OnPoint Community Credit Union announced the finalists for its Educator of the Year award, and also named six teachers to the Circle of Excellence. The awards are part of the OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education campaign. This is the 10th anniversary of the annual contest, which honors local educators who work to inspire enthusiasm and creativity in the classroom and have made an impact on students, their families and surrounding communities. The campaign has awarded nearly $300,000 in prizes to 236 local educators and schools.
Founded in 1932 by 16 school teachers, OnPoint continues its commitment to strengthen local education by supporting students, schools and educators in a variety of ways. The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education is the cornerstone of OnPoint’s work in education.
On Tuesday, May 21, OnPoint will announce one K-8 teacher and one 9-12 teacher as Educators of the Year from the list of four finalists below. OnPoint will pay their mortgages for one full year and donate $2,500 to each of their schools. The remaining finalists (one K-8 teacher and one 9-12 teacher) will each receive $5,000 for themselves and $1,500 for their schools.
Educator of the Year Finalists:
- K-8 Finalist – Francesca Aultman – 5th Grade, Gilbert Heights Elementary School | David Douglas School District | Portland, Oregon
- K-8 Finalist – Nadia Boria –3rd Grade, Scouters Mountain Elementary | North Clackamas School District | Happy Valley, Oregon
- 9-12 Finalist – Joe Minato – AP Physics and Science Research, Wilson High School | Portland Public Schools | Portland, Oregon
- 9-12 Finalist – Tori Sharpe – English, AVID and ELL, Skyview High School | Vancouver School District | Vancouver, Washington
Circle of Excellence: Six additional teachers have been named to the Circle of Excellence. These educators will each receive a $1,500 cash prize and a $1000 donation to their school.
- Michelle Colbert – Art, Fir Ridge Campus Alternative School | David Douglas School District | Portland, Oregon
- Stephanie Fitzgerald – 7th and 8th Grade Math, Colton Middle School | Colton School District | Damascus, Oregon
- Brandon Ramey – Health and PE, Newberg High School | Newberg School District | Newberg, Oregon
- Myron Ryan – Metalworking and Manufacturing, Franklin High School | Portland Public Schools | Portland, Oregon
- Kellie Tichenor – 1st Grade, West Tualatin View Elementary | Beaverton School District | Portland, Oregon
- Greg Wognild – Drama, Coding/Computer Science, Woodshop, Sky View Middle School | Bend-La Pine School District | Bend, Oregon
In addition to the Educators of the Year and Circle of Excellence, four schools were honored with the Community Builder Award, receiving $1,000 for a project of their choice. A fifth school, selected by community votes, received $2,000. The winning schools were announced on May 7. In total, the 2019 contest will award up to $85,000 to deserving public and private K-12 teachers and schools.
Learn more about the campaign at onpointprize.com.
onpointcu.com • 503-228-7077 • 800-527-3932
