Congratulations to Tracey Schepman, a second grade teacher at the Ellensburg School District’s Valley View Elementary School, for being named the 2010-2011 Educational Service District 105 Regional Teacher of the Year!
Schepman will serve as the south central Washington region’s candidate for the Washington State Teacher of the Year, which OSPI will announce on Sept. 27 in Seattle. She is one of 10 candidates from throughout the state who will be considered for that title. She was also named the Ellensburg School District’s 2010 Teacher of the Year this past spring.
Schepman began working with the Ellensburg School District as a substitute teacher and educational assistant for developmental kindergarten and preschool students from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, she joined Valley View Elementary full time as a special education teacher, then moved into her current role as a second grade teacher in 2003. She also served as an adjunct instructor with Central Washington University from 1996 to 2003.
Schepman’s creativity has helped her become known as “the go-to person” among her Valley View Elementary colleagues for developing school-wide assembly programs, and frequently writes and directs the school’s Christmas program. She also models creative approaches to her fellow teachers on how develop instructional plans that capture the interests of all her students, and on how to effectively manage students so each child can get what they need to reach their learning potential.
As a teacher who also believes learning must be relevant to children, Schepman teaches her students about civics by taking them to field trips to the county historical museum and courthouse, then has those students take pictures of area landmarks and write about them for digital presentations.
“Tracey truly understands children and how they learn,” wrote former Valley View Elementary principal (and current Teaching and Learning director for the Ellensburg School District) Mike Nollan in his recommendation letter. “She has embraced classroom strategies that teach her students to read, write and think. Each year her students not only do well in achieving standards, but many excel in them. She has a gift in helping struggling students achieve, which is priceless.”
Beyond Valley View Elementary, Schepman is heavily active involved with district-wide committees that work to increase student learning, including the school’s technology team. She successfully sought funding to mount projectors on the ceilings of 20 classrooms in her school, led a staff development program on writing, and this past spring received a “Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century” technology grant from OSPI. She also helped create the widely used “Jump Start” before-school homework assistance program at Ellensburg.
“I like helping out with committees that involve multi grades because, with those, you’re helping a lot of people,” said Schepman. “I’m excited to be part of anything that’s positive for education.”
At a community level, the early education advocate has served as secretary for six of her past seven years on the Kittitas County Head Start/ECEAP Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Council for Learning Disabilities, the Ellensburg Education Association, and the Valley View Elementary PTA. She was the 2004 recipient of the Council for Learning Disabilities’ Pacific Northwest Region Outstanding Special Education Teacher award.
Schepman obtained her bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Maine and her M.A. in reading from C.W.U.
Schepman was one of eight candidates from seven area school districts who were nominated for the regional honor.
The ESD 105 Regional Teacher of the Year selection committee was comprised of ESD 105 Board of Directors member Kathi Bonlender of Yakima, Zillah School Board member Chris VanAntwerp, Wapato School Board member Javier Vela, Highland School Board member Dee Dee Trepanier, and West Valley High School ASB president Darel Smart.
