Philip B. Swain Excellence in Teaching Award
Meet the 2008 Winners!
Catherine Brown, 10th-grade language arts teacher - Cleveland High School
Ms. Brown's imaginative and proactive approach helps all students reach their personal best. Her impact is exemplified in a rigorous and innovative “Museum of the Ancestors” unit that she taught a group of students who had failed to earn World History course credit on their first try. Ms. Brown challenged students to combine historical research, personal experience, and innovative technology to present skillful exhibitions to family, friends, and faculty. As the nominator said, “Watching these students…showcase their findings and adroitly field questions from the invited guests was testimony to Catherine’s extraordinary talent and determination to
push our students to reach their full potential.”
Photo Above: Philip's Swain's daughter Cynthia Swain Stafford, Catherine Brown, & Suzanne Erickson
Kathy Myers, 6th-grade math teacher - Madison Middle School
Ms. Myers encourages her students to see math everywhere in the world around them. Her disciplined style and her ability to make math come alive provide a framework for students to quickly build a solid base of math principles and skills. Ms. Myers gives students daily opportunities to share their learning with classmates and displays their ideas about math concepts on classroom walls. Through her support, students who previously had limited success in math feel more confident and perform better. Her passion for mathematics draws many recruits each year for the Math Olympiad competition. Ms. Myers is a remarkable steward of learning, and she creates classroom environments where, as her nominator noted, “students thrive emotionally, socially, culturally, and academically.”
Photo Above: Madison Middle School Principal Jill Hudson, Suzanne Erickson, Kathy Myers, and Cynthia Swain Stafford.
Joe Olegario, 6th-grade science teacher - Mercer Middle School
Mr. Olegario's science classes are truly living laboratories. Students explore a concept as they make predictions, document observations, and then draw evidence-based conclusions. Small group and classroom-based discussions provide opportunities for all students to share their ideas about a particular science concept. The provocative questions that Mr. Olegario asks push students to think critically as they take responsibility for their own learning. As the nominator observed, “Joe…structures his classroom so no student slips by without learning.”
Photo Above: Mercer Middle School Principal Andhra Lutz, Joe Olegario, and Suzanne Erickson.
About the Award
The Philip B. Swain Excellence in Teaching Award, created in 2000 by family and friends of Philip Swain, helps to recognize the efforts of secondary school classroom teachers in Seattle Public Schools, particularly those serving large numbers of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Each winner receives a $1,000 award.
Philip Swain was a passionate advocate for public education throughout his life. His commitment to public service included fourteen years as a member of the Seattle School Board, during which he helped guide the district through challenging times.
The Swain Excellence in Teaching Award honors teachers who powerfully impact students and who play exceptional roles as teacher-leaders among their peers. Representatives of the Alliance for Education, Seattle Public Schools, and the Swain Family select awardees based on the following criteria:
- Teachers in grades 6-12 who have taught at least 3 years
- Teachers must be employed in schools where the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 40% or higher
Teachers may be nominated by colleagues, principals, or other Seattle Public Schools administrators. We strongly encourage collaboratively developed nominations.
The nomination process for the 2008-2009 school year will begin in February 2009.
