By Andy Klotz—
Muncie, IN – The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) has selected West View Elementary second grade teacher Kelsey Pavelka as an Outstanding Dual Language Teacher. She is one of just nine teachers in Indiana to receive the award.
“I feel so fortunate to be recognized for doing the thing I love so much, teaching in a dual language immersion classroom,” Pavelka said. “I love the program’s mission and vision, and I’m proud to help children develop the cross-cultural competencies needed to succeed in a multicultural society and global economy.”
AATSP Director Gabriela Coolidge said this is the first year the organization has recognized teachers at the elementary level.
“AATSP Indiana promotes the study and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their corresponding Hispanic, Portuguese-Brazilian and other related literatures and cultures,” Coolidge said. “All recipients of this award were nominated by a principal, colleague or dual language program supervisor.”
Pavelka is in her seventh year of teaching, her third with Muncie Community Schools.
“I’m motivated to advocate for linguistic and cultural equity in the classroom, the school and the district,” Pavelka said. “I do this by disrupting mono-cultural ideologies to uplift multicultural students, their families and their communities.”
West View Elementary honored for Spanish success
The dual language efforts of West View students have caught the attention of Imagine Learning, a Utah-based educational foundation. The foundation has announced West View as one of its 10 winning schools from across the country in its “Knock It Out of the Park with Imagine Español” contest. The awards go to schools for time spent utilizing the program’s game-based motivation system to foster learning and growth. West View will receive a $50 Amazon gift card and admission into the agency’s 2020 Imagine Español Hall of Fame.
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society. Find out more about MCS or Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski at muncieschools.org.
