Published: December 22, 2008 10:10 pm         

EPS names top teachers

Enid Public Schools has announced its building-level teachers of the year for the 2008-09 school year.

The Teacher of the Year program in Enid begins with narrowing the choices down to one teacher from each school building.

“I am very excited to recognize these outstanding educators,” said EPS Superintendent Shawn Hime. “Every day they shape the future of this community and of the world by working with tomorrow’s leaders.”

This year’s building-level teachers of the year are Marva Garber, Adams Elementary School; Michelle Gilliam, Coolidge Elementary School; Kay Henderson, Eisenhower Elementary School; Linda Reames, Emerson Junior High School; Craig Liddell, Enid High School; Sheila Johnson, Garfield Elementary School; Jena Bolt, Glenwood Elementary School; Kathy Haworth, Hayes Elementary School; Lisa Brumfield, Hoover Elementary School; Gary Kirtley, Lincoln Academy; Robin Eckert, Longfellow Junior High School; Judy Marjarrez, McKinley Elementary School; Marla Fuxa, Monroe Elementary School; Katie Sanderson, Taft Elementary School; and Pam Gilbreath, Waller Junior High School.

The building-level teachers of the year are selected by their colleagues.

Enid Public Schools Teacher of the Year will be selected from these honorees and announced during the Enid Education Association banquet in May.

This year’s building-level honorees are:

• Marva Garber, Adams Elementary School. She has taught for 30 years in Enid Public Schools. She received her degree at Eastern Montana College. She is married to Todd Garber and has two married daughters and 17 grandchildren. She teaches Title I reading and math for third through sixth grades.

• Michelle Gilliam, Coolidge Elementary School. She has taught for 10 years, eight with EPS. She received her degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and is married to Brett and has two children. Gilliam teaches sixth grade.

• Kay Henderson, Eisenhower Elementary School. She has taught for 37 years, 34 with EPS. She received her degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She is married to Max and has two children who are both educators. She also has two grandchildren. Henderson teaches third grade.

• Sheila Johnson teaches third grade at Garfield Elementary School and has taught for 19 years. Nine of those years have been with EPS. She earned her degree from Texas Tech, and she and her husband, Fred, have two children.

• Jena Bolt teaches special education at Glenwood Elementary School and has been teaching for 30 years, 20 of which were with Enid Public Schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Oklahoma and her master’s degree at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She is married to Allen Bolt and has two grown children and one grandchild. She also serves in the district as an autism consultant.

• Kathy Haworth teaches first grade at Hayes Elementary School and has been teaching for 35 years in the EPS district. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Phillips University. Haworth and her husband, Glen, have two children and one grandchild.

• Lisa Brumfield is library media specialist at Hoover Elementary School and has taught in Enid for 15 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Phillips University and her master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. She and her husband Jody have two children and are expecting their first grandchild in January.

• Judy Manjarrez teaches at McKinley Elementary and has taught in Enid for 12 years. She teaches first grade and received her degrees at Northern Oklahoma College and Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She and her husband, Rico, have two children and four grandchildren.

• Marla Fuxa has taught kindergarten for 15 years in Enid. She currently teaches at Monroe Elementary and received her degree form Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She is married to Ryan Fuxa and has two children.

• Katie Sanderson teaches fifth grade at Taft Elementary and has been teaching for eight years, seven in Enid. She received her degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She is married to EHS math teacher Darrell Sanderson and has one child.

• Linda Reames is library media specialist at Emerson Junior High School. She has taught for 32 years, 18 years in the EPS district. She taught seventh through 12th grade English for 14 years. Reames received her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and her master’s from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Reames has three children and five grandchildren.

• Robin Eckert teaches seventh-grade geography at Longfellow Junior High School and has taught in Enid for six years. She received her degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She and her husband, Greg, have two daughters.

• Pam Gilbreath teaches visual arts at Waller Junior High School and has been teaching in Enid for nine years. She earned her degree at Oklahoma State University. She is married to Wally Gilbreath and has two children and four grandchildren.

• Craig Liddell teaches biology and coaches soccer at Enid High School. He has been teaching in Enid for nine years and received his degree from California Baptist University. His family is all in Scotland and his girlfriend, Katie Leung, is a biology teacher at Emerson Junior High School.

• Gary Kirtley is a social studies teacher at Lincoln Academy. He has been teaching in Enid for 10 years. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Oklahoma. Kirtley said he is from a family of educators, which includes his grandmother, his father, his uncle and two brothers.