Mrs. Letford is now the music director at the same elementary school and has created a dynamic music curriculum that not only teaches music standards, but also incorporates corresponding math, science, language arts and social studies concepts. In 2009, Letford began the Music For All: Instrument Scholarship Fund, which awarded low-income students with instruments for their ongoing music education. In early 2010, Letford was a finalist for the Bravo Arts Educator Award and was also awarded the National Sontag Prize in Urban Education.

Mrs. Letford received her bachelor degree from UCLA and recently completed her master thesis, Integration With Integrity: The Importance of Keeping Music in the Elementary Classroom at California State University, Northridge. She has done numerous professional presentations on this topic and remains focused on bringing arts education to underserved communities.

A National Board Certified Teacher in World Languages (Spanish), she also enjoys working with pre-service teachers from the University of Dayton, teaching Foreign Language Methods courses to future Spanish, French, and German Teachers.

Amy has been recognized for her innovative teaching with national and local awards. These include the MDA National Personal Achievement Award, the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year Award, the Jiffy Lube Teaching Excellence Award, and the Freida J. Riley National Teaching Award. In 2006, Amy was a Disney Teacher of the Year Honoree.

Amy has published numerous books full of creative and effective teaching strategies, activities, and ideas to motivate students. She also has a website of resources so that other teachers may inspire language learning in their classrooms.

She enjoys traveling with students to Spanish-speaking countries exposing them to opportunities to apply learning to real-world situations. She also organizes collaborative events that bring area schools together for rich cultural and language experiences like Spanish immersion days, folkloric dance evenings, visits from native Spanish speakers and conversation and movie events.

In 2001, Tamica joined the Waddell High School Team and has since been an avid professional development attendee, grant writer and pioneer of new programs (Biotech, Nanoscience, Protein Modeling, and Robotics and Research teams). She has matured into an educator who embraces a hands-on/minds-on and modular teaching approach to facilitate learning and is a huge proponent of educating traditionally underserved populations. To date, she has secured thousands in funding to see her educational vision to fruition.

Tamica believes all students should have not only a knowledge base in biology but a subset of skills to ready them for biotechnology based careers. For such efforts, she has received over 20 teaching awards. Today, she continues to advocate for her students and her 11-year-old son with her creative and progressive style of teaching. She hopes and plans to see them all one day at the collegiate level when she secures her future goal as a research scientist or professor of science education.

Randy attended the University of Maine at Farmington for his undergraduate degree and was part of the National Science Foundation’s model master’s degree program at the University of Wyoming. He is currently a doctoral student at Northeastern University. His 20-plus years of teaching experience span from grades one through the college level in the United States and abroad.

He has coached various sports teams, been a class adviser and is currently co-coach of the math team. As a mentor to student teams involved in a national design/build competition, his students have won five titles in the past 7 years. In 2005, Randy was named the New Hampshire Teacher of the Year and Disney’s Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year.

Having moved often, her play always involved creating and building with dozens of empty packing boxes. A handsome husband, four children, seven grandchildren and 24 years of teaching later find her still building things like the life-sized hold of the Mayflower, blue whales, ancient civilizations, miniature amusement parks, life-sized replicas of American Indian villages and more. She loves being with her family, cycling, reading, writing, and experimenting with cooking.

Michelle has earned a Master’s degree, reading and math endorsements, and National Board Certification. She has been honored to receive a NCTM National Presidential Math Award, the Milken Award, the Huntsman Award and more. Michelle enjoys sharing econoME, the virtual reality classroom community program that she has developed. She places a focus on student leadership, employment and financial experiences, and entrepreneurial and charitable opportunities.