Release Courtesy: Region 11
Granbury ISD’s Michael Beauchamp, an automotive technology teacher at Granbury High School, has been named the 2023 Region 11 Secondary Teacher of the Year during a special awards ceremony on August 1, 2023. Dr. Isela Russell of Lewisville ISD was named the Region 11 Elementary Teacher of the Year.
It’s the second straight year that Granbury ISD has had the Region 11 Secondary Teacher of the Year as Priscilla Lumbreras, a biology teacher at Granbury High School, claimed the award in 2022. Granbury ISD becomes the first school district in Region 11 history to have back-to-back Secondary Teacher of the Year winners.
The event, hosted by the Education Service Center Region 11 and generously funded by the EECU credit union, recognizes all the teachers of the year from school districts in the north Texas region. The Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators, allows districts to submit one elementary and one secondary candidate to compete at the regional and state levels. Eighty-eight teachers, representing 46 school districts in Region 11, participated in this year’s competition.
District winners who competed for the regional award were required to submit their resumes describing their educational history and professional development. In addition, they were asked to write their own professional biography as well as five lengthy essays detailing:
- a defining lesson they have developed,
- a special project or initiative they have participated in that creates school culture,
- an example of how they connect students to the community,
- how they have grown as a leader and learner as a result of being an advocate, and
- their message/platform should they be selected as the National Teacher of the Year.
The regional selection panel, comprised of teachers (including two past regional winners), central office staff, and a superintendent from school districts within Region 11, reviewed and scored all the essays before selecting Beauchamp as the regional winner.
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Michael Beauchamp
Michael Beauchamp earned his bachelor’s degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University. Beauchamp brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. A former U.S. Marine with 30+ years of experience, Beauchamp served in the military as a Logistics and Readiness Manager, a Maintenance Chief for a light-attack helicopter squadron and an aviation logistics squadron, and a Senior Training Manager from the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training. He took this wealth of experience and brought it to Granbury ISD, where he serves as an automotive technology teacher at Granbury High School.
“I just love the way he runs his classroom,” shared Chandra Turrentine, a judge from Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD. “He also does so much to advocate for his students!”
“He finds ways to motivate his students and sets them up for success outside of the classroom,” stated Lisa Day, a judge from Northwest ISD. “He finds ways to continue growing so that he can give back to kids.”
“He’s a very student-centered educator,” shared Dr. Jeff Russell, a judge from Denton ISD. “That sentiment was evident throughout his application.
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Beauchamp and Russell will now compete at the state level for the Texas Teacher of the Year award. The Texas Association of School Administrators’ selection committee will meet to review the applications of the regional winners on August 14, 2023, and then name three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers as state semifinalists in the competition on September 5. These six semifinalists will then participate in an interview with the selection committee on October 19. The elementary and secondary state winners will be announced on October 20.