Anne Smith - One of 20 to Watch

Congratulations to Arapahoe's very own Anne Smith for being named one of the National School Board Association's "20 to Watch" for 2009.

The National School Boards Association’s Technology Leadership Network (TLN) has named its annual list of “20 to Watch” emerging leaders in education technology. These individuals are recognized by the organization for championing technology initiatives that make a difference for students, teachers, school districts, and the greater education technology community.

Anne is a remarkable Language Arts teacher in my building. Here's an excerpt from her nomination letter.

All [Anne's] students not only have the opportunity to demonstrate their thinking, but the expectation that they do so. I think that this is perhaps what is most striking: Anne's use of technology has created higher expectations for her students and herself. And those high expectations are indicative of her leadership.

Congrats, Anne, you deserve it.

On another note, Chris Moore, a fabulous 5th grade teacher in my district, was also named as one of "20 to Watch". As far as we know, this is the first time that NSBA has named two folks from the same district in the same year. And that makes three from our district in the last three years. It seems to me that these are the kinds of things schools and districts should really "brag" about (especially given the tough budget climate we have in Colorado). Because I think all of our communities should know that, despite the difficult budget situation, we have many educators who are worth "watching."