OFE News Release
2006 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Winners Announced
February 24, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence announced today the five winners of its Oklahoma Medal for Excellence awards honoring the state’s top educators and an outstanding alternative education program.
The state’s top academic prizes will be presented at the foundation’s 20th annual Academic Awards Banquet on May 20 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Tulsa. Each of the five winners will receive a $7,500 cash award, with an additional $1,000 cash award going to the schools of the winning teachers and administrator. The recipients also will receive glass “Roots and Wings” sculptures, created by Oklahoma artist Ron Roberts and produced by Jim Triffo of Oklahoma City. Medals are awarded annually to outstanding Oklahoma teachers, one each at the elementary, secondary, and college/university levels, and an administrator from the elementary or secondary level. An exemplary alternative education program also receives medallion honors.
This year’s recipients of the Medals for Excellence in Teaching are: Janet Jolly McKenzie, Kendall-Whittier Elementary School (elementary level), TULSA; Jan McClaren, Claremore High School (secondary), CLAREMORE; and J. Rufus Fears, University of Oklahoma, (college/university), NORMAN. The winner of the Medal for Excellence in Administration is Ronald M. Maxfield, principal of the Classen School of Advanced Studies in OKLAHOMA CITY. The Putnam City Academy in WARR ACRES will receive the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Alternative Education.
“We know that education is the best investment Oklahoma can make in its future,” said David L. Boren, founder and chairman of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in the state’s public schools. “By honoring these exceptional educators and education programs, we are sending a message that Oklahomans deeply value excellence in education and the professionals who have given so much of themselves to enrich the lives of our children.”
Janet Jolly McKenzie, a 27-year teaching veteran and kindergarten teacher at Kendall-Whittier Elementary School in TULSA, is the winner of the Medal for Excellence in Elementary Teaching. Parents and colleagues have praised McKenzie as their “hero” for her commitment to provide the best possible education for all children and for her dedication as one of Oklahoma’s most passionate early-childhood education advocates. Kendall-Whittier, which serves the needs of many ESL (English-as-a-second-language) children and families in poverty, is “the perfect home for Janet because of the place in her heart for helping to develop resiliency in children facing numerous challenges,” said colleague Pam Brooks. “Janet goes the extra mile by making home visits to meet her students’ families and bringing families into her classroom through volunteer opportunities and student-led conferences. McKenzie’s classroom is designed to maximize student involvement, self-directed learning, experimentation, cooperation, responsibility and success. “If children learn how to learn and how to work cooperatively with each other, then we have taught them some of the most important skills they will need for a happy, productive, responsible and successful life,” McKenzie said. McKenzie’s contributions to early childhood education reach far beyond the classroom, as she serves as president of the Oklahoma Early Childhood Educator’s Association, secretary of the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness and on the leadership committee of Success by Six.
Jan McClaren, winner of the Medal for Excellence in Secondary Teaching, teaches Advanced Placement European history, world history and gifted humanities at Claremore High School. Recently recognized by the Oklahoma Council for Social Studies as its Secondary Teacher of the Year, McClaren seeks to prepare students to become "statesmen of tomorrow" by providing stimulating lessons and opportunities for dynamic learning. It's not unusual to encounter McClaren "in character" impersonating such figures as Martin Luther or Mahatma Gandhi or to find her with students at the local veteran's center hearing first-person accounts of World War II. In addition to having a rich knowledge base, McClaren "develops projects that are unsurpassed by others in her field," said assistant superintendent Lynelle Burrows. Her students dress as Greek citizens to conduct the trial of Socrates or negotiate for peace as world leaders at the Congress of Vienna. They gather in makeshift caves to learn the characteristics of paleolithic peoples or study international folklore to share with children during the Storytelling Festival, an annual event initiated by McClaren. The nationally certified teacher also spends evenings and weekends helping students prepare for state and national competitions and hosts movie nights and breakfast clubs to reinforce concepts. "She always encourages debate and free thought," a former student said. "Her class makes the events of past centuries relevant to the present day."
