Tucson Values Teachers and Raytheon Missiles & Defense announced the finalists and winners of the sixth annual Raytheon Leaders in Education Award. Two teachers from MUSD, Ms. Emily Tate from Tortolita Middle School, and Mrs. Lauren Johnson from Marana High School, were recognized as finalists. The Raytheon Leaders in Education Award program recognizes and rewards Pima County teachers in grades PreK-12 who are achieving outstanding classroom performance, demonstrating leadership in their schools and communities, and supporting their peers in a committed teacher workforce. As a finalist, they received $500 each.
Ms. Emily Tate, Tortolita Middle School
Ms. Tate is the Arts and Ceramics teacher at Tortolita Middle School since 2018. She quickly became well loved among her students for her strong rapport with them and engaging projects she assigned.
“I am impressed with her well-planned lessons that have clear instructional outcomes, are relevant and challenging, and allow students to express themselves creatively. Simply put, she loves her students and she loves art- and at the end of the year, her students love art,” said Mrs. Franklin, associate principal at Tortolita Middle School.
With a systems approach to problem solving and a regarded peer, she was appointed Instructional Lead (Chair) of the Electives Department. Last summer, Ms. Tate served as one of the administrators of our Summer Success program, a two week long summer program aimed at familiarizing new students with our school and its expectations, as well as reinforce math and English Language Arts (ELA) concepts. She is an invaluable member of the Tortolita community!
Mrs. Lauren Johnson, Marana High School
Mrs. Johnson has taught at Marana High School for four years and taught for several years before at another District school. She is currently the ELA teacher for students in grades 9 and 12. Her knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and classroom management is very high, and she appreciates the science and art of teaching.
“If you walk into her classroom, you will observe a great deal of collaborative and creative learning on the part of her students,” said Dr. Mandel, principal of Marana High School. “They read varied texts from traditional and diverse authors and have time to process the writing and the messages. Students write thoughtful and unique responses as they are taught how to produce communication that is engaging and appropriate.”
In addition to her role as an ELA teacher, she has served on the Instructional Leadership Team, the Marana Education Association, the Assessment and Grading Committee, Site Council, and as a Department Chair. In each role, she has demonstrated professionalism, excellent judgment, and insightful contributions.
Both Ms. Tate and Mrs. Johnson are key members of our school communities. Thank you for being amazing teachers and leaders in our schools and community!