Powerful Living
Congratulations, 2014 SKIE Award recipients!
Central Region - Vickie Kastl Santa Fe South High School, Oklahoma City
Photos by Anna Politano
Touchstone Energy Cooperatives awards innovative teaching
By Patti Rogers A
n Oklahoma City high school teacher whose teach- ing career spans nearly four decades is the winner of the
2013 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Supporting K20 Innovative Educators (SKIE) Award, which recognizes teach- ers who are effectively leveraging tech- nology to enhance student performance in the classroom.
“I’m thrilled, over-the-moon happy,”
said Vickie Kastl, an English III teacher at Santa Fe South High School. “It’s very rewarding, both personally and profes- sionally, to receive this type of recogni- tion for doing something I love.” The award was announced during the 17th annual K20 Innovative Learning Institute on Dec. 3 in Norman. Kastl was one of six regional winners from across the state who was up for the honor. As the statewide winner, Kastl received a $1,500 prize and a $2,500 technology grant for her school, both of which were made possible by Oklahoma’s Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives. She also received a $500 award for being se- lected as a regional winner. Touchstone Energy Cooperatives this year partnered with the University of Oklahoma’s K20 Center
and the
Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education to fund the annual awards program. According to Warren Langford, CEO of Cotton Electric Cooperative in Walters, Okla., and a member of the national Touchstone Energy board, the intent of the awards and grants is to acknowledge the strides Oklahoma teachers are taking to embrace technology and to elevate the voice of innovation in the classroom.
“Learning environments aren’t revolu- tionized by installing a few cool gadgets here and there,” Langford said. “Far more important is the educator’s role in employing today’s technologies to make material accessible and engaging. In a small way, this award recognizes those who are going the extra mile to ensure today’s youth are prepared to navigate in the digital world.” Kastl, a member of Oklahoma Electric
Cooperative, is actually in her second teaching career. She taught art and English in Yukon Public Schools for 33 years, retiring in 2008 to work in private business.
“I thought I wanted a job without bag-
gage, where I could go home at the end of the day and leave it, but it wasn’t my calling,” Kastl recalled.
She joined the faculty at Astec Charter High School for three years before trans- ferring to Santa Fe South where most students are primarily Spanish-speaking and from low-income homes. “For the fi rst four weeks, I didn’t think
I was going to make it,” Kastl said. “Until they heard my story, and learned that my parents and grandparents were immi- grants, I grew up on a farm and my par- ents pushed education to ensure a better life for me. And the connection was formed.”
After receiving the SKIE award, Kastl got further validation of the impact from her teaching. “Three girls walked up to me at differ- ent times and asked, ‘Do you remember me?’ Each was a former student who had gone on to become a teacher. When someone says, ‘I’m a teacher because you infl uenced me,’ you know you’ve done something right.”
Kastl has taught for 39 years, the last three as an English III teacher at Santa Fe South High School. She blends technology and authenticity in her classroom by using every- thing from Internet radio to simulated stock market trading as a way to bring literature to
life.
Northeast Region - Mary Hardesty Turkey Ford Elementary, Oklahoma City
Hardesty, who has taught for 26 years, mod- els lifelong learning for her students. She recently earned a master’s in Educational Technology and is using her knowledge to create projects that improve student achieve- ment as well as to develop a broad profes- sional network with teachers.
Northwest Region - Lori Mayden Newkirk High School, Newkirk
Teaching physical science is an adventure for Mayden and her students. She encourages the students to direct the discovery process. Their leadership in deciding what concepts the class will study keeps them engaged, and their explanations about their discoveries ensures they understand the study material.
Southeast Region - Tammy Parks Howe High School and Middle School, Howe
Parks, known as an innovator in technology integration, currently teaches high school broadcast journalism and middle school computer science classes. She also serves as the instructional technology facilitator for the district and is the school’s webmaster and social media moderator.
Southwest Region - Kent Hathaway Mustang Elementary School, Mustang
Hathaway shares his passion for art through a fun teaching style he terms “edutainment.” His students are using LCD drawing tablets in his “paperless drawing” classroom, and his efforts have resulted in school-wide projects that have been recognized by local news and the Science Museum of Oklahoma.
Tulsa Region - Greg James Oneta Ridge Middle School, Broken Arrow
A Special Education teacher, James’ instruc- tion includes innovation to successfully teach functional life skills that help prepare his students for independence. He simulates job scenarios in his curriculum and has the students use technology and digital devices to document their time “on-the-job.”
JANUARY 2014 5
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