Brenda Coston, a teacher assistant at D. F. Walker Elementary School has been named the District I Teacher Assistant of the Year as part of the North Carolina Association of Teacher Assistants district meeting held in Williamston on February 13, 2010. Coston was nominated by her peers competing with teacher assistants from 15 counties in the Northeast. Coston will advance to compete with other teacher assistants from across the state for the honor of State Teacher Assistant of the Year on February 27, 2010 in Greensboro, NC. The State winner will be announced in April.

 

“This is a prestigious honor,” said Allan Smith, Superintendent. “Mrs. Coston is a highly valuable member of the staff at D. F. Walker where she goes above and beyond every day to make sure our students receive the very best instructional services,” he added.

 

“Mrs. Coston is a dedicated worker who always places children first,” said Sheila Evans, Principal of D.F. Walker Elementary School.   “She leads third graders in learning basic technology skills, provides one-on-one and small group instruction in the classroom and is willing to go the extra mile for the children, staff, and school.”

 

“I am still on cloud 9,” said Coston as she described her feelings upon receiving the award. “It is an awesome experience and I know I will be competing with wonderful ladies from the other districts across the state. I thank God for the opportunity and Dr. Smith and Mrs. Evans and the entire Edenton-Chowan Schools family for their prayers and support, “she added. 

 

Coston has been employed as a teacher assistant with Edenton-Chowan Schools for 24 years.  In addition, Coston has also served as a bus driver for 23 of those 24 years. Coston is president of the District I Teacher Assistants Association and President of the Edenton-Chowan Band Parents Association.

Walnut Creek, CA, November 13, 2009 — Google ^tm has selected ECS Instructional Technologist Cindy Phthisic as an attendee at the next Google Teacher Academy, to be held at the Google offices in Washington, DC on December 9.

The Google Teacher Academy is a free professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's products and technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies and receive resources to share with colleagues. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local regions and beyond.

The Google Certified Teacher program was launched in 2006 with the first Academy held at Google headquarters in Mountain View. The program has since held several academies across the US, expanding the ranks of Google Certified Teachers. The Google Teacher Academy is produced by Google, in collaboration with CUE and WestEd, both educational non-profit organizations.