FREIDA M. THOMAS TEACHER OF PROMISE AWARD NOMINATION COVER SHEET The Freida M. Thomas Teacher of Promise Award was established by the Foundation to honor Mrs. Freida M. Thomas’ superior teaching and leadership skills. As a teacher of the academically gifted in the Clarke County School District, Mrs. Thomas modeled the concept of teacher as learner and leader. Through her continuing development of exemplary instructional practice and her willingness to share methods and materials with others, she created a legacy of outstanding achievement among the students she taught and the colleagues with whom she worked at every level. A nationallyrecognized expert in Future Problem Solving Program strategies, she not only coached students and teachers in their use, but also applied them to school and district problems. Twice named Teacher of the Year at her school and a 1993 FFE Teacher of Excellence, she was among the first Clarke County teachers to earn National Board Certification. First presented in 2004, the Thomas Award is given on an annual basis to recognize early-career teachers who spark enthusiasm for learning and achievement in students; who continually seek to improve content knowledge and practice and willingly share methods and materials with others; who effectively communicate and collaborate with others and apply problem-solving strategies to enhance teaching, learning, and the school community; and who possess a clear sense of vision, purpose, and integrity that inspires and motivates others. NOMINATIONS: Nominations may be made by principals/supervisors, colleagues, students, parents, and community members. Nominators should work with the nominee to solicit letters of support and prepare and submit the packet by the deadline. There is no limit to the number of nominations made by any one school. QUALIFICATIONS: • No more than four years teaching experience, including the year in which nomination takes place • Current Georgia teaching certification • Employed by a Clarke County school as a full-time or half-time teacher on September 1 of the academic year of the nomination • Not currently holding any other Foundation award • Never previously received the Freida M. Thomas Award TERM: This award is presented for one year at a level of $500 per year. NOMINATION PACKETS (includes all documents): The nominee (or the nominator) must submit the original application packet and 8 copies in the order stated below. Due to the large number of nominations, packets not conforming to the explicit instructions or including unsolicited documentation will be disqualified. Packets (and copies) cannot be returned. Order of Submission: I. Cover sheet (this page) II. Personal data form (to be completed by nominee) III. Nominee's two essays IV. One letter of support from a current administrator/supervisor V. Two letters of support from past or present administrators/supervisors (other than the one in PART IV), co-workers, students, parents, or community members DUE DATE: The first Friday in March by 4:30 PM. Mail or deliver to The Foundation for Excellence, c/o Clarke County School District Office of Public Relations and Communications, 240 Mitchell Bridge Road, P.O. Box 1708, Athens, Georgia 30603. Name of Person Being Nominated for the Award: Nominee’s School or Office: Name of Nominator: Nominator’s Email: Thomas Award - p. 1 PART II: NOMINEE’S PERSONAL DATA (To be completed by the nominee and submitted on this form) Nominee’s Name: Current Position: Email Address: A. EDUCATION (Check appropriate boxes and provide: field of study or training, the year earned, and institution) Undergraduate Master’s Specialist (6 yr.) Doctorate Other than above ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Certification Field(s), if any: _______________________________________________________ B. EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE (Begin with the most recent) Within Clarke County School District: Dates School Position Subject/Grade Level ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Relevant Experience Other Than CCSD: Dates School Position Subject/Grade Level ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Thomas Award - p. 2 Name of Nominee: C. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (Include any relevant courses or conferences attended in the last four years)) Dates Course/Conference Name Location ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ D. LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES, COMMITTEES, AND AWARDS (Include any relevant recognition, community involvement, organization memberships, etc.) Dates Activity – Award - Committee ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ PART III: NOMINEE’S ESSAYS (To be completed by the nominee) Essays may NOT exceed two pages each, MUST use 12-point type, and be double spaced. In addition, essays should be proofread for errors in grammar and spelling. (Please attach essays to the packet) INSTRUCTIONS: Please prepare two essays, one on each question. Please stay CLEARLY focused on the discussion topic and use concrete examples with vivid details. Essay Question #1 - Instruction: What improvement have you made in the classroom to increase student achievement? Essay Question #2 – Leadership & Community Involvement: How have you shown effective leadership in your school? Thomas Award - p. 3 Name of Nominee: PART IV: ADMINISTRATOR/SUPERVISOR LETTER This letter of support is to be written by a CURRENT principal/supervisor, assistant or associate principal, high school department chair, or instructional lead teacher/coach. It may NOT exceed two pages, MUST use 12-point type, and be double spaced. (Please attach letter to packet) INSTRUCTIONS: Please use the following focus for your letter and include specific examples when possible. • Address the nominee’s knowledge of content and ability to plan, implement, and evaluate instruction. • Include other information relevant to this award Name of author of administrative letter: Position/Title, School: PART V: ADDITIONAL SUPPORT LETTERS TWO letters of support are to be provided. Each letter must not exceed two pages, must use twelve-point type, and must be double spaced. You may ask a present or past administrator/supervisor (other than the one in Part IV), co-worker, student, parent, or community member. (Please attach letters to packet.) INSTRUCTIONS: Please address the following questions with specific examples when possible. • Why do you believe this nominee is an outstanding teacher? Please use as many details as you can while staying within the support letter limits. Name of author of first letter: Relationship to nominee: Name of author of second letter: Relationship to nominee: FOR FFE USE Date received by FFE: __________ Application complete? __________ Thomas Award - p. 4