Awards
The Oregon
Middle Level Association bestows several awards to outstanding middle
school supporters each year. They are a David Putnam
award and John Pence awards. Additionally, the OMLA may award a Patti Kinney Distinguished Service Award or Pete Lorain Lifetime Achievement Award when the OMLA Board deems them appropriate.
We accept nominations for any of these awards throughout the year. To submit a nomination click
2007-08 Award Winners
David
Putnam Award
The David Putnam award is given to one middle school
educator per year. It is essentially our Middle School Educator of the
Year Award. The person winning this award...
• is committed to and promotes middle level philosophy and education
• maintains continuous intellectual and skill growth
• is a contributing member of a learning community
• has made significant contributions to the improvement of middle
level education
• is committed to students and their learning
• is responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
George Tollefson & Michael Becker (2008 David Putnam Award Winners)
Michael Becker: 6th Grade Teacher, Coach, and TAG Coordinator, Hood River M.S., Hood River
Students and parents have the following to say about Michael Becker:
- "He teaches us to manage our own time"
- "He encourages us to lead discussions rather than just always being lectured to"
- "He lets us have a say in the design of our projects and coursework"
- "He teaches his students to think out of the box"
- "He teaches practical life skills not just rote academics through books"
Beyond the classroom, Michael is recognized and respected as an intellectual and skill growth leader in the school, across the district, and beyond. He plays a vital and integral role among the team of 6th grade teachers which meets weekly to collaborate on the integration of the curriculum. A specific example of his leadership is the highly successful Garden Project he started in order to educate and involve students in the production of healthy, sustainable food. Because of the Garden Project, students, parents, and the district are making better choices about food. Michael is helping spread the success of this program through his role as chairman of the Garden Project Sub-Committee for the School and Health Advisory Committee for the district. He readily volunteers his time and expertise to help other schools acquire the supplies and know-how to start their own successful programs. Based on his success with this program, Michael was invited to the national conference on Rethinking The School Lunch in San Francisco involving renowned chef and restaurateur, Alice Waters.
Michael has applied tremendous energy and creativity to engage the community in order to plan and finance several additional programs to enrich the education of our students:
- Designed a 3 day/2 night 6th grade outdoor school to get kids out of the classroom and engaged with nature. They learn map reading, route-finding, how to analyze rock formations and more.
- Established a $350,000 Outdoor Studies endowment. For many years to come, the annual interest will pay for equipment, transportation, staff development, and opportunities for all students to experience field work with scientists and other experts outside the school. Projects such as habitat studies and species counts will be performed in conjunction with state forestry and environmental agencies.
- Raised $50,000 for a permanent green house and a watering system that will extend the Garden Project to a year round program.
As if all of this weren't enough, Michael is the track team coach, the 7th grade football coach, and co-coordinator of the middle school TAG program.
George Tollefson: 8th Grade Teacher, Cascade Middle School, Bethel School District
George Tollefson has dedicated his entire teaching career to working with at-risk youth. Currently, he is teaching Language Arts classes in the 8th grade, but his real passion is using a systems-wide Positive Behavior Support Program in the school. He has literally been the leader for our staff in mentoring first-year teachers, hosting practicum students from several higher education institutions, providing PBS training for our certified and classified staff, and talking to educational leaders from Norway, Sweden, and Australia about the benefits of a PBS system with a token economy reward program. George uses a collaborative approach in all of his efforts, and works well with teams from any level. He has taken a leadership role as our Intensive Positive Behavior Support building representative for district meetings, and has helped to build individual student intervention support plans. His training sessions for the implementation of a school-wide PBS system has extended to the elementary level and other middle school buildings in our own district, and our district office staff consider him an expert in this area. He has worked with Professors from the University of Oregon including Geoff Colvin, Rob Horner, and George Sugai for the past twenty years and has helped with research for Project Prepare, Effective Behavior Support, and Positive Behavior Support Grants. His vision has led us to introduce a new program called Duck Bucks in which students earn token rewards for exhibiting good behaviors and a raffle for Duck Football Game Tickets on Fridays before home games at Autzen Stadium. This program has effectively changed our school’s overall behavior in many ways. Finally, he has implemented Student-Led Conferences during our bi-annual parent conference schedule, and has mentored our newest staff members on the benefits of this model. Certainly he has contributed to the advancement of middle level education in our district.
John
Pence Award
The John
Pence award is given to people who the OMLA feels deserve recognition for
their contributions to the improvement of middle level education. These
people can be classified, licensed, administrative employees as well as
volunteers, school board members, or community leaders. Teams of educators
can also be recognized with this award. What is required is that they
show...
