From Harford County Public Schools:
Christian S. Slattery, Sr., vocal music teacher at Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School, was named the 2011-12 Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) Teacher of the Year during a surprise announcement at the Harford County Teacher of the Year Banquet on Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Bayou Restaurant in Havre de Grace.
Board of Education of Harford County President Mark M. Wolkow along with Superintendent of Schools Robert M. Tomback, Ph.D., made the announcement on Thursday evening during the program that included guests County Executive
David R. Craig, members of the Maryland senate and delegation and the county council, as well as school administrators, educators, students, family and friends.
“Each of our ten finalists, including Mr. Slattery, represent the teaching excellence of our more than 3,000 teachers in Harford County,” said Superintendent Tomback. “The commitment these talented educators have to teaching our students is the key to our success in raising academic achievement, and I am very proud of their accomplishments.”
A self-taught musician from the age of eight, Mr. Slattery later realized his fate was to share his passion of music with today’s youth. While studying at West Chester University, he became infatuated with elementary music teaching methods and how to intertwine music with general classroom curriculum. Today, he is an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher, having served in the field in Harford County for nine years, using creative tactics to integrate the music curriculum with general classroom studies on a daily basis. Mr. Slattery’s math songs and raps are well-known in the Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary community.
“Mr. Slattery exhibits the most extraordinary set of teaching skills I have come upon in 30 years in education,” said HCPS Supervisor of Music James E. Boord, II, who nominated him for the award. “He is talented as a performing musician, is creative in both thought and action and, most importantly, connects personally with the children and parents in the Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary community.”
In 2008, Mr. Slattery was one of 80 teachers to receive the prestigious National Milken Educator’s Award. In addition, he was the first music teacher in Harford County to obtain National Board Certification. Mr. Slattery is currently working towards earning a Master of Arts in Leadership in Training from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. He graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education.
Since 2002, Mr. Slattery has been teaching vocal music at Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School. Throughout his career, he has developed innovative techniques in music integration, differentiated instruction and technology integration in the music classroom. He implemented a digital video portfolio assessment that demonstrates student growth over time in essential aspects of the Maryland State Music Curriculum. In addition to his role in the classroom, he serves on the School Improvement Team, the Harford County Elementary Music Curriculum Committee and the Harford County Music Program Committee. He has also mentored several student teachers as well as HCPS colleagues.
“During my many classroom observations of Mr. Slattery, I have witnessed the explosion of excitement for learning, which comes from intentional planning, knowing your students and aligning the curriculum to real-world connections,” said Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School Principal Gwendolyn B. Jones. “His passion for teaching, learning and music have no boundaries or restrictions. His love for teaching is contagious to all!”
As the Harford County Teacher of the Year, Mr. Slattery will receive free use of a brand new 2011 Hyundai Sonata for one year courtesy of Jones Junction, a Dell laptop computer, a watch from Saxon’s Diamond Centers, an engraved globe and a plaque; in addition, he will be awarded many dinner and bank gift certificates, local merchant gift cards and $1,200 from HAR-CO Credit Union provided to all ten finalists.
Mr. Slattery will also compete for the title of Maryland Teacher of the Year to represent teachers across the state as an education spokesperson. The state winner will be announced at the Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala in October.
Visit www.hcps.org for more information on 2011-12 HCPS Teacher of the Year, Mr. Christian S. Slattery, Sr., as well as the top ten Harford County Teacher of the Year finalists.
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