Gwin, Bumpus, Spain Park teachers nominated for JSU Teacher Hall of Fame
The Hoover school system this month nominated teachers from Gwin Elementary, Bumpus Middle and Spain Park High for the Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame.
This year’s nominees from Hoover are: Traci Ingleright, an enrichment teacher from Gwin; Marva Raby, a Spanish teacher from Bumpus; and Todd Parker, an American government and Scholars Bowl teacher from Spain Park.
Ingleright has been teaching for 21 years, including 10 in her current position at Gwin. She has served on the Alabama Environmental Literacy Plan Task Force, as a board member of the Environmental Education Association of Alabama and on the Governor’s Task Force for Environmental Literacy in Alabama.
Under her leadership, Gwin has receivd the Project Learning Tree Green School Award, the National Wildlife Federation Green Flag Award and the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Award.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Auburn University and a master’s degree and education specialist degree in special education from the University of Alabama.
Raby has taught for more than 20 years, including 14 in her current job at Bumpus. She is a native of Costa Rica and is fluent in Spanish, French and Portugese. She began her teaching career in Connecticut, where she taught a variety of high school subjects, including Spanish, French, English as a second language and bilingual education (world history, math and health).
In Alabama, she has taught in an adult education program, taught conversational Spanish at the Hoover Public Library and taught Spanish, French and English as a second language to middle school students.
Raby has a degree in foreign relations from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Bridgeport and a certificate of advanced studies from Fairfield University in Connecticut. She also has certificates for culture and language studies abroad from the University of Rouen in France and a certificate for international studies in bilingual education from the University of Braga in Portugal.
Parker has been a teacher for 25 years, including the past 10 at Spain Park.
He started his teaching career as a social studies teacher and basketball coach at Central Park Christian School for three years, then taught two years as a history teacher at Pelham High School and 12 years as the dean of students and basketball coach at John Carroll Catholic High School.
Parker holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Samford University and a master’s degree in secondary education and educational specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Ingleright, Raby and Parker were selected from among nominees at each of Hoover’s 17 schools.
Jacksonville State University started its Teacher Hall of Fame in 1969 to recognize public school teachers from across the state. Each year, the university chooses one teacher from each of the elementary, middle and high school levels. School systems throughout the state are encouraged to nominate teachers.
The Hoover school system, which was established in 1988, has had 13 teachers inducted into the JSU Hall of Fame — far more than any other system. That includes three elementary teachers, eight middle school teachers and two high school teachers.
The next closest systems in terms of number of teachers inducted are Calhoun County and Talladega County, with six inductees each. Shelby County, Tuscaloosa County and Tuscaloosa City Schools each have had five teachers selected for the Hall of Fame.
Nominees are judged on their standards of behavior and ethics, leadership, enthusiasm about teaching, demonstration of competence in their subject matter, cooperation with colleagues and administrators, and how well they seek to encourage, inspire and motivate students toward greater accomplishment.
Nominees must be currently teaching subject matter to students at least 50 percent of each school day. Degrees held, length of teaching experience and current teaching assignments also are taken into consideration. No preference is given to nominees who attended Jacksonville State University.