Press Release - Announcement
April 22, 2003/NTHF
CONTACT: Dave Eldridge, 1-800-96TEACH
The National Teachers Hall of Fame Announces 2003 Inductees.
EMPORIA, Kan. -- "Never stop learning." "Raise the bar." "There's nothing you can't do!" What teachers touched you with their enthusiasm? Pushed you with their optimism?
Five teachers from across the country will learn they have been selected for induction into The National Teachers Hall of Fame. The teachers will be honored at SUPRISE recognition ceremonies in their respective school districts. Representatives from The National Teachers Hall of Fame and its corporate sponsors (The Horace Mann Companies, Pearson Education's Scott Foresman and Prentice Hall, Herff Jones, Inc., Successories, and Sodexho) will join state and local educational leaders at an assembly or reception in each inductee's school district to make the announcement and to congratulate the teachers, who represent the best in the teaching profession.
The National Teachers Hall of Fame Class of 2003 includes the following educators: Ruth Ann Gaines, a high school Drama teacher in Des Moines, IA; Cynthia Jones, a 3rd-4th grade teacher in Murfreesboro, TN; Kathleen McGrath, a 5th grade teacher in Ocala, FL; Larry Statler, a special education teacher in San Jose, CA; Carol Strickland, a high school Language Arts teacher in Emporia, KS.
BIOS AND MORE INFO
Bios and additional information on The National Teachers Hall of Fame 2003 Inductees will be provided on-site during the recognition ceremonies or through the Hall of Fame web site, www.nthf.org (after April 22). To obtain biographical information prior to April 22, please call the Hall of Fame at 1-800-96-TEACH or (620) 341-9131. A list of current Hall of Fame members, a fact sheet about the Hall of Fame, and schedules for the 12th Annual Induction Celebration also may be obtained on the web site or by calling the Hall of Fame.
SELECTION
Members of the National Selection Committee reviewed and evaluated nominations from the United States and its territories. Committee members, representing educational organizations, corporate America and NTHF membership, met March 12-13 in Washingotn, DC to select the five teachers who will be inducted into the NTHF this June. Nominees must be certified public or non-public schoolteachers, active or retired, with at least 20 years of experience in teaching grades preK-12.
INDUCTION
The National Teachers Hall of Fame will welcome its newest five members during induction ceremonies June 19-23 in Emporia, KS and June 24 in Washington, D.C. In additional to receiving an all-expense paid trip, inductees are immortalized at the NTHF in a gallery of plaques, photographs and teaching materials from the inductee's career. They also receive a $1,000 stipend from The Horace Mann Companies (Springfield, IL) and a $1,000 college scholarship presented by The Horace Mann Companies to a student in the inductee's school district; $1,000 in educational materials from Scott Foresman (Glenview, IL) or Prentice Hall (Upper Saddle River, NJ); a signet ring and lapel pin presented by Herff Jones, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN); $1,000 in products from Successories (Aurora, IL); and other gifts and mementos.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL TEACHERS HALL OF FAME
The National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) was founded in Emporia, KS in 1989 to honor preK-12 teachers and the teaching profession through a recognition program and museum. The NTHF has been endorsed by every major professional educational organization. Annual induction recognition takes place in Washington, DC and Emporia,KS. Since the inaugural induction ceremonies in 1992, 55 educators from 25 states have been inducted. This year's class of inductees represents the 12th anniversary of NTHF induction ceremonies. Nominees must be certified public or non-public schoolteachers, active or retired, with at least 20 years of experience in teaching grades preK-12.