Administrator of the Year
Administrator of the Year: It is the intent of the ASTE Administrator of the Year Award to recognize Alaskans who lead schools/organizations in the innovative use of technology to support academic goals. Nominees may include PK-12 school principals or district administrators, as well as directors or department heads of colleges or universities. To be eligible for this award, the nominee must be a full or part-time supervisor of educators who are working to implement innovative or transformational technology-infused instructional practices.
Administrator of the Year
Winner: Adam Mokelke
Nominated by: Melody McAllister
Adam Mokelke is the Principal of the Anchorage STrEAM Academy and cares about the culture of his students and how it is established in Alaskan culture. He regularly brings in voices that have largely been marginalized in our state and world. He is in touch with the world and its issues and strives to form unity in a time of division. He has a positive online presence and demonstrates his care for his staff and school. I regularly see him lean into the hard topics of today, finding sources of help, instead of avoiding them. He has also shown to believe in the best of others, even if they do not agree with him. His digital presence is exemplary.
Teacher / Faculty of the Year
It is the intent of the ASTE Teacher/Faculty of the Year Award to recognize Alaskan educators currently responsible for the day-to-day instruction of PK-20 students, either building-based or classroom-based, regardless of subject matter. Nominees may include innovative classroom teachers, library media specialists, technology integration specialists, or others whose primary work with students is promoting deeper learning of academic content through the wise use of technology. To be eligible for this award, the nominee must spend at least 75% of his/her day in direct instruction.
Teacher / Faculty of the Year
Winner: Billeen Carlson
Nominated by: Amanda Adams
Billeen is a designer of personalized learning experiences targeting the needs of her students in flexible ways through partnership and voice through flexible pacing, focusing on tracking progress, choice boards, and rubrics generated through partnership between teacher and student. Billeen utilizes technology to construct spaces for her students to learn, share, build and communicate. She is fluent in Google tools and is building her fluency in Canvas. Through this, she guides the flow of learning with flexibility. She utilizes many different tools to help students access curated content including hyperdocs. She utilizes Google Sites for students to maintain portfolios tracking their progress on standards and curating their artifacts of demonstration of mastery. Billeen exemplifies ever-improving practices, student-driven learning communities, and a generous contributor to the professional community. She deserves recognition for her incredibly dedicated practice and deep integration of technology to support learning.
Tech Support of the Year
It is the intent of the ASTE Tech Support of the Year Award to recognize Alaskans who help teachers/faculty find and use technology to support academic goals, which may include helping with hardware. Nominees may include technology integration specialist, instructional web support, database integration support, or others who work behind the scenes to support educators who work directly with students. To be eligible for this award, the nominee must spend less than 75% of his/her day in direct instruction.
Tech Support of the Year
Nominee: Andy McDermott
Nominated by: Lori Giauque, Laurie Bevan, and Ashlyn Anderson
Andy goes above and beyond the call of duty. He is the go-to guy in our building for technology help and advice. I teach First Grade and all I have to do is email or call and he will come to my room and assist me with fixing my computer to get it to run faster, teach me about my new promethean board, and even save me from losing my mind over a possible hack from Facebook when it went wonky a couple of months ago!
Andy is the DFR at Butte Elementary School. Although largely self-taught, he is very knowledgeable about everything dealing with computers. He has a wealth of knowledge and what he doesn’t know, he finds out and gets back to the staff member in a timely manner. His demeanor is very quiet and gentle so he is able to diffuse staff members who are frustrated with technology. He is a full-time preschool teacher, but is willing to help staff members even in the middle of the day if they need assistance. He has helped to troubleshoot many problems with the school’s sound system, the new Promethean boards, chromebooks, and laptops. He is a huge asset to Butte Elementary School.
Student of the Year
It is the intent of the ASTE High School Student of the Year Awards to recognize Alaskan 9-12 students who are using technology in unique or significant ways to enhance their understanding of academic content, and to honor students who demonstrate leadership in initiatives that meaningfully use technology to achieve the desired goal. To be eligible for this award, the nominee must be a student in an Alaskan school recognized by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Student of the Year
Nominees: Owen Jennings, Thorne Bay School
Nominated by: Matt Gore
Owen Jennings is an integral part of Thorne Bay School. He heats the school, works to support all students in tech as the only student Tech Assistant for the district. But most importantly he works to have a fair welcoming school.
This year is the second year Thorne Bay School has had E-Sports and it is mainly due to his efforts. Without his leadership the team would have died this year and it is with great respect for his dedication that I nominate him for the ASTE Student Leadership Award.
