Jenkins Elementary Teacher Shelly Fine turns the keys on a brand new Ford Escape as Planet Ford General Manager Shawn Burns looks on after being named as the Spring ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year.
HOUSTON – May 12, 2017 – Excellence was in the spotlight during Spring ISD’s Employee Recognition Banquet at the Hilton Houston North ballroom on May 11. The opportunity to celebrate career achievements brought hundreds of Spring ISD staff members together as they recognized and honored their colleagues.
Syan Rhodes, KPRC Channel 2 News, served as master of ceremonies for the event that featured awards for upcoming retirees, campus and district selections for Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Rookie Teacher of the Year, and Staff Excellence Winners.
The highlight of the evening came on four wheels directly from the Planet Ford car dealership. Shawn Burns, Planet Ford general manager, awarded a brand new Ford vehicle to Shelly Fine, the Spring ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year, and a vacation cruise package to Jamie El-Aazami, the Spring ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Shelly Fine teaches a structured learning class at Jenkins Elementary, where she has worked for the last 20 years. She considers her partnerships with parents one of the most important elements of her classroom.
“That’s our chance to step in as a teacher and say that they may learn differently from their siblings and peers, but they are still going to learn, and we have lots of dreams to work on together,” said Fine.
Jamie El-Aazami teaches English at Spring High School where she coaches softball and serves as a Peer Assistance and Leadership sponsor. She makes sure her classroom is a high-energy engaging place for her students.
“You have to take advantage of every opportunity. You have to use every resource that you are given, and I want my students to live their lives and be good people and know the importance of education,” said El-Aazami.
Planet Ford General Manager Shawn Burns congratulated the ten teacher-of-the-year finalists, and said that the dedication of the group made the selection process a tough one. “There are so many wonderful possibilities … there is not a bad choice,” said Burns.
Planet Ford’s annual gift of a car and cruise to the two district teachers of the year and their annual $5,000 scholarship to Spring ISD students readily demonstrate the emphasis they place on community involvement.
Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Rodney Watson remarked that this successful partnership between Spring ISD and Planet Ford never fails to create a lot of excitement throughout the district.
“We are constantly working toward engaging our stakeholders in our community, and I know that I speak for all of Spring ISD when I say that we appreciate the generosity and continued support of Planet Ford,” said Watson.
Several community members stepped forward to sponsor the evening event. Planet Ford; Rogers, Morris & Grover LLP; InvesTex Credit Union; Thompson & Horton LLP and Humana all helped to make the evening memorable.