The recipient of the Medal for Excellence in College/University Teaching is J. Rufus Fears, David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics and holder of the G.T. Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma. Among his numerous teaching honors, Fears was selected by students in 2005 as one of the most inspiring teachers at OU. Praising Fears for his engaging lecture skills, one former student wrote, “Each class was a seamless narrative ending in a plot cliffhanger that enticed students to anticipate the next class.” His recorded reflections on Greek and Roman history, Winston Churchill, the Great Books, and the history of freedom have been made available to the general public through The Teaching Company and inspired one listener to describe Fears as, “the Michael Jordon of history.” Professor Fears’ philosophy of education is founded in the Great Books that have shaped his life and which he shares with his students. “Socrates … believed it to be his mission as a teacher to educate his students for freedom to live as responsible individuals and citizens,” Fears said. OU alumnus Kyden Creekpaum described Fears as a professor of human nature, of leadership, and of how to live life with courage and moral compass. “Dr. Fears’ courses leave students with a decidedly future-oriented framework for analyzing their own lives, their own leadership abilities and the world around them.”
Earning this year's Medal for Excellence in Elementary/Secondary Administration is Ronald M. Maxfield, principal of Classen School of Advanced Studies in OKLAHOMA CITY. The renowned college preparatory school for sixth through 12th-graders offers two challenging plans of study: an International Baccalaureate Diploma that cultivates internationalism and respect for other cultures, and a nationally recognized visual and performing arts curriculum. “For a school like no other in terms of educational dynamics, Dr. Maxfield is the perfect principal,” said former student Munim Deen. Through his hands-on style of leadership and family-like connections with students, teachers and parents, Maxfield has helped lead the school to national recognition, Deen said. During his tenure as principal, Classen has been named a No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon School and was recently named one of the top 100 schools in America by Newsweek Magazine. Colleague Priscilla Allen said what distinguishes Maxfield from other administrators is his dedication to providing a family environment for all stakeholders. Maxfield encourages students to share their ideas and concerns through Student Listening Conferences. He has guided faculty through team-building activities that encourage collaboration and cohesiveness. “As the principal at Classen, I emphasize the concept that we are a family that honors and protects one another,” Maxwell said. “We are only as strong as our weakest member.”
The Putnam City Academy in WARR ACRES is the recipient of the Medal for Excellence in Alternative Education. Founded in 1990, the academy is committed to serving students in grades 9 through 12 who have not been successful in a traditional school setting and are at-risk of dropping out. Its mission is to build character, skills and resiliency to lead students toward success and prepare them to be good citizens. “Our students come with baggage that contains stumbling blocks to learning and succeeding in life, said teacher Donna Kirkevold. “We try to address all those issues in a safe, caring environment that sets the bar high for academic excellence.” The academy has been a model for many alternative schools in Oklahoma and was recently visited by a team of educators from Great Britain. Key components of the program include small class sizes, individualized instruction and graduation plans, reading and writing across curriculum, counseling programs, character education, service learning opportunities and a new emphasis on arts integration in all subject areas. A recent graduate describes Putnam City Academy as a “place where miracles happen.” “It has been more than a school to make up credits,” he said. “It has shown me that there are things to look forward to in life, that high school is just the beginning to all things great and wonderful.”
In addition to presenting the Medal for Excellence awards, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence will honor 100 of Oklahoma’s top public high school seniors as Academic All-Staters at its May 20 banquet. The Academic Awards Banquet is open to the public, with tickets priced at $40. The awards ceremony will be televised statewide by OETA, the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, at 8 p.m. May 27. For more information, call the Foundation for Excellence office at (405) 236-0006 or visit its web site at www.ofe.org.
Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide, non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation provides more than $190,000 in scholarships and cash awards annually to honor outstanding graduating seniors as Academic All-Staters and exceptional educators as Medal for Excellence winners. The foundation provides free technical support and training to local education foundations across the state and sponsors the annual Fall Forum for Local Education Foundations, held each October on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus.
Among its other initiatives, the Foundation for Excellence coordinates a program to send Oklahoma teachers to the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute each summer and provides scholarships for schools to receive Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips, bringing history to life in the classroom. The organization also administers school-year grants for teachers to attend national and regional conferences and has recently partnered with the national Fund for Teachers and the Tulsa Community Foundation to provide grants statewide for self-designed summer professional development opportunities. Recently, the foundation launched the David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative to promote the establishment and growth of school-based mentoring programs throughout Oklahoma.
CONTACT:
Brenda Wheelock,
OFE Communications Director
(405) 236-0006; e-mail bwheelock@ofe.org