Friday's Internet Edition, August 29, 2008.
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| Dr. Brenda Cox, left, principal at C.R. Clements Intermediate School, is presented with a $1,000 check by H.E.B. Prize coordinator Jill Reynolds for being named a finalist in the company’s Excellence in Education Awards. Next to Cox is CCISD Superintendent Dr. Glen Acker, Reynolds and Copperas Cove H.E.B. Store Director Ted Gomez. – Photo by CEDRIC IGLEHART |
Staff writer
- During National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7, H-E-B honored the state’s finest teachers and principals, including Dr. Brenda Cox, principal of C.R. Clements Intermediate School in the Copperas Cove Independent School District.
H-E-B representatives surprised Cox at a school assembly with flowers, cake, a check for $1000, a $2500 school grant and the announcement that she was among the 30 teachers and 15 principals named finalists in H-E-B’s Excellence in Education Awards program.
“I think anytime one of our school administrators or employees receive an honor like this it is a reflection on the school district,” Dr. Glen Acker, CCISD Superintendent said, “We feel like we are very fortunate to have some of the best staff anywhere and when you get recognition like this it just proves us right. We’re very proud of Dr. Cox. She’s an outstanding administrator who loves children.”
Cox has been principal of C. R. Clements Intermediate School since 2002. Prior to that, she had been with the Grand Prairie Independent School District since 1983, working her way up from teacher and coach to principal.
At the top of Cox’s resume, the objective is one sentence that speaks volumes about her philosophy in life. It reads, “To insure that went two roads diverge in the woods, we take the one that puts children first.”
After more than 20 years in education, Cox is still putting children first, “Dr. Cox takes the time to learn all students’ names; she is in the hallway between classes and stops whatever she is doing to speak to students,” Marla Barrick, a reading teacher at C. R. Clements, commented.
Cox is an admired administrator who has made innovative program changes at C. R. Clements, including the Mentoring and Math Development Advisory Program, In School Suspension: A Four Step Process, and Purple Cow: Encouraging Creativity Among Staff Members.
In a letter of recommendation, Acker wrote, “Dr. Cox is a talented and innovative administrator. In just two short years she has taken a troubled campus and moved it to one of the finest in our district.”
Cox is a finalist in the principal category. If she is chosen as a statewide winner at the gala awards ceremony in Austin in June, she will receive $10,000 for herself and a $25,000 grant for her school.
For the first time since its inception in 2001, the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards program is not only honoring teachers, but principals as well. With $420,000 in cash and grants, this is the largest monetary awards program for educators in the state.
Teachers who are finalists each receive a $1000 check and a $1000 grant for their schools. Principals on the finalist list are presented with a $1000 check for themselves and a $2500 grant for their schools. Additionally, 225 semifinalists each receive a certificate signed by H-E-B President Charles Butt and $200 in H-E-B gift cards.
Each finalist will receive an all-expense-paid-trip to Austin in June. They will stay at the Four Seasons Hotel, participate in personal interviews with a statewide selection committee, take part in an educational forum and enjoy a special reception in their honor at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
“Finally, we will host the finalists at a gala awards ceremony on June 11, during which we will announce the nice winners-including three principals and six teachers,” Rogers said. “Each of them will be featured in a terrific video honoring their work with students, and I can attest to the fact that there is rarely a dry eye in the house.”
The grant prize will include three principals-one elementary school, one middle school and one high school. Each will receive $10,000 in cash and a $25,000 grant for their schools.
The six winning teachers will include one elementary and one secondary teacher in each of the three categories.
The Rising Star Award honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than ten years of experience. These winners each receive a $5000 check for themselves and a $5000 grant for their schools.
The Leadership Award honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the field. These winners each receive a $10,000 check for themselves and a $10,000 grant for their schools.
The Lifetime Achievement Award salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers each receive $25,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools.
“It feels great especially to get the money for the school, we can use that.” Cox said, “It was fantastic, the gifts were great.”