Lewis Award Committee Announces 2009-2010 Finalists

The Lewis Award Committee has selected the three Finalists for the 2009-2010 Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Finalists are:

• Nancy Cooley, 5th Grade, Our Lady of Lourdes, Raleigh
• Donna Frazelle, Middle School Science, St Mark, Wilmington
• Marilu Morse, 6-8th Religion, Math and Science, St. Paul, New Bern

Mrs. Nancy Cooley

Mrs. Nancy Cooley, fifth grade teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Raleigh, has been teaching for 27 years, 22 of them at Lourdes. She has taught in both public and Catholic schools. Mrs. Cooley is active in her school and civic communities, serving as faculty representative on the Home-School Association Board, and is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She has served on her Parish Council, as advisor to the school Student Council, and is active with the Safety Patrol and recycling programs at Lourdes. She resides in Wake Forest, NC.

Mrs. Donna Frazelle

Mrs. Donna Frazelle, Science teacher for the 6th, 7th and 8th grades at St. Mark School in Wilmington, has over 10 years of teaching experience, 5 of them at St. Mark. Instrumental in initiating, organizing and facilitating development of the 6th – 8th grade athletic program at St. Mark, Mrs. Frazelle has coached girls' volleyball, coed soccer and girls' and boys' basketball. Additionally she organized and planned the annual St. Mark’s Science Fair. Through her efforts, St. Mark has been initiated into the Southeastern Middle School League. Mrs. Frazelle lives in Wilmington, NC.

Mrs. Marilu Morse

Mrs. Marilu Morse, Religion, Math and Science teacher for grades 6th – 8th at St. Paul School in New Bern, has taught for 27 years, the last 20 at St. Paul. Before moving to New Bern, Mrs. Morse taught in several Catholic schools in New England, and was active in Scouting programs, parish affairs and school math and science competitions. In New Bern, she continues her active school, parish and community involvement. With photography as an interest, she is associated with the Coastal Photo Club and serves as an officer in the organization. Mrs. Morse lives in Bridgeton, NC.

During a three-week period in February, Lewis Award Committee members will make unannounced visits to each Finalist’s classroom to observe and interview the Finalist. Three teams of two Committee members each will be scheduled to observe the candidate at different times and different days to afford the whole Committee the best overview of the Finalist. In March, the Lewis Award Committee will meet to elect the Recipient of the 2009-2010 Award for Excellence in Teaching. Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, will be the Presider at a Celebration Liturgy honoring the Recipient in her school’s parish church in late April 2010.

Lewis Award Committee to Name Three Finalists in January

The Lewis Award Committee will name the three Finalists for the 2009-2010 Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching in mid-January. According to Committee Chair Anne Stahel, December is the month when the Committee reviews the packets for each candidate in preparation for the Committee meeting in early January.

“The Diocese of Raleigh is very fortunate to have such committed individuals teaching in its schools. It is a pleasure to read about their love and caring for their students, fellow faculty and others in their communities. To be selected as a Finalist is an honor in and of itself. The difficulty that faces the Committee each year at this time is having to select only three Finalists from a superlative group of educators,” Mrs. Stahel said.

During a three week period in February, the three named Finalists for the Lewis Award will be observed by the Committee members in the classroom setting, followed by a personal interview. The Committee visits in teams of two members each, and visits are scheduled with the intent that each Finalist will be observed on different days and times of day. This allows the Committee to learn about a teacher across the range of his or her classroom day and week.

The Lewis Award Committee meets in early March to elect the Recipient for this year’s Award. Presentation of the Excellence in Teaching Award is scheduled for April 28, 2010. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will preside at a Celebration Liturgy at the parish church of the Recipient’s school. The Award carries an honorarium of $1500 to the Recipient, and $500 to the Recipient’s school in his or her honor.

Lewis Award Nomination Period Closed

Nominations for the 2009-2010 Msgr. Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching are now closed.

"We are very pleased this year to have first-time nominations from several schools, nominations from schools with nominees in past years, as well as schools with nominations each year," said Bill Abel, Secretary to the Lewis Award Committee. "Our thanks go to all for your interest in honoring outstanding individuals in our Catholic Schools."

According to Anne Stahel, Chair of the Lewis Award Committee, the next phase is sending Lewis Award packets to eligible nominees for completion of all components. "The completed candidate questionnaires must be postmarked by December 1, 2009. Copies will be sent to the Award Committee members; and in January, the Committee will meet to select the three Finalists for the 2009-2010 Lewis Award. Three teams of two Committee members each will make unannounced visit s to the classroom and interview all of the Finalists during a three week window in February. The Lewis Award Committee meets in March to elect the Recipient," said Mrs. Stahel. The Recipient will be announced by mid-March.

To view past years recipients, see Award Recipients.