Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/54552
WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! Three AEA Members Named 2012 Rodel Exemplary Teachers The Rodel Foundation of Arizona announced the 25 finalists for the Rodel Exemplary Teacher award on November 8, 2011, including Flagstaff EA members Michelle Novelli and Laurie Jeffers and Chandler EA member Leticia Rodriguez-Davis. These teachers, represent- ing the best of the best, were selected for their outstanding student achievement in high-need schools. "We're pleased to be able to highlight another group of outstanding Arizona teach- ers," said Jackie Norton, Rodel Foundation of Arizona President and CEO. "But most impor- tantly, today's Rodel Exemplary Teachers will be able to share their secrets to success with the student teachers who will be leading tomor- row's classrooms." "The Rodel Exemplary Teachers understand the focus is on the achievement of their stu- dents," said Howard Paley, Rodel Foundation of Arizona Program Administrator. "They are able to balance this focus with genuine thoughtful- ness for each and every student in their class." The Rodel Exemplary Teacher Initiative hon- ors extraordinary teachers and asks that they each mentor six high-potential student teachers, one per semester. What sets the program apart from typical student teaching programs is that mentor teachers are selected based on their outstanding student achievement in high-need schools, their ability to mentor new teachers, and the recommendation of their principals and Michelle Novelli Laurie Jeffers Rodel's observation team. This ensures that student teachers are learning from the best. In addition, Rodel pro- vides further training and support to both mentors and student teachers to assure Promising Student Teacher Graduates start their careers as out- standing educators. The Rodel Foundation of Arizona's vision Leticia Rodriguez-Davis is for Arizona to have one of the best pre- kindergarten through grade 12 educational systems in the country by 2020. For more information on the Foundation's mission and initiatives, contact Rodel at 480-367-2920 or visit www.rodelaz.org. 2 AEA Member Named Top 50 Cyber Lobbyist Tucson EA member Kathryn Wilde was recently recognized by the NEA as one of its top 50 cyber lobbyists for 2011. Cyber lob- byists use NEA's and AEA's online legislative action centers to send email messages to their elected officials to have an impact on education policies. This year, NEA activists sent over 530,000 email messages to Congress. Wilde sent nearly 300 messages this year. These activists take con- siderable time out of their busy schedules to send hundreds of messages to their elected representa- tives on behalf of children and public education. The three states whose members sent the most messages to Congress through NEA's Legislative Action Center this year are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois. In ad- dition, the 19 states with activists appearing on the top 50 list include Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin. 2 AEA Advocate x Spring 2012 23