Announcing the winners of the 2015 Envisionary Educator Awards

An “envisionary” is a teacher who motivates their students to excel, challenges them to think outside the box, inspires them to pursue their passion and primes their students for future success. This year, we are pleased to announce our first Envisionary Educator Awards for teachers who display these characteristics. Students across the nation submitted their nominations and after careful review, Envision is thrilled to announce they have chosen five outstanding educators to each receive a $1000 classroom grant to continue to make a difference. Without further ado, here are our 2015 Envisionary Educator Award winners!

Michelle Bellinger, Ph.D.

Physics and Engineering Teacher

Academy of Aerospace & Engineering; Hartford, CT

Dr. Michelle Bellinger is on the faculty of Physics and Engineering at the Academy of Aerospace & Engineering and the Greater Hartford Academy of Math & Science. Dr. Bellinger teachers various physics and science classes and also founded a group called “Women in Science and Engineering”, to expose female students to women in the STEM career community through lunchtime “steminars”. She is also a faculty advisor of the “Physics Club” at the academies. In her spare time, Dr. Bellinger enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.

“Regardless of whether you initially excel or struggle, she will always be there for you. Her interaction with, sympathy for, and belief in her students lead me to believe in her as strongly as she believes in me and us her students. " – Nina E., Student Nominator

Mike Lemons

Coordinator of the Mass Communications Department

Lewis & Clark Community College; Godfrey, IL

Mike Lemons has been a teacher at Lewis & Clark Community College for twenty years where he also serves as President of the Lewis & Clark Faculty Association. He is the WLCA Station Manager and Coordinator of the Mass Communications Department, has six years of experience in large market radio sales and management, and is the recipient of the 2011 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award. Mike often motivates students by saying “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react,” a mantra that he believes in and tries to instill in his students. For Mike, the greatest aspect about being a teacher is having the opportunity to learn from his students and much as they learn from him.

“When I started the program I was extremely antisocial, and one day Mike brought me into his office and he told me, “I was cheating myself, the University and him, and most importantly the younger students that look up to me.” I saw what he meant and I started applying myself and the offers and opportunities started coming…None of which have been possible if it weren’t for Mike Lemons.” – Virgil L., Student Nominator

David Lorentz

Religious Studies Teacher

St. Ignatius College Preparatory; San Francisco, CA

David Lorentz fell in love with teaching after an assignment led him to East Los Angeles where he realized that “kids off the street” needed non-traditional teaching methods to keep them motivated. “Brother” Dave was not only a classroom teacher, he was a compassionate mentor, going above and beyond duties of the classroom to ensure his students got the support they needed. As much as he enjoyed teaching, David wanted to be more than that: an educator. He became an ordained priest and continued growing as an educator and a minister, and fifteen years later began his career at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in 1976 where he continues to work today. He has a wife and five sons, two of which are high school teachers.

“It’s our turn to change the world. As a student of Mr. Lorentz, I recognized early in his class that he wants us to view the world differently. Mr. Lorentz inspires his students to take an interest in wanting to be better people and make the world a better place. Each day provokes us with new visions and new thoughts about how to make our small and larger communities better.” – Emily C., Student Nominator

Katherine Peeples

Gifted Education Specialist

Spotsylvania County Public Schools; Fredericksburg, VA

Kate Peeples began her teaching career in 2004, after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She also earned a Master of Education degree in Special Education from Elon University in 2009 while continuing to teach full-time. After eight years of service in her home state of North Carolina, she relocated to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she has worked for the last three years as a Gifted Education Specialist. Ms. Peeples is also currently working towards her PhD in Gifted Education at the University of Virginia's prestigious Curry School of Education. Ms. Peeples has had the privilege of working with 35 gifted & talented 8th graders for three years, and she is going to miss them terribly next year!

“She didn’t just teach us about commas, prepositions, and clauses; she introduced us to the world of creativity. By teaching us ways to use our skills in our academics, she opened a door for me through my love for writing. Through the support and guidance of Miss Peeples I was able to complete something that I consider to be one of my greatest accomplishments, writing a book.” –Deeptha B., Student Nominator

Tameira Wilson

History Teacher & Academic Coordinator

Aspen High School; Aspen, CO

Tameira Wilson has been a social studies teacher at Aspen High School for twelve years, where she continues to share her love and passion for learning by teaching U.S. & World History, IB Global History, and Leadership. She believes the greatest gift you can give young people is the ability to think for themselves. In her spare time, she loves experiencing the great outdoors with her husband and two children.

“If you have ever experienced that joy and excitement over learning something new, then you can understand how I feel almost every day in Tameira Wilson’s history class. Ms. Wilson’s zeal for learning and encouraging her students to want to learn permeates every lesson. Not only is Ms. Wilson passionate about the subjects she teaches, but she cares about the student as a whole. The activities we participate in challenge us to be better students, listeners, learners, writers, readers, leaders, and overall better people who will be prepared to change the world for the better when we leave high school. ” – Elizabeth D., Student Nominator

Once again, congratulations to our 2015 winners!