3/18/03

TEXAS TECH STUDENTS MAKING BIG NEWS IN GERMANY THIS WEEK

Texas Tech Students are currently making BIG NEWS in Germany during spring break. Here below you will find the main details of the media coverage Dr. Meredith McClain has scheduled to happen in Dallas upon their return, Saturday, March 22.

The celebration of their return will continue into the week of March 24 28.. The German Consul General from the Houston Consulate, Mr. Heiner Model, arrives in Lubbock, Wednesday, March 26, in time for an 8:00pm concert by two German artists in the International Cultural Center. Then on Thursday, March 27, Mr. Model will recognize the returning Tech students and their private sponsors at his lecture (5:00-6:00 in the Qualia Room of the Foreign Language Building): "German-American Relations--A Diplomat's Perspective." The Public is invited to both the Wednesday evening concert and the Thursday afternoon lecture.

For more information call:
Meredith McClain, Ph.D.
Faculty sponsor of the Spring Break Germany Relief Project
(806) 744-6033 / 742-3286

Status report on planned press conference from Mrs. Werner, Director, the Texas Chapter of the American Council on Germany, in Dallas and following copy of our Press Release for Dallas Morning News plus in coming news of the German honors to be bestowed on the Tech students in the next days:

“I have received approval from the city of Dallas to hold press conference at Love Field at 5:00 p.m. next Saturday to welcome back the returning students. Students land at DFW at 2:00 p.m. direct from Dresden and they depart Love Field at 6:50 pm. Shuttle service will bring them to Love Field. I chose 5:00 to allow for late planes but still give plenty of to talk to them.

I have coordinated with Southwest Airlines so they know what is happening.

Location will be in main lobby of airport in front of statue. We can arrange for chairs and podium. A meeting is set up with the city next Tuesday at 1:00. I have called Kathy von Brauchitsch and will ask her if she can attend the meeting, since she has volunteered to help.

I have prepared press release, which is attached. I will start distribution on Monday but can use all the help I can get. Please forward it to any of your sources.

We need Webmaster Joe to be there to take photos if possible for the website. Shall I send press release to all our members?

Thanks for your help,
P. Jay
__________________________________________________________
PRESS RELEASE FOR DALLAS MEDIA:
STUDENT FLOOD RELIEF VOLUNTEERS WELCOMED HOME

Sixteen members of the German Club at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, led by Club President Karla Sutton, volunteered to spend their spring break in a village near Dresden, Germany helping to clean up from the terrible flood that struck that area last fall. Sponsored in part by the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, the students were greeted by the residents of Bad Schandau, where 90% of the homes had been damaged.

The students flew to Germany on March 13th and will return home on March 22nd. The President of the Dallas Goethe Center, Dr. Tillmann Hein, and the Director of the Texas Chapter of the American Council on Germany, Ms. P. Jay Werner, will welcome the students at Love Field at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday,March 22. You are invited to join us.
For more information, call P. Jay Werner at 972-966-8688.
______________________________________________________________________________
Updates on German honors for Tech students:
Email from James Griffin, Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, Berlin:
03/06/03
Dear Meredith,

Thanks for your email. I talked to Chris Eichhorn at the German Embassy in Washington the other day, who had many good things to say about you. I worked with him for two years at the Embassy before coming to Berlin to work for the foundation.

Regarding the German Club: the response to the visit of the students has been tremendous. Not only will they meet with the mayor of Bad Schandau, but I have been able to convince the US Consulate in Leipzig and the Saechsische Staatskanzlei in Dresden to host a press conference and reception for them in Dresden, with many representatives from the German-American community in the Dresden area. There have been so many people who want to do things with the students that it has been difficult squeezing everything in, without packing the group's schedule.

Unfortunatley, the Staatskanzlei has not yet worked out on which day this reception will be (they are trying to get the Governor or a Minister to attend), which is holding up my planning for the the rest of program, including a visit to the Museum in Radebeul - and the students get here in a week. I therefore cannot guarantee you for sure right now that I will be able to fit that into the program. At the very least, however, we definitely be sure that Mr. Wagner makes it to the reception. I will keep you posted as things develop.

Sincerely,
James Griffin, Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, Berlin
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03/14/03 Report from Mr. Tillmann Hein, President, Dallas Goethe Center

“Meanwhile, I have heard from Georg Milbradt's Chief of Staff. On Monday the Lubbock 16 will be received (in Dresden) at the Staatskanzlei(State Building) where they will be awarded the "Fluthelfer-Orden" (Medal of honor for Flood Assistance).
Milbradt will be in touch with me personally later.

October 7, 2002

Fort Bend and Lewisville educators named Texas Teachers of the Year

AUSTIN A German and world history teacher from the Fort Bend Independent School District and a second-grade teacher from Lewisville ISD have been named the Texas Teachers of the Year for 2003, Commissioner of Education Felipe Alanis announced today.

Denise Tanner, a teacher at Hightower High School, is the Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. Brenda McCuin, a teacher at Castle Hills Elementary School, is the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. The two were chosen from a field of six finalists who were interviewed Saturday in Austin by a panel of judges. The panel was chaired by State Board of Education member Cynthia Thornton (District 10, Round Top).

"Narrowing the field to just one elementary and one secondary teacher was extremely difficult", said Thornton. "Each of the finalists was an exceptionally qualified, gifted and dedicated educator. They all impressed us as having sincere concern for the academic successes of their students, and they understood the importance of community and parental support in the educational process. In the end, the panel selected Mrs. McCuin and Ms. Tanner because of their commitment to teaching and their fresh, innovative ideas for helping all students excel in the classroom."

In addition to being named Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year, Tanner also was selected to be Texas nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Award. The outcome of the national program will be decided in April, and each candidate will get to visit with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush during a special event held in honor of the announcement of the National Teacher of the Year in Washington, D.C.

"The privilege of announcing the Texas Teachers of the Year is one of the highlights of being the commissioner of education", Alanis said. "Educators like Mrs. McCuin and Ms. Tanner are wonderful examples of the human spirit who instill an intellectual curiosity in the students whose lives they touch. Mrs. McCuin and Ms. Tanner are personal inspirations to me. I commend them both for the compassionate and enthusiastic service they bring to their classrooms and the marked difference they have made in the lives of so many children. Mrs. McCuin and Ms. Tanner are representative of thousands of first-class Texas educators whose hard work and dedication make a tremendous difference in this state, and they have my profound appreciation."

The 2003 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year - Brenda McCuin said she couldn't remember the time or day that she had decided to become a teacher. She had "just always wanted to teach." This 36-year teaching veteran believes that a teacher makes a difference through compassion and a genuine caring for students. "You must be in touch with their hearts as well as their minds," she said. Throughout her career, McCuin has educated students with varying abilities, students whose own personal triumphs and struggles inspired her to help them be all they could be. "Teachers impact lives,by taking the time to thoroughly know their students," she said. “Teaching is a circle that keeps completing itself. As I lift my students to their own possibilities, I am in turn lifted and renewed.� McCuin received her Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and her Master of Arts in elementary education from the University of Alabama. She began her more than three decades of teaching in Alabama in 1965; since that time, she has also taught in elementary schools located in Missouri and Oklahoma. Her first Texas teaching assignment came during the 2000-2001 school year, when she joined the staff of Indian Creek Elementary in Lewisville ISD. Although McCuin now teaches at Castle Hills Elementary, it was Indian Creek Elementary that awarded her its Teacher of the Year honor and launched her on her journey to becoming the 2003 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year.

The 2003 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year - Denise Tanner had always wanted to become a teacher, but she did not receive the encouragement for which she had yearned until the 11th grade. "My English teacher was from England," Tanner recalled, "had lived in Greece for 10 years, spoke fluent Greek and…more importantly to me, had graduated eighth in her high school class. She showed me that one could have an interesting and varied life, be extremely intelligent, and therefore make an exemplary teacher." Now Tanner understands that "following your heart and realizing your dreams are more important than taking the path others expect you to follow." A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Tanner has been teaching German for four years. "My students even know that I speak German to my parakeet," she said. "I begin each school year by telling my students that I do not know everything, but that I can guide them through the material because I know how to learn. I believe this openness shows my students that learning can continue outside of the classroom and past the 12th grade." Citing uniqueness of expression as the "hallmark of our younger society," Tanner said her goal as a teacher is to reach out to the students "who seem to be slipping away" due to social ostracism or disinterest in school. “In an attempt to make every student successful, we (educators) have lost sight of the two most important facts of all: each person is different and there are many types of success; It is the feeling of success which feeds productivity and satisfaction, not some predetermined, universal standard."

As the Texas Teachers of the Year, McCuin and Tanner will each receive a $5,000 cash award. The four finalists are awarded $1,000, and the remaining 34 Regional Teachers of the Year will each receive $500. The cash prizes and other awards will be presented to the teachers at an awards ceremony and luncheon on Nov. 9, at the Austin Marriott at the Capitol Hotel.

Additional finalists for Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year were guidance counselor Veronica Ball of Northside ISD and fourth-grade teacher Adrian Correa of San Benito Consolidated ISD.

The finalists for Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year were seventh- grade science teacher Jannette "Jan" Johnson of Longview ISD and ninth-grade science teacher Tracy Pippins of San Angelo ISD.

The Texas Teacher of the Year Selection Committee included Amy Buller, State Board for Educator Certification; Don Gibson, Texas Association of School Administrators; Mary Beth King, Texas Association of School Boards; Nelda Duke, Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers (Texas PTA); Galen Hoffstadt, Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association; Archie McAfee, Texas Association of Secondary School Principals; Katherine Cernosek, Texas School Public Relations Association; Marta E. Galindo, the 2002 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year; and Barbara Dorff, the 2002 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year.