Teachers Honored by South Shore Foundation Three teachers have been honored as South Shore Foundation Outstanding Teachers for 2005. They are (from left): Beverly Cothran of the Bruno-Pyatt School, Scott Shaddox, and Pam Thomason, both of Omaha Public School. The South Shore Foundation presented the teachers award certificates and gifts of $1,000 each. The winners were nominated by colleagues and selected by a committee of Arkansas State University Mountain Home faculty.

A reading teacher, a school librarian, and a social studies teacher have been chosen the South Shore Foundation Outstanding Teachers for 2005, announced the foundation chairman, Jodie Elizabeth Jeffrey. Each teacher receives a $1,000 award.

Winners are Pam Thomason, fifth-sixth grade reading and social studies teacher at Omaha Public School; Beverly Cothran, librarian and Title I teacher at Bruno-Pyatt Public School; and Michael Scott Shaddox, social studies teacher in grades 7-12, also at Omaha Public School. Winners were chosen by a committee of Arkansas State University Mountain Home instructors from nominations.

Pam Thomason has taught at Omaha Public School for 15 years. The fifth and sixth grade reading and social studies teacher, she began her studies in education in 1975 at North Arkansas Community College, then completed her degree in education at the University of Arkansas in 1980.

A nominator of Mrs. Thomason said she is a good example of teachers who are outstanding but never receive recognition beyond the walls of the school environment in which they teach. She was described as a leader and one who is able to create success among students that might fall through the cracks with other teachers because of her teaching style and desire for excellence. She explained that her students choose books that interest them and participate in a daily reading workshop, writing about everything they read and answering a "question of the day."

Active in Omaha School’s before school (a.m.) tutoring program and coordinator of the middle school spelling bee, Mrs. Thomason has also served on faculty committees and encouraged students to participate in community activities.

Beverly Cothran has taught in the Bruno-Pyatt schools for 13 years. She holds a Master of Science in Education degree from Arkansas Tech University. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Central Arkansas, and she attended North Arkansas College. Her teaching assignments at Bruno-Pyatt have ranged from classroom teacher of fourth, fifth, and sixth grades to schoolwide federal programs coordinator and kindergarten - sixth grade Title I teacher. Federal Title I funding provides services in reading, language arts, and math at schools with high levels of poverty.

Nominators of Mrs. Cothran credit her work in recent years as helping elementary students achieve consistently high statewide assessment scores in reading, math and literacy. At the request of the state Department of Education, she presented to other schools strategies that Bruno-Pyatt used. Her extracurricular activities have included spelling bee and geography bee coordinator, youth leadership sponsor, elementary student council sponsor, and obtaining grants for technology and humanities projects.

Michael Scott Shaddox teaches social studies at Omaha Public Schools, completing his 10th year in that position. He also taught at Springdale and Lead Hill. Shaddox earned his undergraduate degree in education from the University of Central Arkansas after attending North Arkansas Community College and has completed 27 credit hours toward a master’s degree.

A nominator of Shaddox stated that his students have won writing awards in citizenship and democracy and others have won history awards, including a statewide winner in 2002. Shaddox manages his classroom in a professional manner and creates enthusiasm in his students for learning what is, to some, a dry subject - history. A nominator said Shaddox utilizes technology and the media as resources, bringing the world inside the classroom to his students. A good example is his use of the History Channel on television and video presentations that are relevant to today’s students.

For many years, Shaddox’s extracurricular duties extended to the athletic program as director of athletics and coach of various sports, including basketball, golf, track, volleyball, and softball. He headed the Arkansas School Improvement Plan committee two years ago, and received Arkansas Mentor Teacher Certification.

South Shore Foundation is the charitable foundation of Northern Arkansas Telephone Company of Flippin. With an 11- member board of directors consisting of community, education and business leaders from Marion, Boone, and Baxter counties, the foundation supports projects that further education, preserve the environment, and develop the economy. To contact the foundation, call 1-877-SSHORE1 or visit its Web site: www.southshore.com.