SLPS CELEBRATES THREE TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
TEACHERS HAILED AS ROLE MODELS

(September 14, 2006)—Three teachers from the St. Louis Public Schools will be recognized as the top three Teachers of the Year for 2006. They were among 92 teachers who were honored in May for their outstanding work in the classroom. The teachers are Svetlana Nikic, Blow middle school teacher, Patricia Brown, McKinley Classical Junior Academy and Hollie Russell West, principal intern, the Lead program. They will be honored at a special reception at 6:15 p.m., Tuesday, September 19 at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, located at 1004 North Jefferson Ave. Teachers will also be acknowledged during the regularly scheduled board meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

The SLPS Teachers of the Year are as follows:

Svetlana Nikic competed in the state wide Missouri Teacher of the Year because her educational credentials are outstanding. She is a seven-year teacher and currently teaches computer technology at Blow Middle School.

She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanics from the Institute Polytechnic Traian Vuia in Timisoara, Romania. She earned her masters degree in Information Management from Washington University and is currently working on her PhD in technology education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She has taught on the college level in St. Louis and Zrenjanin, Serbia. Among her many professional organizational affiliations include membership in the Serbian Scholar Society and the Phi Theta Kappa Scholastic Society. She has received numerous awards including the grand prizewinner at the State Technology Exposition in Computer Application. Sveltanla views teaching as a direct link to a wider cultural world. Here is a memorable quote from her application that speaks about her fondness of this country. “When I stepped for the first time, on American soil, there was nothing for me to hold onto but a desire to succeed.”

Hollie Russell-West enjoys a reputation of being an exceptional educator. When Hollie was selected as Teacher of the Year, she taught special education students at Webster Middle School. She is a member of the New Leaders Program, an exciting program that trains successful teachers to become successful principals. Currently, she is assigned to Carnahan High School of the Future where Dr. Alice Roach serves as principal. Hollie is described as a go-getter and is viewed as a competent and caring educator. She has a bachelors of arts degree in communications from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She holds two masters degrees, one in Education Administration from Lindenwood University and masters in special education from Fontbonne University. She believes her calling to the teaching professional is directly related to her experiences as a student. At every level of education, she remembers special teachers who inspired her to work hard, dream big and persevere. She is an avid believer in taking new ideas, practices and philosophies and integrating them into her classroom instruction. She is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and is a 2005 “Shining Star” teacher award recipient.

Patricia J. Brown, is a technology teacher at McKinley Classical Junior Academy. Patricia received her bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems and Business Education from Tennessee State University. She received her master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She earned her gifted education certificate from Maryville University. She brings youth and energy to every task that she takes on. Ms. Brown considers herself as a role model and enjoys working on community projects that involves young people. She has worked for the Jubilee House of Social Services program and the Herman Turner Academy Summer program in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was also selected to participate in the St. Louis Regional Professional Development Center Teacher Academy. She believes in imparting knowledge to her students but is equally excited to help young people make healthy choices in their lives.

The following companies contributed gifts to our honorees:

St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Art Museum, Harris Stowe State University, Hamilton Jewelers, Humane Society of Missouri, Missouri Botanical Garden Andy’s Seasoning, Benees Incorporated, Sodexho, Mosaic Restaurant, Office Max, Clear Channel Radio, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Prairie Farms Dairy, Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund.