HEB Accepting Nominations for Excellence in Education Awards
Regional independent HEB is once again accepting nominations for its 2010 HEB Excellence in Education Awards, which recognize educators or teachers who have made a difference in the lives of their students and in their community.
The awards program was launched in 2002 in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators as a strong way to support public education in Texas. It’s a personal initiative of HEB CEO and chairman Charles Butt, who implemented the program to highlight the outstanding practices of Texas public schools and celebrate the work of the state’s educators. Since the inception of the program, HEB has awarded over $4 million to more than 1,000 educators and 205 schools and districts across Texas.
All nominees will be sent an invitation to complete an online application form, which gathers additional insights from the nominee to be used for judging purposes. In the online application, nominees will be asked to provide written responses sharing their teaching philosophies, learning experiences, and thoughts on issues facing educators in Texas. The deadline to submit an online application is Jan. 22, 2010.
All completed applications will be included in a regional judging process, with 225 semi-finalists receiving an HEB Gift Card and a certificate of recognition from Butt. Forty-eight finalists, representing five Texas regions, will also be selected during the process and invited to compete on a statewide level for one of 10 HEB Excellence in Education Awards and cash prizes.
Each of the 48 statewide finalists will be notified of their special status during surprise visits to their schools, which will take place between March 22 and April 9, 2010. Each finalist will be awarded $1,000. Teacher finalists will also receive an additional $1,000 for their respective schools, and principal finalists receive an additional $2,500. The eight finalists in the large (5A, 4A) and small (1A, 2A, 3A) school district categories will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.
Finalists will also receive an invitation for an all-expense-paid trip to Houston for the statewide competition and awards ceremony. At the ceremony, 10 grand-prize winners -- two principals, six teachers and two school districts, one large and one small -- will be revealed at a celebratory awards dinner to be held on May 2, 2010.
Each winning principal (one elementary school and one secondary school) will get a $10,000 cash prize and a $25,000 grant for his/her school. The winning large school district will receive a $100,000 cash prize. The winning small school district will receive $50,000.
The six winning teachers will include one elementary and one secondary teacher in each of three categories:
--The Rising Star Award honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience. These winners will each receive a $5,000 cash prize, plus a $5,000 grant for his/her school
--The Leadership Award honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. These winners will each receive a $10,000 cash prize, plus a $10,000 grant for his/her school
--The Lifetime Achievement Award salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers will each receive a $25,000 cash prize and a $25,000 grant for his/her school
San Antonio, Texas-based HEB employs more than 70,000 associates and serves customers in more than 150 communities throughout Texas and Mexico.
The awards program was launched in 2002 in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators as a strong way to support public education in Texas. It’s a personal initiative of HEB CEO and chairman Charles Butt, who implemented the program to highlight the outstanding practices of Texas public schools and celebrate the work of the state’s educators. Since the inception of the program, HEB has awarded over $4 million to more than 1,000 educators and 205 schools and districts across Texas.
All nominees will be sent an invitation to complete an online application form, which gathers additional insights from the nominee to be used for judging purposes. In the online application, nominees will be asked to provide written responses sharing their teaching philosophies, learning experiences, and thoughts on issues facing educators in Texas. The deadline to submit an online application is Jan. 22, 2010.
All completed applications will be included in a regional judging process, with 225 semi-finalists receiving an HEB Gift Card and a certificate of recognition from Butt. Forty-eight finalists, representing five Texas regions, will also be selected during the process and invited to compete on a statewide level for one of 10 HEB Excellence in Education Awards and cash prizes.
Each of the 48 statewide finalists will be notified of their special status during surprise visits to their schools, which will take place between March 22 and April 9, 2010. Each finalist will be awarded $1,000. Teacher finalists will also receive an additional $1,000 for their respective schools, and principal finalists receive an additional $2,500. The eight finalists in the large (5A, 4A) and small (1A, 2A, 3A) school district categories will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.
Finalists will also receive an invitation for an all-expense-paid trip to Houston for the statewide competition and awards ceremony. At the ceremony, 10 grand-prize winners -- two principals, six teachers and two school districts, one large and one small -- will be revealed at a celebratory awards dinner to be held on May 2, 2010.
Each winning principal (one elementary school and one secondary school) will get a $10,000 cash prize and a $25,000 grant for his/her school. The winning large school district will receive a $100,000 cash prize. The winning small school district will receive $50,000.
The six winning teachers will include one elementary and one secondary teacher in each of three categories:
--The Rising Star Award honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience. These winners will each receive a $5,000 cash prize, plus a $5,000 grant for his/her school
--The Leadership Award honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. These winners will each receive a $10,000 cash prize, plus a $10,000 grant for his/her school
--The Lifetime Achievement Award salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers will each receive a $25,000 cash prize and a $25,000 grant for his/her school
San Antonio, Texas-based HEB employs more than 70,000 associates and serves customers in more than 150 communities throughout Texas and Mexico.