BY AMY SPENCE
Auburn School District public information officer

Kim Foss, Dale Johnson and Frank Medina are Auburn’s Teachers of the Year.

One elementary school teacher, one middle school teacher and one high school teacher were selected at the district level. Foss, Johnson and Medina will move on to the regional competition. One teacher from each region will move on to the state competition. The state winner will move on to the 2014 national competition.

The Auburn School District Board of Directors will recognize the 2012-13 Teachers of the Year at 7 p.m. Monday, June 10, in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building, 915 Fourth St. NE.

A look at the winners:

Kim Foss
Lea Hill Elementary School, fifth-grade teacher

Foss’s leadership and innovation produce academic gains for her students and professional growth among her colleagues.

“I am always finding new strategies to meet students’ different learning styles,” Foss said. “I want to be creative and innovative with how I teach.”

Foss’s fifth-graders cement multiplication facts, walk to read and even simulate the Revolutionary War.

For the past several years, Foss and fifth-grade teacher Mike Fettig have developed an innovative, team-based approach to teaching and learning. Capitalizing on their strengths and interests, Foss teaches social studies to her and Fettig’s students, and Fettig teaches science to both classes. As a result, Lea Hill’s MSP science scores have soared over the last two years.

Foss’s unusually creative, stimulating and engaging social studies lessons bring life to the history books. For instance, students map and diagram the original colonies in the Colonies and Constitution unit. They also pose as patriots, loyalists or undecided citizens as they simulate the events of the Revolutionary War.

“Some students are successful and end the war as a citizen in a free nation. Others find themselves imprisoned or even killed by the end of the simulation. They realize that the patriots faced real challenges as they fought against the most powerful nation of the time,” Foss said.

Foss and Fettig also co-created a real-time assessment system. Students use response clickers to answer questions during learning activities, which triggers real-time data and feedback for both students and teachers alike.

Outside of the regular school day, Foss provides free math tutoring three mornings a week before school. While some students focus on mastering multiplication skills, others receive help with weekly homework.

“All students are welcome,” Foss said. “The program allows our struggling students additional time to meet standard and move beyond it.”

Additionally, Foss has served as Lea Hill’s ASB advisor for 15 years. She leads students in fundraising activities such as Pennies for Patients and district-wide food drives. She also organizes family nights including Lego Night, Puzzles Night and drop-in gym. She is an active member of the Lea Hill PTA, Boy Scouts, and the Messiah Players.

In Foss’s 23 years at Lea Hill, she has impacted the lives of more than 700 students.

“I’ve learned that patience and flexibility are key to student success. Every day is a new adventure,” she said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Dale Johnson
Rainier Middle School and Auburn High School orchestra teacher

Johnson imparts music skills and knowledge to students across the district. His program also encourages students to work for the good of the whole, respect authority and lead by example.

“While my goal is to increase students’ skills and enthusiasm for music, I also am responsible for raising good citizens and responsible people,” Johnson said.

Johnson teaches orchestra to both schools. He also works with students from elementary schools in the district and currently conducts two Tacoma Youth Symphony Orchestras

Johnson prepares his delivery and instruction for his student-musicians, and evaluates all students to ensure the music they play is appropriate to their needs and levels.

“I select pieces that challenge all students to learn and grow,” he said. “Our orchestra programs nurture students to work with others to make the entire group better.”

Johnson’s most satisfying moments in education are the simple moments, such as witnessing a student close the gap or discover a newfound music appreciation.

Johnson’s music program was 1 of 35 in the nation to be named a GRAMMY Signature School in 2004-05 — his fourth GRAMMY award. He is a Public School String Teacher of the Year and Green River Music Region Teacher of the Year. He was recognized by the School Band & Orchestra Magazine as 1 of 50 teachers in the nation who make a difference, and he is a recipient of the John Binns Award from Friends of the Library at TCC.

In addition, Johnson was named Washington State Music Teacher of the Year in 2009 and was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame in 2012.

Johnson received music degrees from Brigham Young University and the University of Washington, where he studied conducting with Stanley Chapple and violin and viola with Donald McInnis. He has dedicated 19 years to the Auburn School District and has taught in the Seattle, Federal Way and Tacoma school districts.

He also served as music director of the Tacoma Community College Chamber Orchestra for 13 years. He is a member of the district music department, including the middle level music, Professional Learning Community, the Auburn School District music ad hoc committee and other regional collaborative of music educators.

Outside the school day, Johnson teaches music theory and runs a chamber music program as well as conducts the Tacoma Debut Orchestra and Tacoma Young Artists Orchestra. This spring he conducted student-musicians in Boston’s Symphony Hall.

“It’s intimidating and overwhelming to stand on the same stage and conduct as the greats like Tchaikovsky,” he said.

While the sound at Symphony Hall with some of the region’s best student-musicians will be outstanding, Johnson finds it just as exciting to be a part of a child’s first performance.

“The energy and brightness in their eyes is priceless,” he said.

Frank Medina
Auburn Riverside High School electronics teacher

Medina prepares students for competitive industry careers, apprenticeship programs and post-secondary education opportunities.

“It is a true joy to come to work and prepare students with the technical knowledge, employability skills, industry standards and competencies used in today’s workforce,” Medina said.

Medina teaches electronics, computer maintenance and Web publishing courses. Students bring theory to practice in the classroom. In electronics, students learn applied mathematics and circuit analysis in addition to soldering techniques. In computer maintenance, students build and repair PC systems, while students in web publishing use HTML code to create new web pages.

Students also prepare for industry-level certifications. This year six students have earned the International Society of Certified Electronics (ISCET) industry certification and seven more are preparing for the exam. Four students have earned CompTIA A+ industry certification, and one student recently earned industry W3Schools certification in HTML. Because the course curriculum covers what is on the exams, earning certification is the next logical step for many students.

“Being certified looks great on a resume, whether a student’s going straight into industry or college,” Medina said.

In addition, Medina advises the SkillsUSA club at Auburn Riverside. This year 28 students demonstrated mastery of technical and leadership skills valued in the workplace — from extemporaneous speaking to electronics technology — at the SkillsUSA Washington State Leadership & Skills Conference in April.

To date Auburn Riverside has 22 state champions and one national champion.

“Students have shared with me that because of SkillsUSA they stayed in school and ultimately graduated. Others shared that they have found their career path and are now either in a college, technical school, in the military or working in a technical field because of the program,” Medina said.

Medina is a member of the Washington Association for Skilled and Technical Sciences (WASTS) professional organization and is acting president of the Information Technology Cluster. He is a graduate of the Auburn Teacher Leadership Academy Cohort 2 and a member of the district improvement planning committee.

One of Medina’s career highlights has been collaborating with teachers across the district to increase student achievement.

“Together we have made remarkable strides in creating standards and aligning our frameworks, curriculum maps, and assessments,” he said. “It is an exciting time.”