Distinguished Educator Awards

Information

The WNYNET Distinguished Educator Awards recognize English teachers and administrators in the Buffalo-Niagara region who have shown a commitment to the young people of our region through the meaningful teaching of English Language Arts in grades 7-12.

- The New and Early Career English Teacher Award is given to an educator that has taught 7-12 English for 1-5 years. Recipients of this award are developing as leaders in their departments and schools. They engage in meaningful, reflective practice within their classroom and work to connect teaching to their students’ lived experiences. They incorporate new technology and current research in the field to significantly enhance student engagement.

- The Experienced Teacher Award is given to an educator that has taught 7-12 English for 6-20 years. Recipients of this award demonstrate the same commitments as above while also assuming leadership roles in their districts and Western New York through the mentoring of new and pre-service teachers, their engagement in local, regional, and national professional networks (such as WNYNET, NYSEC, NCTE) and in other capacities that support and encourage meaningful teaching in our region.

- The Lifetime Achievement in English Teaching Sponsored by Just Buffalo Literary Center is given to an educator that has taught 7-12 English for over 20 years. Recipients of this award have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the meaningful teaching of English Language Arts throughout their careers. In addition to the above, these teachers have served as leaders in their communities, worked for many years as mentor teachers, and have continued to develop their understanding and advocacy for meaningful English teaching in our region, state, and country.

- The Administrative Leadership in Support of English Language Arts Award is given to building and district administrators who have supported the meaningful teaching of English Language Arts in their schools and/or districts.

Who can nominate an educator?

Anyone can nominate an educator. This includes colleagues, parents, administrators, pre-service teachers, educational professionals, or any member of the community.

Nominations will be reviewed by the Western New York English Teachers officers according to the standards set forth by the organization.

How does WNYNET define meaningful teaching in the English Language Arts classroom?

To define what constitutes meaningful English teaching, The Western New York Network of English teachers draws from standards set forth by the National Council of Teachers of English as well as leading researchers and teachers in the field of secondary English education.

While meaningful teaching can be described in many ways, the following characteristics may be helpful in determining potential award recipients. Teachers that may qualify for these awards are teachers who:

Honor the distinctive power of texts of all kinds, from the written word to compositions in multiple modes by recognizing their transformative power in the lives and learning of students.
Draw from authentic, research-based teaching practices
Create classroom spaces where students engage in powerful, agentive literacy work.
Honor the lived experiences of students through their selection of curricular materials, and composing opportunities.
Create classroom communities where students develop identities as readers, writers, and critical thinkers.
Respect students’ gender, sexual identity, home languages, and cultures through curricular choices, teaching methods, and learning activities.
Engage in multiple forms of literacy learning with their students, including work with the written word, visual arts, multimedia and digital compositions.
Engage in meaningful conversations around texts of all kinds.
Develop students’ critical literacy.
Create rich textual environments.
Commit to students literacy learning outside of the classroom through engagement in extracurricular work including, but not limited, school newspapers, literary magazines, yearbook production, theatrical productions and other activities.
Care deeply about students.
Are in constant pursuit of ways to improve their teaching and therefore, their students’ learning.
Serve as advocates for students and for their profession, recognizing the knowledge and power of members of the school community.
Meet additional criteria for meaningful 7-12 English teaching as set forth by local schools and districts in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

2024 Award Winners

Amy is a Buffalo State two-time alumni (secondary English 93 and MPS 98). She has been teaching in the Niagara Falls city school district since 1994. This is her 30th year of teaching. She has taught every grade at every level 9-12. She currently teaches grade 12 AP Language and Multicultural Education (through Niagara university ) and School for Society (through Buffalo State). She is English Department chair, adviser for yearbook and newspaper, school activities and climate coordinator, and 5 time class adviser. She loves teaching and is a little melancholy about being done in 2 years.

In the mid- 2000s she achieved National Board Certification. She says, "Teaching has been good to me!"

Kate Rapp earned her BA in English Textual Studies and English Education from Syracuse University and her MEd in Special Education from Boston College. She began her career as a special educator in Framingham, MA and has completed her 19th year at Amherst Central High School where she teaches 9th, 10th, and 12th grade English.

At Amherst, Kate serves as the ELA Curriculum Coordinator for grades 7-12 and has been a class advisor for many years. She is passionate about young adult literature and over the past decade, has worked to diversify her curriculum with modern titles to increase student engagement, help students make valuable personal connections, and represent the diverse student community that she feels so fortunate to teach. In the last year, Kate has incorporated an inquiry based approach to teaching and learning that focuses on identity and social justice in a student-centered classroom. She is excited about the growth and development of her students as critical thinkers and scholars.

Kate is also a proud mother of three boys and enjoys spending most of her free time with her husband at hockey rinks and baseball diamonds.

Lindsey Gallagher teaches 11th grade English at Wilson High School. Lindsey is always looking for new, creative ways to reach all student abilities through projects and activities that involve choice. She creates an environment for students to express themselves both individually and collaboratively through project-based inquiry learning, and creates meaningful opportunities for young people in her small, rural school to explore WNY for real-life learning experiences. One of her favorites is the annual Youth Voices Speaker Series at Buffalo State College, where she brought a group of students the past two years to present their own original work that is meaningful to them. She is an alumni of Buffalo State University English Education MS and MSED programs. Lindsey and her husband Patrick love exploring, and currently reside in Newfane, NY with their dog, cat, and 13 chickens.

Dr. Chris Thuman began his career as a K-8 teacher in Chicago Public Schools before relocating to Scottsdale, AZ in 2005. Dr. Thuman worked in the Scottsdale Unified Schools for 16 years in a variety of roles. First he was a High School Science Teacher and then an Assistant Director of Community Education Programs. After that he became an Executive Director for three years, MS Principal for four years before ending his time in Arizona as an Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education in 2022. Born and raised in Hamburg, Dr. Thuman and his family relocated back home in the summer of 2022 which is when he started his role as Principal at Frontier MS. Dr. Thuman lives with his wife Kristen and two daughters Brooklyn (8) and Rylie (6).