December Teacher of the MonthIn cooperation with the Mayor's office and City Council, the Rotary Club of Okla. City recognizes an outstanding teacher in our community.
Lauren Querbach has been a first grade teacher at Wiley Post Elementary School for 2 years, and in the classroom for 8 years, one of which was in Thailand. She graduated from OU and volunteered as a reading tutor while there.
Lauren believes in student-led project based teaching and creates an equitable and joyful classroom for her students that centers on their lives, interests and experiences. Lauren’s practice of meeting each child where they are led her to assist the administration in creating and implementing a multi-grade skill based reading program for kids in her school.
She loves reading, cooking, and spending time with her partner, Joe and their dog, Zoey exploring the world when she is not in the classroom.
November Teacher of the Month
LeOndra Doakes has been an English teacher at Millwood Arts Academy for two and a half years. She believes one of her greatest accomplishments in her teaching career is the relationship she has been able to build with her students. She is a member of the Safe Schools Community and Leadership team at Millwood Arts Academy and is proud of her ability to create a safe and welcoming environment for her students.
In her spare time, LeOndra volunteers on a committee whose focus is to feed the homeless, and she serves in various capacities as a minister at Holy Temple Baptist church.
October Teacher of the MonthLena Walker has been a Math teacher at KIPP OKC College Prep, teaching algebra and pre-algebra to 7th and 8th graders for the past 16 years and has been a teacher for 31 years. She has remained in the classroom even though she has been recruited and asked to leave the classroom for leadership roles; Lena stays because her passion is in the classroom and seeing the growth of her students is the best reward or gift a person can receive.
Lena’s recognition for her teaching skills working with some of Oklahoma City’s most challenged students include twice being voted KIPP Reach Teacher of the Year and joining a select group of teachers to receive the Harriett Ball Excellence in Teaching Award, the highest honor a teacher in the KIPP Charter School National network of 200 plus schools can achieve for their work in the classroom.
Lena’s recognition for her teaching skills working with some of Oklahoma City’s most challenged students include twice being voted KIPP Reach Teacher of the Year and joining a select group of teachers to receive the Harriett Ball Excellence in Teaching Award, the highest honor a teacher in the KIPP Charter School National network of 200 plus schools can achieve for their work in the classroom.
Her teaching style is based on kinesthetic learning where students engage in the learning process through the use of movement, testing, trial and error and a non-traditional learning environment to help them retain and recall information; this teaching style has allowed her students to consistently score in the top percentile of the NWEA MAP Growth assessment.
Lena is active in her community and her church—she serves as a children’s Sunday school teacher and vacation bible school coordinator, and her personal pride is being a 200 plus blood platelet donor with the Oklahoma Blood Institute.