Date:   March 30, 2004 
Contact: Irene Cromer
703-791-8720 

Victoria Wilcox, who is the kindergarten lead teacher and math specialist at Marshall Elementary School in Manassas, has been selected as Prince William County’s Teacher of the Year and the recipient of the 2004 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award for the school division.  Other finalists included James Ayers, math teacher at Rippon Middle School; Ginette Cain, ESOL teacher at C.D. Hylton Senior High School; Susan Flores, who teaches a multi-grade sixth through eighth grade class at New Dominion Alternative School; and Jennifer Rhawn, math teacher at Brentsville District High School.  The Prince William County School Board will recognize the winner and the four finalists on April 28.

Victoria Wilcox is described as a remarkable teacher who demonstrates exceptional knowledge, skills, and the ability to instill a desire in children to learn and achieve.  “She has always been a teacher who chose to see opportunities rather than obstacles with students who were not meeting with success,” says Principal Janet Greer.

Wilcox uses innovative methods to help her students grasp difficult concepts, and if one does not work, she will try another.  Her enthusiasm is contagious, says Greer.  Children quickly learn that learning is not a chore, but something exciting and curiosity is always welcome.  Under Wilcox’s tutelage, 98 percent of the third graders who participated in a three-year-long math SOL program demonstrated proficiency on the test. 

Wilcox’s classroom is engaging and students are taught multiple ways to learn.  She is both a math specialist and the math lead teacher. After training in Math Recovery, she and a colleague adopted the “Practice and Learn with Me” program.  This extremely successful program has been shared with other teachers. 

Wilcox has presented at the school division in-services, Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference and at the National Conference for Constructivist Teachers.  She also teaches a college credit course for teachers.

A graduate of University of Texas with a B.S. in Elementary Education, Wilcox received a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education, nursery school through grade two, from the University of Illinois.

As Prince William County’s Teacher of the Year, Wilcox will represent the school division in the Virginia Region IV Teacher of the Year competition.