• QuickNotes
    • Bulletin
    • TV
    • Press Releases
July 7, 2022
  • Montgomery County Public Schools
  • QuickNotes
  • Bulletin
  • TV
  • Press Releases

Two Being Honored as Rising Star Teachers of the Year

MCPS Bulletin Posted On April 12, 2016
0


0
Shares
  • Share On Facebook
  • Tweet It

Two teachers have been named Rising Star Teachers of the Year by the Marian Greenblatt Education Fund. This award honors teachers with less than five years of experience whose creativity and enthusiasm encourages students to stretch themselves and achieve more.

This year’s recipients are Samir Paul, computer science teacher at Montgomery Blair High School, and Kaila Wiggins, first grade teacher at Clopper Mill Elementary School.

Samir PaulPaul, a 2006 alumnus of the Math, Science and Computer Science Magnet Program at Blair, is in his fourth year of teaching and his second year teaching computer science at his alma mater. In the three courses he has taught—Computer Programming 1, Algorithms & Data Structures and Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science—he has gone beyond the resources provided to him and created project-based learning opportunities for students to code and to discover the power of computer science. He has a unique classroom management style which has proven effective—his students watch his prepared lectures at home and he spends his classroom time working on college-level problem sets. He has also added a plethora of programming experiences to his Algorithms & Data Structures course, including encryption, steganography, credit card validation techniques and DNA data extraction.

Samir Paul with kids

After Paul’s first year of teaching, Blair saw an immediate impact on student assessment data. The school’s AP computer science scores reached a five-year high. In 2004, Blair’s computer science students scored an average of 4.4 with 55 percent receiving the highest score of 5. In 2015, nearly 100 students scored an average of 4.8 with 84 percent receiving a top score of 5.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s from American University. He is the vice president of the school’s PTA, a position that had never previously been held by a teacher. He worked to modernize the website and developed a parent outreach database. He is also a member of the board of directors for the Blair Magnet Foundation and represented Blair at a White House Summit on computer science education.

Kaila WigginsWiggins is a first grade teacher and team leader at Clopper Mill, where she has taught since the 2013–2014 school year. She plans lessons that are creative, innovative and include strategies that support active listening, critical thinking and participation. Colleagues say she has a wonderful ability to motivate and engage students, is a conscientious planner and reflective educator.

She is committed to meeting the needs of all learners through differentiated practices. To that end, she is the grade level SIOP team leader. SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) is an approach to teaching English language learners that integrates language and content instruction. The role is critical as she helps team members include content and language objectives in all lessons; adapt content for all levels of language proficiency; and integrate meaningful activities for all students’ language production and application. Her efforts have been effective, as 79 percent of her students have met or exceeded the county reading benchmark during the 2014–2015 school year, and 78 percent have already met or exceeded the 2015–2016 Grade 1 reading benchmark.

Kaila Wiggins with kids

She is knowledgeable about effective instructional strategies and the latest educational trends that promote student success, among them Chromebooks, the Promethean Board and Google Classroom. She leads professional development sessions for her peers and serves as facilitator for the Imagine Learning after-school program, which helps level the playing field for all students through a variety of diverse measures. Wiggins provides intensive, job-embedded training in research-based best practices, rigor and classroom management. She also provides one-on-one support to teachers to access student data from the Imagine Learning program.

Paul and Wiggins will be honored at the annual Champions for Children celebration on May 3 at Wheaton High School. The event is hosted by MCPS and the Montgomery County Roundtable for Education (MCBRE).

 

0
Shares
  • Share On Facebook
  • Tweet It


Champions for ChildrenClopper Mill Elementary SchoolMontgomery Blair High SchoolRising Star Teachers of the Year


  • MCPS Bulletin

    Print the Current Issue of the Bulletin

  • Submit

    • General News Story Idea
    • Retirement Celebration
    • Shout Out
  • Staff Bulletin Current Issue

    • Mark Your Calendars: Back-to-School Fair Set for Aug....
      June 15, 2022
    • Celebrating Juneteenth
      June 15, 2022
    • Alternative to Biometric Health Screening Available
      June 15, 2022
    • Deadline for Submitting 2022 FSA Claims to Return to Pre-COVID...
      June 15, 2022
    • Statement on the Passing of Mr. Reginald Felton, Former...
      June 15, 2022
    • Virtual College Event for Students of Color Set for July...
      June 15, 2022
    • Winners Named in APASAAG Poster Contest, and other...
      June 15, 2022
    • In Case You Missed It …
      June 15, 2022
    • IRS Increases 2022 Mileage Reimbursement Rate to 62.5...
      June 15, 2022
    • Have You Accessed Wellbeats Yet?
      June 15, 2022
    • Montgomery College Scholarships Available to High School...
      June 15, 2022
    • Summer Reading Challenge Begins Today, June 15
      June 15, 2022
    • Montgomery County Education Partners to Launch READY...
      June 15, 2022


  • QuickNotes Languages

    • español (Spanish)
    • français (French)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • 中文 (Chinese)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • አማርኛ (Amharic)
    • English
    • Portuguese
  • Recent Posts

    • MCPS Moment - ACES reachHIRE Event at USG
    • Class of 1955 George Washington Carver High School & Junior College Dedication
    • MCPS Last Day of School 2022
  • Connect with MCPS


  • QuickNotes
  • Bulletin
  • TV
  • Press Releases
© Copyright Montgomery County Public Schools
Press enter/return to begin your search