Teachers of the Year Named in Montgomery Public Schools

Peter Crump Elementary teacher Dawn Ellis and Booker T. Washington Magnet High teacher John Conway have been named Montgomery Public Schools’ 2016-2017 Teachers of the Year. The two will represent the district in the Alabama Teacher of the Year Program.

Ellis has been teaching special education for seven years and has been at Crump since 2010.  Ellis teaches all subjects to students with special needs in the third through fifth grade.

One of her most notable achievements at the school is the creation of a sensory garden that provides an “outdoor classroom” for her students. The garden provides the students with a hands-on experience that enriches classroom instruction.

Crump Principal William Shaw said her contributions to the school go beyond the classroom.

“Not only does Ms. Ellis develop engaging learning opportunities for her students, she has also facilitated numerous community groups to beautify the school by painting walls, building components of the garden and landscaping outside,” Shaw said.

Ellis has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and collaborative education, a master’s in early childhood special education and an education specialist degree from Auburn Montgomery. She also is a member and past president of the Montgomery chapter of the Council of Exceptional Children.

Conway has 25 years of teaching experience and has been at BTW for three years. He teaches ninth-grade language arts and writing.

BTW Principal Quesha Starks said the school is lucky to have him.

“As a principal searching for an exemplary English educator, I considered it a true blessing and a privilege for Mr. Conway to commit to our school community after having multiple opportunities to teach in other programs,” Starks said.

Conway has bachelor’s degrees in music education and English from the University of Southern Mississippi as well as 69 graduate hours in musicology at the school. He also studied Celtic literature at Harvard University and has 35 graduate hours in liberal arts at Auburn Montgomery.

He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. His work has been published several times, and he has won the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Award from the National Society of High School Scholars and the Alexander Everett Sanders Excellence in Teaching Award.

— from Montgomery Public Schools