(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- Billie Travis, a mathematics teacher at Scott County's Georgetown Middle School, has been named the 2005 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.
The announcement was made today at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort by the Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc. Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Secretary of Education Virginia Fox, Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit and Ashland Chairman and CEO Jim O'Brien were on hand to make the presentation.
Penny Roberts, a curriculum specialist and resource teacher at Muhlenberg County's Greenville Elementary, was named the 2005 Elementary School Teacher of the Year, while Debbie Fowler, an English teacher at Hart County High, was named the 2005 High School Teacher of the Year.
The three join 17 other teachers from across the state honored with 2005 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards. Roberts and Fowler received $3,000 each and a customized art-glass vase from Ashland Inc., while Travis received $10,000 and a customized art-glass bowl. In addition, the Department of Education will provide a sabbatical or suitable alternative to Travis, who also will represent the state in the 2005 National Teacher of the Year competition. The remaining 17 winners each received $500 cash awards. All 20 teachers received framed certificates and were honored at a luncheon following the ceremony.
Travis has 24 years' teaching experience, with 19 in her current position. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Morehead State University and a master's degree in elementary education from Georgetown College and has completed 30 additional credit hours at Georgetown College. Her professional memberships include the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Middle School Association, and the Kentucky Middle School Association. Travis also is a regional board director for the Kentucky Middle School Association. She has been named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers and is a past recipient of the Ashland Inc. Golden Apple Achievement Award.
Roberts has 18 years' teaching experience, with two in her current position. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and an endorsement in elementary music education from Western Kentucky University. She also has a master of arts in elementary school counseling, as well as 15 additional hours of music education. She is a member of the Kentucky Education Association, the Muhlenberg County Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics, where she was primary vice president for two years. She is a M.E.S.A. award winner and a member of the Western Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics, where she has held a number of elected positions.
Fowler has 10 years' teaching experience, with four at her current position. She graduated from Campbellsville College with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She also holds an associate's degree in bank management from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor's degree in middle-grades education, with an emphasis in English and social studies, from Western Kentucky University. She completed her work at Western toward a master's degree in middle grades education with an emphasis in English and social studies. She is a member of the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English and the National Council of Teachers of English. Fowler also is a member of Hart County High School's school-based decision-making council. She was named Hart County High School Teacher of the Year in 2004 and received the Campbellsville University Distinguished High School Educator award in 2004.
This is the fourth year that Ashland Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education have sponsored the Kentucky Teacher Awards. Applications for the program were distributed across the state, and the first tier of the selection process was completed in early August, with 20 teachers selected as 2005 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Award winners. Nine top scorers — three each from the elementary, middle school and high school levels — were selected, and teams of educators visited their classrooms to view them at work and to conduct personal interviews. From those nine, three were selected as 2005 Kentucky Teachers of the Year. The overall Kentucky Teacher of the Year then was selected based on a compilation of scores from all phases of the judging.
Since 1988, Ashland Inc. has recognized outstanding Kentucky teachers
through its Teacher Achievement Awards Program, awarding nearly $475,000 to some
220 teachers of grades K through 12.
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