Teacher of the Year and Regional Winners

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2001 Washington State Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
Katie Henderson
ESD 121
Kent School District
Glenridge Elementary School

Katie Henderson is the Washington State Teacher of the Year for 2001. She has been an educator for 26 years and currently teaches Grade 6 at Glenridge Elementary School in the Kent School District.

Katie views herself as a 'perpetual novice"...constantly scaling the learning curve. She started her career as an elementary teacher in the inner city schools of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She also taught in rural Louisiana, Missouri for one year before moving to Washington State in 1979. Katie uses three basic teaching tools: affectation, motivation, and expectation. She enjoys getting to know her students well so she can motivate them to take risks and reach high standards. She challenges them to reach beyond what they think they can do. Katie's commitment to quality education has had a very positive impact on the students, staff, and parents in her community. To quote one of her peers, "Katie is an inspirational leader--a teacher for us all. Her passion, vision, and commitments are unwavering and her dedication to children unquestioned. She upholds the best we seek for our profession."

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 101
Judith Lancefield
Pullman School District
Sunnyside Elementary School

Judith Lancefield is the Educational Service District 101's Teacher of the Year for 2001. She has been a teacher for more than a quarter of a century, and a third grade teacher at Sunnyside Elementary School in Pullman, Washington since 1991.

Judith is known as "the science nut" or the teacher most likely to be dragging something down the hallway of her school to help her students enjoy more hands-on science or math. Years of doing this led to her being invited to teach a Washington State University science method's class this fall, and to being selected as the Washington State Science Teachers Association's "Elementary Science Teacher of the Year."

Living overseas for eight years in China, Japan, Micronesia, and serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa (where she founded a school under a tree) has provided unusually rich resources for Judith to bring social studies to life for her students as well. Judith weaves everything into what she hopes is a meaningful whole to help her students understand, love, and want to protect the world around them.

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 105
Sanford Jetton
Naches Valley School District
Naches Valley High School

Sanford Jetton, is the 2001 Regional Teacher of the Year from Educational Service District 105. He teaches at Naches Valley High School in the Naches Valley School District.

Sanford Jetton was born in Harrison, Arkansas, but educated primarily in the Yakima Valley.  He graduated from Highland High School in 1961.  He  graduated from WSU with a B.A. in English in 1967.  He began teaching and coaching in 1970.

For the last eleven years he has been teaching high school English and leadership classes at Naches Valley High School.   During his tenure at NVHS Sanford has twice been recognized on the floor of the United States Senate for his work in violence prevention.   Over 50 of his students have won essay contests or published writing in various sources.   He has taught two National essay winners.  Sanford has also been recognized by the District with an "Education in Excellence Award" and by the Yakima Rotary Club with an "Unsung Heroes" award.

Congratulations, Sanford!

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 112
Don Landes-McCullough
La Center School District
La Center High School

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 113
Mike Machowek
Aberbeen School District
Aberdeen High School

Mike receives the most satisfaction from his job when he has established a rapport with his students. He enjoys interacting in a positive manner with his students and believes strongly in his role as a stable influence in a young person's life. While he feels strongly about his subject matter, natural resources, it is the student, the human resource, that concerns him the most. He encourages the most out of his students by developing lessons that integrate many industrial skills (i.e., work ethic, team work, problem solving, media presentations, honesty, respect, etc.) through the natural resources activities/lessons. Because of the nature of his teaching style, his courses are active, insightful, and relevant to today's current marketplace.

While Mike realizes the honor and privilege to have been recognized as one of the state's best teachers, he realizes there have been many influences in his life that helped him to achieve success. The Aberdeen School District is loaded with many excellent staff and support personnel. It's been a wonderful place to learn and grow in a wonderful profession.

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 114
Hester Hill
Port Angeles School Distsrict
Franklin Elementary School

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 123
Alan Walker
Prosser School District
Prosser Heights Elementary School

Alan Walker is the 2001 Regional Teacher of the Year from Educational Service District 123. He teaches at Prosser Heights Elementary in the Prosser School District.

William Butler Yeats articulated Alan’s philosophy regarding education when he said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." His words guide Alan’s planning and teaching. Alan states, "Student strengths and interests are the key to lighting the fire. Each class and each student is individual and distinctive making every year exciting and challenging." He feels a teacher’s task should be to personalize and customize the instruction to make a difference in the life of each student, and he believes that a teacher can have an enormous impact on a student.

Alan feels it is not difficult to provide students with an intellectual foundation. The challenge lies is motivating students to aspire to reach and surpass expectations. Helping students to see their full potential and providing each with the opportunity to reach that potential is Alan’s ever-present goal.

Alan is greatly honored to be recognized for his efforts as an educator. The satisfaction he receives from his profession is compounded daily by watching students thrive both inside and outside the classroom; or as Alan puts it, "When the fire is lit, the energy produces lifetime learning results."

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 171
Allison Agnew
Kent School District
Kentlake High School

2001 Regional Teacher of the Year  (top of page)
ESD 189
Wanda Hill
Everett School District
Penny Creek Elementary

How do we engage our students today and make them active participants in their own learning? Wanda uses her two passions, music and technology. Alone each one has an exceptional value, but together they are powerful teaching tools.

Wanda believes teaching music is more than just singing songs, playing games and writing notes. It is the vehicle to integrate math, history, literature and writing. She

states, "The whole world knows music through their own country’s festivals and celebrations. As students come to our public schools from places around the world, the traditions and customs of their countries come to us as well. Even though different languages are spoken, the music classroom reaches out to everyone as we learn about each others culture."

As technology has been evolving rapidly into all facets of life, Wanda’s students have opportunities to connect to other cultures around the world through the web and email. Technology makes learning come alive for Wanda’s students. Instead of reading about China, the students can now talk to people in China in real time.

Wanda adds, "Music is the universal language and technology today allows this music to be shared by everyone, everywhere. Through sharing our music we can teach peace and understanding and ultimately make our students the peaceful leaders of tomorrow."