8 minute read
Education
Top Educator, Griselda Rutherford-Strong, Wins ‘Life-Changing Teacher Award’
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Barnard Elementary School conducted promotional exercises in June for the fifth grade class at the end of what has been an eventful year. The hours-long ceremony included student reflections, videos, awards and pandemonium from excited parents and family members.
These moments of joy culminated in a surprise announcement that brought much of the fifth grade class to its feet: Griselda Rutherford-Strong, Barnard Elementary’s beloved, fifth-grade English and social studies teacher, won the Honored Schools’ Life-Changing Teacher Award along with a check for $5,000.
Students wrote letters and sent videos endorsing Rutherford-Strong, a teacher with 25 years of classroom experience, for what they described as her even-keeled nature and knack for making learning fun.
In reflecting on her latest achievement, Rutherford-Strong said she always strives to treat students like they’re her own children.
“It was important for the children to come back to a loving environment and a classroom that was conducive for learning,” Rutherford-Strong after the ceremony.
“Our students had to readjust to socializing [among] more people and coming back into an environment with restrictions and rules,” she said. “I was able to infuse my instruction [with games] in the beginning and make learning fun. My students had a chance to journey to places in my lesson that made it fun and engaging.”
Rutherford-Strong, in her seventh year at Barnard Elementary, serves as the leader of the fifth-grade instructional team. In her role, she has suggested and implemented enrichment programming including mother-daughter teas, a pen pal writing project and an initiative through which students connect to local embassies.
In addition to teaching and interacting with fifth graders, Rutherford-Strong also handles Barnard Elementary’s social media account.
In the classroom, a significant part of Rutherford-Strong’s instruction this year involved holding students accountable and using the Oculus virtual reality game to help them “visit” places studied in class.
Grace Reid, principal of Barnard Elementary, described Rutherford-Strong’s passion as infectious.
“Ms. Rutherford is a totally committed teacher,” Reid said. “If there’s an activity [she finds appealing,] she brings it to Barnard. She’s always looking out for students and making sure they’re on task and their needs are met. She goes above and beyond to make sure [of that], no matter who they are.”
On Wednesday morning, Barnard Elementary community members also recognized and received checks in honor of Sharon McCrea and Antoinette Wortham, two veteran teachers who died earlier in the academic year.
In winning her award, Rutherford-Strong joins Patricia West, her colleague who received the Honored Schools award last school year while teaching at Whittier Elementary School in Northwest. This year, Honored Schools partnered with nine District public schools and eight schools in Indianapolis. In the District, hundreds of teachers received student and community member nominations. Rutherford-Strong and other Barnard Elementary teachers counted among the top-10 finalists. Students who spoke on their behalf submitted videos and letters that Honored Schools personnel digitized and compiled.
5 Griselda Rutherford-Strong, Barnard Elementary’s beloved, fifth-grade English and social studies teacher, won the Honored Schools’ Life-Changing Teacher Award along with a check for $5,000 on Wednesday, June 22, during fifth grade promotion activities. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
Kevin Beckford, Honored Schools’ senior director of programs, partnerships and strategy, said it’s paramount that Rutherford-Strong and other teachers receive recognition after a year that tested the resolve of teachers everywhere, and even, according to research conducted by the National Education Association, has some educators exploring other career opportunities.
“Teacher appreciation is at an alltime low,” Beckford said. “We have to celebrate teachers and create a culture. It’s making a difference because beyond pay, appreciation is a factor for teachers.” WI @SamPKCollins
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EDUCATION
District Teachers Bemoan Drawn Out Contract Negotiations
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
Though she didn’t provide specifics about a timeline, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) recently alluded to the makings of a finalized teachers’ contract she said will make the District more of an attractive place for educators.
However, those familiar with the ongoing negotiations said they see no end to a process that has gone on for three years. After an academic year during which class sizes exploded, schools experienced staffing shortages and teachers battled COVID, some educators have reached the limits of their frustration.
“This year was one of the most challenging [because] it was post-pandemic and you had to meet the same standards [from] before the pandemic,” said a third grade teacher who requested anonymity.
“We had to dig deeper into our tool box to [address] students’ learning loss. A contract gives a decent wage and opportunities to grow with benefits. Not having a contract for three years is disrespectful.”
This teacher counted among several dozens of District public school teachers who converged on Freedom Plaza in Northwest on Tuesday, June 28 in demand of a new contract that includes cost-ofliving wage increases, an expanded benefits package and a cap on classroom size.
The protest, which took place days after the school year ended, attracted District teachers and substitute teachers and Ward 7 State Board of Education Representative Eboni-Rose Thompson along with trade unions and leftist organizations that explored the teacher pay issue in a greater socioeconomic context.
After listening to speakers, cre-
5 Dozens of District public school teachers converged on Freedom Plaza in Northwest on Tuesday, June 28 in demand of a new contract that includes cost-of-living wage increases, an expanded benefits package and a cap on classroom size. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
ating signs and belting chants in the sweltering heat, teachers, many of whom wore red shirts, entered the John A. Wilson Building and poured into the D.C. Council chambers. This act of civil disobedience counted among the latest to take place near the Wilson Building since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday when substitute teachers picketed weekly for a similar cause.
In the years leading up to the
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WI Staff Report
Possibly by next year, construction could be completed to offer affordable housing at the New Carrollton Metro station.
A 291-unit residential development called The Margaux connects with a larger 2.3 million-squarefoot complex to include retail and offices near Metro’s new Maryland office.
“The Margaux is now an exciting part of Metro’s proud legacy of transit-oriented development, supporting the region’s economy and a safe, reliable public transit system for generations to come,” Metro interim general manager and CEO Andy Off said in a statement.
The project worked out thanks to a joint partnership between Urban Atlantic and Metro, also known as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Amazon provided low-rate financing through the company’s more than $2 billion Housing Equity Fund that proposes to offer 20,000 affordable homes nationwide.
Amazon has already committed $125 million to expedite construction of residential units near Metro stations throughout the D.C. area.
The units near New Carrollton Metro station are slated for those who make at or below 80% of the area median income. The Amazon program proposes to keep those rates in effect for at least 98 years.
One of the main goals will be to attract workers such as teachers, law enforcement and emergency personnel in need of affordable housing.
Besides the Metro station, New Carrollton serves as the D.C. region’s largest transportation hub with Metrobus, Amtrak and MARC trains and the county’s “TheBus” service.
New Carrollton will also serve as a future stop for the Purple Line light-rail project managed by the Maryland Department of Transportation.
“The private sector has an important role to play on the issue of housing affordability,” said Catherine Buell, director of Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund. “Through innovative solutions like our partnership with WMATA, we’re helping to bring people closer to more opportunities, services and a better quality of life.” WI
5 Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, fifth from right, joins county, Metro and other officials to break ground June 29 on The Margaux, a future 291-unit residential development in New Carrollton. (Photo courtesy Metro)
