ISEA's First Class Members

Dennis Fett, a K-12 music teacher at Boyer Valley, was a finalist in the recent Iowa's Got Talent contest. He performed a clarinet solo called Immer Kleiner (always smaller) while he gradually took his clarinet apart piece by piece, ending up playing only the mouthpiece.

	Randall Lowe

Randall Lowe of Hawkeye Community College has been awarded the title of Certified Master Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning Educator--the highest credential that can be conferred upon an HVACR educator.

Association member Evelyn Rock, lead math teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School, has been named the Council Bluffs Teacher of the Year.

Sheila Coyle, an art teacher at North Middle School, has been named the 2007 Sioux City Community School District Teacher of the Year.

Monticello High School business teacher Jennifer Lambert has been honored with the Heroes of the Tri-States Award presented by the American Red Cross of the Tri-States.

Two of ISEA member Jane Hanigan Kenney's ninth-grade students from Thomas Jefferson in Council Bluffs won first place honors in both categories of the statewide "Write Women Back into History" essay contest. They were introduced on the floors of the Iowa Senate and House before being honored at a luncheon by Lt. Gov. Patty Judge.

NEA President Reg Weaver has appointed ISEA Retired member Al Bode of Charles City to serve on the NEA New Products and Programs Department's Online Professional Development Programs Advisory Committee.

	Jan Olson

Sioux City educator and ISEA Executive Board member Jan Olson was selected to receive the Mildred Middleton Mentor Program Leader of the Year Award. ISEA President Linda Nelson presented the award at the recent Iowa Mentoring and Induction Institute held at the University of Northern Iowa.

Three ISEA members have received Student Achievement Grants from the NEA Foundation. Theodore Brightman of Weeks Middle School in Des Moines, will work to help students improve their writing skills through a project focused on community publishing. Marilyn Dysart and Linda Stephens of B.R. Miller Elementary School in Marshalltown will use their grant to increase reading comprehension and technology skills in language arts class and engage in a multidisciplinary study of robotics.

Joanie Heitzman, a school nurse and Association activist from Dubuque was appointed to represent ISEA as part of a project to help school districts develop pandemic influenza plans.

Shauna Firmature-Cihacek, a junior high school language arts teacher who is also president of the Council Bluffs Education Association is one of only 35 persons selected to attend the NEA Ethnic Leaders Meeting in Philadelphia this summer. She will represent the American Indian/Alaskan Native.

Two ISEA members from Muscatine were recently surprised with the news that they had won the prestigious Stanley Foundation Explorer Award. Kathy Haltmeyer, a high school special education teacher and member of the ISEA Executive Board; and Rachelle Schneider, a K-5 ESL teacher at Madison Elementary School, will receive an international study tour to a destination of their choice.

Jane Haugen, a fourth-grade teacher at Hoover Elementary School in Dubuque, has been elected to a two-year term as vice president-elementary for the Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

An English teacher at East High School in Des Moines, Angela Jackson has been named an Outstanding American Teacher by the National Honor Roll organization. She was nominated for the honor by a former student.

Two Association members from Bettendorf have been honored by the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Kathy Hayward of Norton Elementary School was named Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year, and Scott Lammers was selected as the Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

Rebecca Kobos, an elementary art teacher at Coralville, has been selected as Iowa's Outstanding Art Educator of the Year as well as Iowa's nominee for the Western Region Award. She was selected for her contributions and leadership in art education.

Long-time teacher and Association activist Galen Zumbach of Creston has been selected as Iowa's Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year. He received his $10,000 award during a surprise assembly at the Creston High School where he teaches agricultural science.

Jane Burleson, a retired teacher associate from Fort Dodge, was honored with the 2006 Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice from the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. She was cited for her years of advocacy and in recognition for her work as a member of the Fort Dodge City Council.

The Marion Independent School District has been honored with the Exemplary Music Program Award for 2006 by the Iowa Music Educators Association. Seven of the eight music teachers are ISEA members. They are Jamie Kelley, Dave Law, Chad Allard, Pam Schulz, Kim Specht, Amanda Freese, and Jenny Neymeyer.

Several ISEA members were among those recently inducted into the Iowa High School Press Association's Hall of Fame. They are Ann Visser, Pella; Jim Tredway, Des Moines; Don Haines, Cedar Rapids; Steven Lyle, Davenport; and Deb Buttleman-Malcolm, Davenport.

Julie Alexander, a preschool teacher with AEA 267 in Cedar Falls, has been named the winner of the 2006 Stephen Tsai Award for Excellence in Autism Education from the Autism Society of Iowa.

Beth Swantz, a fourth-grade teacher at Kalona, has been awarded a $5,000 Innovation Grant from the NEA Foundation. She and her teaching partner Phyllis Casper will implement a program designed to integrate technology into the classroom.

Cedar Rapids middle school teacher Rick Cushman has been named the 2006 Technology Educator of the Year by the Iowa Technology and Education Connection. The award is presented each year to an innovative classroom teacher who uses technology to improve instruction and student achievement.

Two of Jane Hanigan-Kinney's students at Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs, won first and third places among more than 1,000 Iowa students who submitted entries for the 22nd annual "Write Women Back Into History" essay contest sponsored by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. The three were honored at a special awards ceremony in March by Iowa Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson and they were also recognized in writing by the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate.

Mt. Pleasant teacher Patricia File was awarded a Fellowship by Horace Mann Insurance and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to study the life and legacy of our 16th president. Only 50 teachers nationwide were selected to take part in the five-day institute based on their resume, essay questions, and letters of recommendation.

	Alan Young

Des Moines Education Association President Alan Young has been elected to serve on the Advisory Council for the National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA). The group is charged with developing strategies on how to best address achievement gaps that exist in urban and largely minority school districts.

Patricia Dickman, a middle school language arts teacher at Midland, has been selected to participate in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. She will travel to Japan for three weeks in November to study the Japanese culture and educational system.