Jackson Magazine presented its sixth annual Top Teachers Awards at a reception held at Ella Sharp Museum on May 4.
In addition to recognition in the May issue of Jackson Magazine, the Top Teachers also received a total of $9,000, thanks to a partnership that began in 2014 with the Jackson Community Foundation (JCF) and the Hurst Foundation.
Through the Teacher’s Fund of JCF and the Hurst Foundation, four Top Teachers each received a $1,000 grant for classroom use and/or professional development. The Teacher of the Year received $5,000.
Dozens of nominations were received. To choose the Top Teachers, a committee of educators whittled the list to the Top 10. To select the final five, each principal of those teachers completed a detailed questionnaire, and those 10 teachers received surprise classroom visits from a second committee; a third group chose the final five. The Top Teachers of 2016 are:
• Teacher of the Year: Karen Brockie/Hanover Horton Elementary
• Jonell Hasselback-Zenker/Jackson High School
• Joel Shaner/Jackson High School
• Abby Tanner/Northwest High School
• Jessica Trefry/Michigan Center Jr./Sr. High School
Nominations for 2017 are now being accepted atJacksonMagazine.com. To be eligible, a teacher must teach K-12 in a Jackson County school and have at least five years of experience. The nomination deadline is Oct. 28, 2016; the five teachers will be honored in May 2017.
JTV will have video highlights on Thursday’s Bart Hawley Show.