Posted on 10/04/2017
Francis Howell School District teachers Gail Anderson and Karey Fitzpatrick join a select group of St. Louis area educators chosen to receive the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award. This award recognizes teachers for their passion for teaching, their impact on student learning, and their knowledge and creativity in the classroom. The recipients are chosen for their outstanding contributions to the teaching profession and to the students they teach.
Gail Anderson, a physical education teacher at Henderson Elementary, has been a member of the Francis Howell community for the past 26 years. While many teachers with that much tenure might be dreaming about retirement, Anderson is taking on new learning with the hope that she will be able to have a greater impact on her students’ health and fitness. Through her doctoral work, she is giving students more opportunities than ever before to attend physical education classes in a weekly rotation by restructuring the class schedule. Now over the course of one quarter, students attend PE 26 out of 40 days as opposed to 14 out of 40 days.
“Due to her creative problem-solving and outside the box thinking, she was able to work within the existing structure to make the curriculum and its implementation better for students,” said Henderson Principal Dr. Jennette Barker.
Anderson has also been instrumental in the school’s Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart programs. Under her guidance, Henderson students have outperformed other area schools. In addition, she has served as the District PLC leader for PE, supporting more than 20 job-alike colleagues and focusing on PLC best practices.
Karey Fitzpatrick has served Francis Howell High School as the choir teacher and director for the past 14 years. During her time at FHHS, she has grown the choir program and enrollment in her classes to new levels. Students in her classes are competing both locally and at the state level because of her instruction and involvement in their musical development. When walking into her classroom one can quickly see her infectious love of music and the excitement that resonates among her students.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t just focus on music; she also puts a strong emphasis on character and leadership development. This year, she has become an integral part of the Viking Leadership Academy that is focused on developing student leaders within the building.
“Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s commitment to developing the entire student has led to the positive growth of students both in and out of the classroom,” said FHHS Principal Dr. Dave Wedlock. “She not only promotes the arts, but also the development of well-rounded and successful contributing members of the school community.”
These two teachers are just a few of the hundreds of outstanding instructors in FHSD. This recognition from Emerson is just confirmation of what their students and fellow staff members have known all along.
The Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards program, sponsored by Emerson, annually recognizes more than 100 educators in the St. Louis metropolitan area – from kindergarten teachers to college professors – who are examples of excellence in their field.