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ALFA AWARDS $1,000 TO BALDWIN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
BAY MINETTE, Ala. -- A Baldwin County teacher's ability to relate science to everyday life has earned Judy A. Reeves Alfa's Teacher of the Month award for December. As this month's winner, Mrs. Reeves will receive $1,000 from Alfa Insurance, and her school, Baldwin County High School in Bay Minette, will receive a matching award from the Alabama Farmers Federation. A graduate of Georgia State University, Mrs. Reeves spent 10 years working as a medical technologist before earning a master's degree in education and accepting her first teaching job at Daphne High School in 1992. Today, she said keeping her students active and involved in the learning process is her key to success. "My students (who are not college-bound) aren't motivated by grades, scholarships or class standing--they only want to be interested, engaged and active," she said. "If the interest is there, the thinking follows. Science is fascinating and entertaining for students; teachers have to work hard to make this subject boring."
Mrs. Reeves hones her teaching skills by taking continuing education classes in earth science, ecology, meteorology and related topics. She also has been a presenter at seminars for other teachers, and she has won numerous statewide awards for excellence in science and environmental teaching. In addition, Mrs. Reeves has secured about $100,000 in grants, which have been used to expand the science programs at her school. "We have developed an outdoor learning center on my campus, and we now have a four-acre outdoor classroom and arboretum with trails, ponds and class seating areas," she said. "My students have hosted fourth- and fifth-grade students from four schools in our community at all-day environmental science field trips at our state parks. This year, we've begun an aquascience service learning project in which my students will grow Gamusia, mosquito larvae-eating minnows, to distribute to county residents." During 2005, Alfa Insurance and the Alabama Farmers Federation will honor one outstanding teacher from each of Alabama's eight state school board districts as well as two private school teachers and two principals. Application information is available by clicking on "Alfa Teacher of the Month" in the Ag Links section of the Alfa Farmers website, www.alfafarmers.org.
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