• a commitment to increasing awareness of the needs of middle level
learners and strategies most appropriate to meet them
• initiative in advancing middle level education
• evidence in providing leadership to make middle school a positive
experience for students and staff
L to R, Jon Kline, Roger Hunter, Lynn Bergen, Suzie Douglas-Sap, Don Ford, Laurie Mann
Lynn Bergen: 8th Grade Dean, Hedrick M.S., Medford
Ms. Bergen is an outstanding dean. Ms. Bergen is respected by staff, students, and parents alike. She is a hard working individual who has our students’ best interest at heart. Ms. Bergen is an integral part of our administrative team. She is intelligent, a life long learner and a key contributor in all meetings. Ms. Bergen fulfills many roles at Hedrick including dean, department chair for social science, 504 coordinator, PBS team member and is currently taking the lead to implement Rachel;s Challenge. Ms. Bergen brings a sense of caring and compassion to students when working on discipline issues yet is able to take a tough stand as needed. Ms. Bergen communicates in a timely manner to the needs of parents and staff. She works constructively to solve problems as they arise, is open to differences of opinion and yet has the ability to respectfully stand her ground when appropriate. Ms. Bergen is an instructional leader as the social science department chair. She is an excellent teacher of teachers and a valued support to her department. Ms. Bergen is the consummate professional.
Suzie Douglas-Sap: After-School Coordinator, Ontario M.S., Ontario
Suzie Douglas-Sap has coordinated our after-school programs at Ontario Middle School for the last six years. She not only creates a safe and fun place for students to be after school, but she builds relationships with students and their families. Mrs. Sap demonstrates to all that she is a person who can be trusted, will follow through on all of her commitments, and will connect those in need to community resources. Her community connections have allowed our school to help many stakeholders in difficult situations. Words can not do justice to the positive impact Mrs. Sap has had on our school.
Don Ford: ESL Teacher & ESL Team Leader, Claggett Creek Middle School - Salem-Keizer
Don Ford is an educator who truly makes a difference in the lives of his students and colleagues. His constant dedication and commitment to learning outcomes has made him an asset to Claggett Creek Middle School and the Salem-Keizer District. Don’s high expectations, continuous monitoring and support for all students provide an effective means for students to learn. He is a model example of how continuous professional development and collaboration with colleagues can positively impact an entire school.
Roger Hunter: Mathematics Instructor, Nyssa Middle School, Nyssa
Dr. Roger Hunter has received this award because of his extensive efforts toward providing an outstanding education for our students. Roger is a math teacher with an advanced degree who chooses to teach math in our middle school. Dr. Hunter demonstrates to the students of all backgrounds at Nyssa that they are valuable, and he believes in their abilities both academically and personally. Some students are amazed at what they have learned in his class and are elated that they are doing so well on the statewide math assessment. They see him as very intelligent, but he also works hard to make sure that he instructs them in such a way that they can learn higher concepts. Roger is the type of teacher who puts his students first. Workshops, personal days, and sick days fail to keep Roger out of the classroom. His work ethic inspires his students to work harder and to give mathematics an honest effort. Roger embraces the tough years that these middle school students are going through and does his best to be a part of making them special. Roger is one of those great teachers that don’t come along very often.
Jon Kline: Counselor, Meadow View K-8, Eugene
Jon Kline, School Counselor Extraordinaire, is a tireless advocate for students who works effectively with staff, families and community agencies to bring essential resources to bear on the diverse needs of our students. Meadow View serves approximately 700 students in grades k-8; Jon works primarily with students in grades 5-8. In addition to meeting with students and families individually and in small groups, Jon teaches weekly guidance lessons and facilitates our Positive Behavioral Support team.
Jon also teaches a 6th grade service learning class daily and provides a wide range of opportunities for students to contribute in positive ways to our school, neighborhood and community. Under Jon’s guidance, his service learning students even worked to collect shoes for students in Africa this year. Jon holds inclusive values and beliefs and works diligently to create and maintain a respectful and productive learning environment at Meadow View.
Laurie Mann: Special Education Teacher, Salem-Keizer Public Schools
Laurie Mann has received this recognition due to her undying efforts on the part of her special needs students. Laurie has built a program wherein all of her students take General Education classes. She works closely with students and their parents to make sure that the student’s individual goals are met.
Laurie has long been an advocate for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has written Power Point presentations for General Education teachers and Instructional Assistants to aid them in working with such students.
She is a member of the Autism Society of America, as well as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Council for Exceptional Children, International Reading Association, National Association for Mental Illness, and the National Association of Special Education Teachers.
Her undying love for teaching and her dedication to each of her students make her an ideal candidate for this award.