Each year, the Rapid City Public School Foundation invites every school in the district to select a Teacher of Distinction to represent their building. In addition to nomination letters, the Teachers of Distinction provide information regarding their education, community involvement, teaching philosophy, and observations on educational issues and trends. Of the 20 Teachers of Distinction, three Golden Apple Award winners, each representing one of the three levels of education in the district, and one Teacher of the Year are selected.

The following capsules, which give a brief glimpse at 16 Teachers of Distinction, were taken from their nomination material.

Mandi Claussen

General Beadle fourth-grade teacher who has taught for four years. According to General Beadle Principal Robin Gillespie, Claussen's classroom is one of "collaboration and cooperation." Claussen views her profession as a responsibility and a way of life. "Celebrating the children for who they are is important to me," she said. "No matter what level they come into my classroom, I strive to create a safe and non-threatening environment so that all students can take risks to become unsurpassed." According to a co-worker, Claussen's "positive, happy attitude is contagious."

Carla Buum

Teaches morning kindergarten and one hour of first grade at Black Hawk Elementary School. Buum has taught for 16 years, the past eight in her present position. She enjoys integrating music and rhythm into each day and "my students look forward to singing, dancing, and playing instruments." The staff at Black Hawk Elementary characterized Buum as a "lifelong learner," whose "calm demeanor and professional attitude inspire children to be engaged in the learning process." Buum believes in being extremely positive, establishing trust, and a warm, loving rapport.

Laura Slama

Canyon Lake fifth-grade teacher. Slama earned her bachelor's degree at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell and recently graduated from Black Hills State University with a master's degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in technology. Canyon Lake principal Rick Owen called Slama "a tremendous technology resource," who has helped to develop mobile computer labs at Kibben Kuster and Canyon Lake Elementary. Slama considers all students to be individuals and "being aware of this individuality allows me as a teacher to implement differentiated instruction to provide the best learning environment for every student."

Deb Gilliland

Currently a special-education teacher and math-leader teacher at Grandview Elementary. Gilliland works with grades K through five. Her personal philosophy of teaching is that "there is more than one way to get there." She believes that all children can learn, and "this learning will take different paths and different time lines." Gilliland graduated from Black Hills State University with majors in elementary and special education, and has been teaching in the Rapid City School District for 19 years. Her colleagues at Grandview say, "She is always asking questions, digging to find answers and stimulating others' thinking."

Kim Sprague

Has more than 17 years of teaching experience, the past five in preschool at Horace Mann Elementary. Sprague describes learning as a "never-ending staircase," on which her students are often on "one of the lower-level steps of that staircase." Her goal is to assess where they are developmentally and to work toward helping them to progress to the next step. Sprague's students often have additional needs including assistance with speech/language, motor control, vision, and social/behavioral. Colleagues at Horace Mann describe her as a "natural born teacher" who "makes being her co-worker an exciting adventure."

Joe Harrison

Has earned a bachelor's degree from Northern State College in Aberdeen, a master's degree from Black Hills State University, and a doctorate from the University of South Dakota. This is his 14th year as a teacher of the visually impaired/orientation and mobility specialist at Kibben Kuster. Harrison's 28-year career has been devoted to teaching blind and visually impaired children. "We must value the courage it takes for a blind child to cross a busy intersection, or to master Braille and technology to effectively overcome physical obstacles to become productive members of our society," Harrison said.

Janet McCaskey

Is beginning her 38th year of teaching, with all but one year for the Rapid City Area Schools. McCaskey has taught fifth grade at Knollwood Elementary for the past 14 years. Her colleagues at Knollwood describe McCaskey as "a team member who pulls more than her share." She is active on curriculum committees and openly embraces the new and best practices in literacy and mathematics instruction. She believes that, by working with children in the areas of reading, writing, and math, "we are learning what to teach them and how to guide their learning. Periodic formative assessments help to find their learning styles and drives our instruction."

