The John and Mary O’Brien Foundation is proud to announce it’s 1999 Grant Awards. The foundation is awarding grants to ten teaches. This year’s recipients are an impressive group dedicated to lifelong learning. The foundation wishes the whole community could recognize the way in which these teachers foster an environment that encourages excellence in the classroom.

Genie Burkhalter has been with CISD for six years and is currently teaching sixth grade reading at Westover Park Intermediate School. Ms. Burkhalter will be touring Ireland, England and Scotland. She will be studying the regional history and touring the countryside to bring these first hand experiences back to share with her students.

Robynn Falcinelli is a Reading Renaissance teacher at Puckett Elementary, always striving to find better techniques for children to learn to love reading. Ms. Falcinelli will be traveling to New Zealand to observe their very successful literacy program.

Rose Flieger is in her twelfth year at Mesa Verde Elementary. She is a second grade teacher who works with the gifted and talented. Ms. Fliegar will attend Confratute at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, to help her work with and educate her gifted and talented students.

Meg Hendrick has been the Library Media Specialist at Bonham Middle School for five years. She teaches library, technology and media skills to the students. Ms. Hendrick will be taking a study trip to England for more extensive training enabling her to upgrade school technology and better serve her students.

Kathryn Keith is a Special Education teacher and has been at Mesa Verde Elementary for eight years. She considers it an honor to work with these children and believes there to be a great need for bilingual education for her children. Ms. Keith will travel to Mexico to tour historic sights and to study the Mexican culture and heritage.

P. Timothy Mohler has been with Fannin Middle School for five years as a sixth grade social studies teacher. His hands-on approach has been effective in expanding his students’ exposure to ancient cultures and histories. He will be traveling to Egypt and Greece. While there, he will set up a pen-pal/e-mail program between his students and the students and teachers in the areas he visits.

Dalia Orta is a combination second-third grade teacher at Humphrey Highlands Elementary. She works as a translator and helped to establish a positive rapport with the bilingual parents there. Ms. Orta has been a valuable asset to her school and would like to improve on her written and spoken Spanish. She will attending the Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Pamela Ostrowski has been with Valleyview Junior High since 1984. She is an eight grade American History teacher and she feels that America’s past is crucial to understanding the future. Ms. Ostrowski will be attending the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in Virginia.

Jean Parker is a seventh grade social studies teacher at Travis Middle School. She specializes in HyperStudio, which is a multimedia program. Ms. Parker works with many at-risk students and involves them in student ownership projects that contain animations, videos and multimedia. Ms. Parker will be attending the Hyperstudio Conference and Workshops in San Diego, California.

Janet Payne is a fifth grade social studies and language arts teacher at  Paramount Terrace Elementary. Ms. Payne has been with Paramount Terrace since 1992 and won their teacher of the year award for the 1997-98 school year. She would like to improve her understanding of American colonial life and the Revolutionary War period. Ms. Payne will travel some of the major sights of early American history in Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

The O’Brien Foundation would like to applaud the commitment of these teachers for providing quality education to our children. The number of worthy applicants for this year’s grants is indicative of the quality of teaching in the Amarillo area.

The John & Mary O’Brien Foundation for Academic Excellence was founded in 1986 to help recognize and reward teachers who continuously devote extra effort in providing students a quality education and who maintain high professional standards. Anyone interested in further information may call Blake O’Brien, 372-3877.

P.O. Box 9618 Amarillo, TX 79105 * (806)372-3877*120  *  Email Us