Pictured from left, are Kristi Brown, Northgate Crossing Elementary School principal, Ladell Whitfield, Northgate Crossing Elementary teacher and HAABSE Teacher of the Year, and Dr. Rodney Watson, Spring ISD Superintendent of Schools.HOUSTON – Feb. 7, 2019 – Nearly two dozen Spring ISD elementary, middle and high school teachers were honored Wednesday by the Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) during its Outstanding Teacher Awards and Recognition Ceremony, held at the Bayou City Event Center in Houston.
All of the teachers representing Spring ISD were recognized as HAABSE Campus Teachers of the Year during a special awards banquet and ceremony celebrating the work of educators across the region.
“We appreciate HAABSE for honoring our teachers and all the educators in the Houston area who work so hard on behalf of our students and our community,” said Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Rodney E. Watson. “Our teachers are talented and committed and it’s wonderful that they are getting this special recognition. We are all very proud of them.”
During the ceremony Ladell Whitfield, Northgate Crossing Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, received special recognition when it was announced that she had been selected as the HAABSE Elementary Teacher of the Year. Last May, Whitfield was named Spring ISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. See video.
Whitfield attributes her success in the classroom to teaching more life lessons and creating awareness of both herself and her students as individuals in a variety of ways, such as shaking hands at the classroom door, sharing stories about her life, and making things “super-interesting.”
“I have to create that buy-in,” Whitfield said. “Once you create that buy-in, they’ll do as much as possible to make sure they are meeting your expectations,” Whitfield said. “I just want them to know that they are valued.”
Whitfield will go on to represent the district and HAABSE at the Texas Association of Black School Educators.
The group of 22 honorees from Spring ISD represented a cross-section of the district’s elementary, middle and high school campuses:
- Alivia Hardges-Greene – Twin Creeks Middle School
- Marie Lewis – Marshall Elementary School
- Shawntae Means – Claughton Middle School
- Linda Olisa – Dueitt Middle School
- Laura Scott – Smith Elementary School
- ShaQwasha Barnes – Heritage Elementary School
- Dannella Bishop – Major Elementary School
- Yvette Chapman – Ponderosa Elementary School
- Brittany Christmas – Hirsch Elementary School
- Arianna Esters-Daniels – Reynolds Elementary School
- Criselda Herrera – Bammel Elementary School
- Martina Penn-Thomas – Link Elementary School
- Jo’NeQui’A Powers – Roberson Middle School
- Grace Preston-Jackson – Burchett Elementary School
- Georgina Taylor – Meyer Elementary School
- Annette Terry – Beneke Elementary School
- Renisha Wiley – Spring Early College Academy
- Johnny Williams – Wells Middle School
- Carol Wyatt – Bammel Middle School
- Eugene Collins – McNabb Elementary School
- Vicki Hawkins – Lewis Elementary School
- Ladell Whitfield – Northgate Crossing Elementary
The annual event, now in its 32nd year, was established to recognize the commitment and contributions of area educators and to give members of the regional community an opportunity to celebrate the work done by teachers in the classroom.