Roxanne Holzer

Speech therapist at Robbinsdale Elementary for the past two years. Holzer believes that "a strong working rapport with my students is my greatest avenue to their success." The special-education staff at Robbinsdale wrote that Holzer's sense of purpose is always tied to her students. "Our children love going to speech because of the motivating atmosphere they are entering. Her presentations are always exuberant and skill oriented for each individual student." Holzer also works with autistic children and recently completed training in Pierre on behavior analysis. She is excited to implement what she's learned in her building, and to help expand the program district-wide during the coming year.

Darlene Fernandez

Third-grade teacher at Rapid Valley Elementary for the past five years, with a total of 14 years at Rapid Valley. A colleague wrote: "Teacher, role model, mentor, friend; this is what Darlene Fernandez has become to me." Fernandez says she thinks of children as treasure chests. "They are full of the best and greatest things possible. Our job is to find each child's one-of-a-kind key to help them unlock the greatness inside and burst into successful, happy adults." Fernandez has an innovative approach to her fall and spring parent/teacher conferences: they are student led, and designed to "celebrate the student's accomplishments and successes."

Jan Ernst

General-education and literacy teacher at South Canyon Elementary for the past seven years; she has 17 years of teaching experience. Ernst works with more than 100 students in grades K-5, and believes that "learning needs to be stimulating but attainable." She considers it her job to ensure that each student is successful, and proceeds by "assessing students and choosing appropriate materials that will enhance their learning." Ernst's peers at South Canyon said she "enriches the overall school program at South Canyon Elementary School through her organization, implementation, and continued search for the best practices."

Carol Ball

Has taught at South Park Elementary for 19 years, the past 17 in third grade. The staff at South Park values her affirmative outlook and appreciates the resources that she makes available to everyone. Ball believes that students should be challenged to maximize their potential. "They must also learn to be good decision makers and be responsible for their actions and the choices they make," she said. Ball has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Black Hills State University, a master's degree in curriculum and development from the College of St. Scholastica and has taken numerous literacy and math classes offered by the Rapid City School District.

Diane Hall

Fourth-grade teacher at Wilson Elementary, Hall has taught for 16 years, all at Wilson. She taught second grade for the first eight years and fourth grade for another eight. Currently working on her master's degree, Hall believes that teaching "is the most important and rewarding profession in existence." Hall tries to make learning exciting by incorporating technology when possible. "I involve the students in the teaching process by allowing each student an opportunity to teach the class something that they are knowledgeable about and interests them."

Danny Janklow

North Middle School seventh-grade social-studies teacher who has taught for four years, the past year at North. Janklow has high expectations for his students and works hard to make sure every student has an equal opportunity to become successful. North Middle School assistant principal Tyler Rachetto said of Janklow: "He always brings innovative and effective ideas to the table and is willing to take leadership roles to help motivate students." Janklow believes that his role as a teacher is to "help the student find their gift and help them to open it."

Paul Knapp

Started his teaching career 29 years ago as a math teacher. He has taught computers in grades six through eight at West Middle School for the past 18 years. "Mr. Knapp is an exceptional computer teacher with an uncanny ability to be funny, engaging, strict and demanding all at the same time," said West principal Doug Foley. Praise plays an important role in Knapp's classroom. When his students have questions, Knapp said they find their solutions through the following plan: "Think. Save. Explore. Use help. Ask a student. Teacher is the last resort."

Barbara Schmidt

Has served the students and staff of Stevens High School for 30 years as a science teacher, cheerleading adviser, Blues adviser, assistant basketball and cross country coach, as a member of the North Central Accreditation team and is in her fifth year on the Building Leadership Team. According to former Stevens principal Katie Bray, Schmidt's actions, demeanor, never-waning positive attitude and her enthusiasm for education have remained constant over the years. A Stevens colleague said: "She is just as enthusiastic now as the day she started teaching - if not more so."

Nancy Clary

Special-education teacher at Rapid City Academy - Lincoln for the past four years, 29 total years of teaching experience. Rapid City Academy principal Deborah Steele said Clary is known for her "dedication to students, alternative instructional strategies, and her never-ending resolve to gear students learning to the real world." Reaching all of her students through technology is a priority for Clary, and she strives to motivate students across all lines of diversity. "Some children come to us with more mental, physical, behavioral, and emotional challenges than others, but that doesn't mean they deserve anything less than the best education we can offer," she said.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com