Rigorous Selection Process Yields Outstanding Teachers from Public Schools Across Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN – Teach Plus-Indianapolis has accepted 30 Indianapolis-area teachers into its 2016 Teaching Policy Fellowship cohort. The Fellows began on Saturday, January 16th and will continue through May 2017. During the 16-month experience, Fellows will look to magnify the impact they have in their classrooms through personal interaction with education leaders, a challenging course of study in education policy, and an opportunity to advocate for policies that will better serve students and help retain excellent teachers. They began their training by developing their advocacy stories and hearing their first guest speaker, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.
“I am excited by the strength of the new Fellows in this cohort,” said Teach Plus-Indianapolis Director of Policy, Patrick McAlister. “Our Teacher Leaders come from diverse backgrounds and have a strong desire to make positive change in their classrooms, schools, and districts.”
The new Fellows come from a variety of public schools and districts in Indianapolis. Of the 30 educators, eleven teach in Indianapolis Public Schools, eleven teach in Township districts, six teach in charter schools, and two teach in turnaround schools. Many of the incoming teachers have been recognized for outstanding instruction by their respective schools and districts.
“The Teaching Policy Fellowship will be a tremendous opportunity to be a voice for teachers and students in Indianapolis,” said David McGuire, a teacher in Pike Township. “This is an important time in our city and this fellowship will provide us with the opportunity to impact educational policy in a positive way for years to come.”
The 2016 Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows are:
Jacqueline Aldridge of Maplewood Elementary in Wayne Township
Margaret Amarante of KIPP Indy
Jill Armington of Paramount School of Excellence
Shawnta Barnes of Wendell Phillips Elementary in IPS
Alissa Birch of Irvington Preparatory Academy
Shannon Brown of Manual High School
Mark Cassoday of George Fisher Elementary in IPS
Rebecca Christensen of Northview Middle School in Washington Township
Maddie Denton of Greenbriar Elementary in Washington Township
Christopher Elliott of TC Howe Community High School
Emily Flack of Clarence Farrington Elementary in IPS
Elizabeth Gans of Northview Middle School in Washington Township
Anna Handy of Raymond Park in Warren Township
Natalie Hines of Rousseau McClellan Elementary in IPS
Katheryn Kirchner of Harshman Magnet Middle School in IPS
Michael Lipphardt of Lighthouse College Prep
Ryan Little of Westlane Middle School in Washington Township
David McGuire of Pike Preparatory Academy in Pike Township
Rachel McWaters of Eastwood Middle School in Washington Township
Melissa Mullins Riverside Elementary in IPS
Kelsey Pison of Clarence Farrington Elementary in IPS
Charity Scott of North Central High School in Washington Township
Kirby Selle of Christel House Academy, South
Katharina Shepler of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary in IPS
Beth Sperry of James Russell Lowell Elementary in IPS
Nicole Szoko of Harshman Magnet Middle School in IPS
Hwa Tsu of North Central High School in Washington Township
ShaDe’ Watson of Tindley Collegiate Academy
Ashley Weselo of George W Julian Elementary in IPS
Andrea Woolery of Chapelwood Elementary in Wayne Township
About Teach Plus:
Teach Plus aims to empower excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Teach Plus runs three programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of improvements in policy and practice: Teaching Policy Fellowship, C2 Initiative, and T3 (Turnaround Teacher Teams) Initiative. The programs focus on demonstrably effective teachers who want to continue classroom teaching while also expanding their impact as leaders in their schools and in district, state, and national policy. Since its inception in August 2009, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 20,000 solutions-oriented teachers across the country.
Media Contact:
Patrick McAlister, 260-409-7225
pmcalister@teachplus.org
