University of Phoenix Little Rock Campus Director, and Simon Intermediate Elementary School teacher, Kathy Powers, present Conway resident, Colleen Stone with a full-tuition scholarship to University of Phoenix. Stone is one of more than 50 educators across the country recognized by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) as a 2011 State Teacher of the Year.
Every day, teachers change the lives of the students in their classrooms. Today, Kathy Powers, a fifth and sixth grade reading/language arts teacher at Simon Intermediate in Conway, will also change the life of fellow Conway resident, Colleen Stone, with a full-tuition scholarship to University of Phoenix.
Stone is one of more than 50 educators across the country recognized by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) as a 2011 State Teacher of the Year. Each year since 1952, students, teachers and administrators have nominated their favorite educators for this award, which is considered the oldest and most prestigious national program recognizing excellence in teaching.
To celebrate these achievements, University of Phoenix is providing every State Teacher of the Year recipient the opportunity to teach forward a full-tuition scholarship. The “Teaching it Forward” scholarship program was created by University of Phoenix in 2009. Teachers who have been selected as the 2011 CCSSO State Teacher of the Year may nominate a fellow educator, community member or high school senior who resides within the educator’s state for a full-tuition scholarship that can be applied to an undergraduate or graduate degree online or at any University of Phoenix local campus.
The 2011 State Teacher of the Year, Powers, has chosen Stone to receive the full-tuition scholarship.
“I am overwhelmed by the generosity of University of Phoenix and its commitment to award a Teaching it Forward scholarship to a deserving student in every state in the nation,” said Powers the 2011 Arkansas Teacher of the Year. “Through this innovative program, University of Phoenix puts vision into action by opening the doors to knowledge through college education, one student at a time.”
Stone, the scholarship recipient chosen by Powers, intends to pursue either a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in accounting or a Bachelor of Science in Psychology “I’m interested in an accounting degree due to my passion for numbers, but working in the psychology field I’ve discovered a real appetite working with at-risk adolescents’ and could foresee myself becoming a case-worker for the state,” said Stone.
Stone currently works full-time as a mental health paraprofessional with at-risk adolescents. Her two children mean everything to her – especially when it comes to teaching them about the importance of education. She challenges her son and daughter on a daily basis; helping them to succeed in problem-solving and pushing them to consistently do their best at everything they do.
“For most teachers, changing a student’s path or opening a new door is the true reward of teaching,” said Dr. Meredith Curley, Dean of the College of Education at University of Phoenix. “The University provides the ‘Teaching it Forward’ scholarships to thank the Teachers of the Year for their dedication by giving them an opportunity to profoundly impact the life of another individual. Congratulations to Kathy Powers for being named Arkansas 2011 Teacher of the Year and to Colleen Stone for being chosen to further her education.”
