Congratulations to Alexia Weimer, A-State Alumna, Arkansas Teacher of the Year!
The award that A-State alumna Alexia Bourisaw Weimer received Monday will have a long-term impact on her career. That is only fitting, given that the award is based on the long-term impact she has on her kindergarten students at Avondale Elementary School in the Marion School District.
Weimer, who graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in 2004 and her master’s degree in educational leadership in 2011, both at Arkansas State, was recognized Monday by state officials as Arkansas’s 2013 Teacher of the Year.
They presented the award during a surprise ceremony in her honor at the school.
In addition to a cash prize of $15,000 from the Walton Family Foundation, she will have a year of administrative leave to serve in an advisory capacity with the Arkansas State Board of Education and for other professional development purposes.
Here is the complete news release from the Arkansas Department of Education:
LITTLE ROCK—Alexia Weimer, a kindergarten teacher at Avondale Elementary School in the Marion School District, has been named Arkansas’s 2013 Teacher of the Year.
Dr. Tom Kimbrell, Arkansas Commissioner of Education, made the surprise announcement today during a school assembly.
Weimer has been a teacher for six years, all of them at Avondale Elementary. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University.
She was nominated for the award by her colleagues who wrote letters of recommendation to the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee.
“While I have an entire staff of excellent teachers, Alexia Weimer is the teacher I would want for my child,” said Principal Glenda Bryan. “She goes beyond what most teachers do to ensure authentic student engagement in learning.”
Weimer has created a reputation for making learning fun by using technology to teach and engage students. She expects her students to perform well, and they do not disappoint her.
The Arkansas Teacher of the Year competition is part of the National Teacher of the Year Program (NTOY). The NTOY program began in 1952 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious national honors program that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching.
State law provides for the Arkansas Teacher of the Year recipient to take a year of paid administrative leave to serve in an advisory position as a non-voting member of the Arkansas State Board of Education and for professional development purposes.
As Teacher of the Year, Weimer will also receive a $15,000 check from the Walton Family Foundation, which has long been a sponsor of the award.
Weimer will represent the teachers of Arkansas and meet with legislators and educational organizations on behalf of Arkansas schools.
