Jackson educator honored
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

JACKSON - An administrator at the Switlik School has recently been recognized as one of the nation's most innovative educators in the 2006 ING Unsung Heroes awards program.

Elaine Simpson, the new assistant principal at Switlik, was one of 100 winners who received a $2,000 award to help fund her innovative idea and bring it to life in the classroom. She will now compete with other winners for one of the top three prizes, an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000.

"I am very excited to share this initiative with the teachers and children of the Switlik School," Simpson said. "This unique project will allow the children to honor a special woman in their life by interviewing them and then telling their story to celebrate Women's History Month (in March)."

Simpson said that as a history teacher, she has found that students enjoy the activities embedded in the project and that they found academic success because the topic was relevant to them.

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Gialanella said he was pleased that Simpson's initiative and creativity were being rewarded in this way.

"This is a very creative approach to recognizing Women's History Month that will really engage our students through various curricular approaches," Gialanella said. "This kind of inventiveness is an important part of creating a superior education program and I'm so glad that Mrs. Simpson is receiving this kind of recognition for this idea."

The ING Unsung Heroes award program recognizes grade K-12 educators nationwide for their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects and ability to make a positive influence on the children they teach.

Since handing out the first award in 1996, the program has awarded more than $2.5 million to more than 1,000 educators across the United States.

The 2006 ING Unsung Heroes winners were selected from a group of more than 1,100 applicants.

"Mrs. Simpson's innovative idea, the 'Rally for Her Stories' program, takes heed of the request of former First Lady Abigail Adams to remember the ladies," said Jemia Kinsey, of BLH Consulting, speaking on behalf of ING.

The program will launch at the Crawford-Rodriguez, Holman, Elms, Switlik, Johnson and Rosenauer elementary schools during Women's History Month with a series of activities designed to raise awareness of the varied roles of women, garner appreciation of the diverse backgrounds of women in the community, and integrate language arts and career development.

Each student will conduct an interview and write a biography on an important woman in his or her life.

In addition, the children will read plays, watch films, discuss the suffrage movement and create video presentations based on researching notable women in history. The videos will be broadcast to the schools via closed circuit networks.

Other elements of the program involve students designing and selling buttons that promote the celebration of gender with proceeds benefiting a local women's shelter, and a "Bring Your Mom to School Day" to hear successful stories to encourage their personal success and empowerment.

"ING is proud to honor educators like Elaine Simpson as they strive to make a difference in the lives of America's school children," said Bill Jasien, senior vice president of ING U.S. Financial Services. "Our company is committed to education, and at the heart of it are teachers who work tirelessly and go above and beyond in their dedication to our youth."

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries.