeastern Oklahoma. The responses came rolling in.
"We were looking for folks who go above and beyond, that sounds cliché, but just that is not only good at their job, but who are giving back to their communities and taking their organizations to greater heights," says Capers.
Over the past few months, those finalists were surprised by a prize patrol and awarded a golden ticket. As they gather at the banquet, each teacher will be honored with a trophy, but only one will walk away with the title and a thousand dollars for their classroom.
Dr. Janet Wansick, President Eastern Oklahoma State College. Dr. Jay Falkner, President Carl Albert State College, and Dr. Thomas Newsom, President of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, created the criteria and conducted the judging.
Merrie Palmer from Ada High School was named the 2023 Aeros Southeast Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. Palmer is a Performing Arts Teacher who turned around and grew the school's theater program winning state and national awards.
"It's so good for us educators to know the support of our community and that we've got people that are telling us, hey, thank you for what you do, and we appreciate you, and what you do matters and how you're affecting students matters so for all those educators that are in this room and all over the state we need and love and appreciate the support," says Palmer.
McAlester's Margie McElhaney and Moss's Kimberly Rosenow took home social media awards. And the night had another win. Plunkett and Capers say they'll hold the awards again and feel so inspired they hope to expand. "The whole start of this was to show our appreciation to be able to give back to them and make an impact in their life, and in turn, they have made a difference in our lives," says Plunkett.
On a night celebrating educators, leave it to a bunch of teachers to throw in a life lesson too.
"I would not change it for anything. It is the best job in the world!" exclaims Stewart.
The Aeros project was funded by sponsors who made the night possible. You can learn more about the project here: https://aerosawards.com/
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