By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER – Keyser Primary-Middle School business and computer instructor Sheila Powell has had a banner year.
Not only did she become the first KPMS teacher to achieve National Board Certification in February, but she also has been named Mineral County Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010.
“I am honored to have been chosen as Teacher of the Year,” the humble instructor said this week, adding that “I work with so many outstanding teachers who are just as deserving of this award.”
Powell, who is presently in her sixth year of teaching at the largest school in the county, is a “leader
(See POWELL P. 6A)
among the faculty,” according to KPMS principal John Campbell.
“She leads by example, and the teachers respect her and they follow her,” he said. “She is the consummate teacher; very professional. She always has the kids’ concerns first.”
Powell, who teaches at the middle school level, was nationally certified in February in the areas of career and technical education/early adolescence through young adulthood.
She holds an associate degree from Potomac State College and a bachelor of science degree in business education from Frostburg State University. Her master’s degree in business administration is also from FSU.
Prior to accepting a position as business education teacher at Frankfort Middle School in October 2000, and then at Keyser Primary-Middle in 2003, Powell was an assistant professor at Allegany College of Maryland, teaching office technologies, paralegal, and medical legal nursing courses.
At the time, she recalls, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to leave the collegiate atmosphere and tackle middle school-age students, but once she made the move she found she loved working with the pre-teens and early teenagers.
“My rewards in teaching come from my students’ responses,” she says. “Hearing verbal responses such as ‘I love this class,’ ‘this is the best thing I have ever learned,’ or ‘I liked that project, it was fun,’ or seeing the students work together on projects gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
“I especially like seeking students’ faces light up when they present final projects. They are eager for me to see their final work because they are proud of their accomplishments.”
She feels that the key to being an effective teacher is more than just “demonstrating skills, assigning lessons, and assessing work.
“Teaching starts with a caring attitude toward others and the desire to see others succeed,” she said.
“I strive to present this attitude every day.”
Powell’s dedication to KPMS and to her students is not limited to the classroom, either.
In addition to her duties as teacher, Powell also serves as president of the PTO and, in that capacity, helped raise enough money to purchase new equipment this year for the school’s playground.
“They also raised enough money to send the whole school to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in March,” Campbell said.
He also noted that Powell was actively involved in coordinating the school’s Harvest Hoedown in the fall and the Spring Carnival scheduled for today from 12-4 p.m.
“She’s had a very positive impact on our school,” he said.
As Mineral County’s Teacher of the Year, Powell will be among those considered for the West Virginia Teacher of the Year Award later this spring.
Keyser, W.Va. —
