Smiling faces of about 50 students sitting together in red-upholstered auditorium seating with the text "Learning and Achievement for All" superimposed over the photo

Seventy-three student participants in the PWCS Growing Our Own (GOO) Teachers program and their teacher leaders from C.D. Hylton, Charles J. Colgan Sr., Gainesville, Osbourn Park, Patriot, Woodbridge, and Unity Reed High Schools traveled to Richmond to participate in the annual Educators Rising® Student Leadership Conference and Competitive events.

Congratulations to the following students who received a first, second, or third place award. First- and second-place winners are eligible to represent PWCS and the state of Virginia at the Educators Rising® National competition that will be held in Orlando, Florida, in June.

From C.D. Hylton High School (Katharine Jackson, teacher leader) 

First place:

  • Kaydence Costello, JV* (Lesson Planning & Delivery Arts)
  • Lyla Barninger & Ava Cantu, JV* (Children's Literature K-3)
  • Ezekhiel Miller (Exploring Non-Core Subject Careers)

Second place:

  • Natalya Barnwell, JV* (Exploring Non-Core Subject Careers)

From Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School (Lori Pawlik, teacher leader) 

Second place:

  • Brooke Worth (Impromptu Speaking)
  • Lauren Crawley (Creative Lecture TED Talk)
  • Valeria Alberdi Fernandez (Teacher-created Materials)

From Gainesville High School (Mindy Warmbrunn, teacher leader) 

First place:

  • Joy Park, Kylie Drewry, Olivia Ross (Inside Our Schools)

From Osbourn Park High School (Christina Mullins and Mattea Edwards, teacher leaders)

First place:

  • Lena Gooden and Dyhemia Cummings (Children's Literature, K-3)
  • Suhaima Sajjad, Zeinab Metawea, Zahra Haque, Saman Fatima (Researching Learning Challenges)

Third place:

  • Ryan Dinardo (Educators Rising Moment)
  • Audelina (Emma) Rubio-Argueta (Lesson Planning & Delivery-Arts)
  • Abigail Alvarado-Nino and Iliana Gonzalez (Children's Literature Spanish)
  • Kimberly Rivas (Interactive Bulletin Board)

*JV indicates students in the ninth or 10th grade who participated in Educators Rising® at the junior varsity level.

"The Department of Human Resources values the Growing Our Own Teachers program. Working collaboratively with our high schools, the teacher recruitment team identifies, recruits, and mentors current PWCS students who after college hopefully commit to PWCS classrooms as teachers," said Kelli Stenhouse, coordinator for the PWCS Growing Our Own Teachers Program.

“Students are identified by school counselors, principals, teachers, parents, and athletic coaches for participation in these programs. All GOO participants who enroll in post-secondary teaching programs will be offered a PWCS internship and student teaching opportunities, along with ongoing professional development. For school year 23-24, 11 high schools in PWCS will offer the Growing Our Own Teachers Program. It is a commitment of the strategic plan that by 2025, this initiative will be expanded to all high schools with the goal of increasing the rich diversity of our certified workforce from its current state of 26% to a minimum of 30% to better reflect our communities.”

Educators Rising®, with affiliate chapters in 50 states and at the national level, is a career and technical student organization available for middle school, high school, and college students to join through clubs at their school. It offers students professional learning opportunities, annual conferences, and access to a state-of-the-art social networking website. Educators Rising clubs are active in most PWCS high schools for students in grades 9-12 and the program continues to grow each year.

The PWCS Growing Our Own Teachers program supports and mentors high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in education. Among its advantages is the facilitation of the Virginia Teach for Tomorrow (VTfT) courses available to 11th and 12th grade students. VTfT is monitored through the Virginia Department of Education. Students explore the teaching profession and experience the classroom as they become acquainted with teachers and teaching on a personal and professional level, including a brief internship in a classroom setting.