PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2021
Mansfield, Brock ISD Teachers Named Regional Teachers of the Year
(White Settlement, TX). A Mansfield ISD elementary teacher and a Brock ISD secondary teacher have been selected to represent the north-central Texas region in this year’s state Teacher of the Year competition. Hadley Brown, a first-grade teacher at Roberta Tipps STEAM Academy in Mansfield ISD, and Stephanie Peters-Harris, a special education teacher at Brock Junior High School in Brock ISD, were named the 2021 Region 11 Teachers of the Year during a special awards ceremony on August 5, 2021. The ceremony, hosted by the Education Service Center Region 11 and generously funded by the Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU), recognizes all of the teachers of the year from school districts in the north-central Texas region. The Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators, allows districts to submit one elementary and one secondary candidate to compete at the regional and state levels. Seventy-one teachers representing 39 school districts in Region 11, participated in this year’s competition.
District winners who competed for the regional award were required to submit their resumes describing their educational history and professional development. In addition, they were asked to write their own professional biography as well as five lengthy essays detailing:
- a defining lesson they have developed,
- a special project or initiative they have participated in that contributed to school culture,
- an example of how they ensure that education transcends the classroom,
- knowledge of major educational issues, and
- their message/platform should they be selected as the state teacher of the year.
The regional selection panel, comprised of teachers (including three past regional winners), assistant principals, and central office staff from school districts within Region 11, reviewed and scored all of the essays before selecting Brown and Harris as the regional winners. In addition to these two regional winners, ten teachers (five elementary and five secondaries) were recognized with a “best of category” essay award.
Hadley Brown
Hadley Brown is a first-grade inclusion teacher in Mansfield ISD. A product of the Mansfield school district, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to returning to Mansfield to teach elementary students, she taught first grade for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. It was during this first year of teaching that she became keenly aware of the importance of showing students that their voices matter, that they have value, and that they can be successful.
Brown uses her leadership skills to help drive multiple school committees, including the Multicultural, Sunshine, STEAM, and Reading committees. She has created and delivered professional development presentations and often develops and shares curriculum resources with her colleagues online. Brown is a member of the Bridging the Gap committee, which strives to identify high-leverage options for closing knowledge gaps that may exist among students. She is an advocate for women’s higher education opportunities, and she serves on the Scholar Awards committee of the Philanthropic Education Organization (PTO) for the district.
Brown’s mission is to enrich students’ lives, and she firmly believes that positive change starts with children. To that end, she initiated the Kindness Crew program, which strengthens her school’s community and culture by empowering students as learners and change-makers.
Stephanie Peters-Harris
Stephanie Peters-Harris is a junior high special education teacher in Brock ISD, a position she has held since 2009. Prior to that, she served as a special education teacher for 14 years in Mansfield ISD. She received an associate’s degree in education from Tarrant County Community College and a liberal arts degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Arlington. She also participated in the Tarleton Model for Accelerated Teacher Education program at Tarleton State University.
Harris’ colleagues recognize her for being a passionate, dedicated, student-centered educator who seeks to improve student growth and school culture while promoting community service. She has utilized her leadership skills to serve as the Student Council advisor at her campus for the past 11 years. Under her
guidance, her campus has been honored as a Texas Association of Student Councils sweepstakes school for ten years. In addition, her students were named a National Gold Council of Excellence for the past two years by the National Association of Secondary School Principals Student Leadership program.
Harris joins her students in earning awards, including being named the Texas Association of Student Councils District 3 Middle-Level Advisor of the Year and the state Middle-Level Advisor of the Year in 2016. She has described herself as a champion of students who holds an “unwavering belief in their endless possibilities.”
Brown and Harris will now compete at the state level for the Texas Teacher of the Year award. The Texas Association of School Administrators’ selection committee will meet to review the applications of the regional winners on August 14-16, 2021, and then name three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers as state semifinalists in the competition. These six semifinalists will then participate in an interview with the selection committee. The elementary and secondary state winners will be announced at the end of September.
The ten “best of category” essay award winners recognized at the ceremony are:
Defining Lesson/Unit
Elementary – Lynette Hollinger, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Secondary – Curry Goff, Lewisville ISD
Project/Initiative
Elementary – Lauren Hamilton, Krum ISD
Secondary – Shannon McCuistion, Denton ISD
Education Transcending the Classroom
Elementary – Crystal Kemper, Granbury ISD
Secondary – Jeanna Sutton, Argyle ISD
Education Issues
Elementary – Courtney Maxwell, Birdville ISD
Secondary – Mary Fuller, Alvarado ISD
State Teacher of the Year Platform
Elementary – Michelle McKinzie, Springtown ISD
Secondary – Sandra McCorkle, Keller ISD
For more information, contact:
Lori Burton, Chief Communications Officer
ESC Region 11
(817) 740-3690 or (817) 235-4809 (cell)
lburton@esc11.net
