Secondary Reading Council of Florida Names Secondary Reading Teachers of the Year

Leon County School District high school reading coach and Palm Beach Country high school reading teacher win statewide competition

Deerfield Beach, FL, May 11, 2012 – The Secondary Reading Council of Florida (SRCFL) awarded its 2012 Teachers of the Year (Veteran and Novice) designations to veteran reading educator Clara Michelle McMillan Kirby of the Leon County School District and novice reading educator Jenny Craige of the Palm Beach County School District .  Michelle is a reading coach at James R. Rickards High School under the administration of Dr. Michelle Gayle.  Jenny works at Boynton Beach Community High School  as a reading teacher for grades 11 and 12, under the administration of  Karen Whetsell. The award was presented at the SRCFL Annual Conference held in Deerfield Beach on May 11 and 12, 2012.

“These two recipients represent the overarching view that reading education for secondary students must be not only unique to their needs, but also recognize what these students bring to the literacy instructional table.” Said SRCFL president Dr. Joyce Warner, who is Chair of the Reading and Literacy Studies Department at Barry University.  Each recipient brings this unique perspective to her reading instruction. Mr. Kevin Smith of Just Read, Florida ! said, Michelle is a “collaborative practitioner who …corrals resources and leads the charge in impacting student performance.”  Michelle is a “tireless change agent for secondary reading.” Of Ms Craige’s reading instructional style, her colleague, Rachelle Savitz,  said, “Jenny shows  a  passion for reading, reads everywhere and all the time.  She models her love of reading in so many ways and daily differentiates techniques and strategies for her students to address their varied needs

and interests. ”