PSHS
Science Chair Named
State Secondary Teacher of
Year!
October 11, 2005
 Karen
Shepherd, Plano Senior High School Science Department Chair, has
captured the “Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year” title.
Commissioner of Education Shirley Neeley officially announced the
news today, October 11, stating that, in addition to being named Texas
Secondary Teacher of the Year, Ms. Shepherd will be Texas’ nominee
to the National Teacher of the Year Program.
Ms. Shepherd will kick off the announcement this evening (October
11) as she reigns during the Wildcat’s Annual Homecoming Parade.
Step off begins at 6:30 p.m. at Davis Elementary School,
2701 Parkhaven Drive, Plano.
She will also jet to Florida this week for her first
meeting as a member of the national directors' board
for the National Junior Humanities
Symposium. She is the only k-12 educator who was invited
to join the distinguished board, comprising college
and university professors/staff
and scientists, to serve a three-year term.
Commissioner Neeley contacted Ms. Shepherd on her cell phone while
Karen and daughters Nicole and Susan were driving to Galveston during
fall break last week to visit Karen’s parents, Jane and John
Schiller. She said that she burst into tears and her daughters screamed
with delight. Her parents, daughters, husband Troy, colleague Pat
Brown, Principal Dr. Doyle Dean and Area Assistant Superintendent
Tom Salmon will join her at the state recognition ceremony to be held
October 29 in Austin.
At the state ceremony, Ms. Shepherd and Cynthia Lewis, Texas Elementary
Teacher of the Year and bilingual prekindergarten teacher at Whittier
Elementary School in Amarillo ISD, were chosen from a field of six
finalists who were interviewed by a panel of judges that was chaired
by State Board of Education member Dan Montgomery. The two winners
will each receive a $5,000 cash award as the Texas Teachers of the
Year. The additional four finalists and the remaining 34 Regional
Teachers of the Year from throughout Texas will each receive $500.
The cash prizes and other awards will be presented to the teachers
at the October 29 ceremony in Austin.
Karen in the October 11 PSHS
Homecoming Parade
Ms. Shepherd’s earliest connection to teaching began with her
childhood ballet instructor. “As I grew artistically, I came
to love this gentle teacher,” she wrote. Her early experiences
still influence her teaching style. “Like ballet,” she
said, “teaching is a dance. Together, my students and I, plié through
fundamental concepts and pirouette into the wonders of life.” In
fact, Ms. Shepherd called upon her dancing skills to demonstrate for
the state judges her singing/dancing routine she employs to teach
students about cell division. She sings to the tune of the familiar “Grease” theme
song…"I've got cells, they're multiplying..."
A 21-year veteran of the profession, Karen is passionate about teaching
science, as well as the importance of giving back to one’s community. “I
want my students to develop a life-long love of learning in the subject
I teach,” she said. In addition to teaching science, Ms. Shepherd
has sponsored LASER (Learning About Science and Engineering Research)
for 16 years, and for 10 years she promoted the LASER Science Challenge,
which is a day of science inquiry for elementary students from Plano
and surrounding districts.
She also developed an Elementary Science Program that focuses on
bringing science research skills into elementary classrooms. For six
weeks, elementary students work with high school research science
students on scientific inquiry, including different hands-on activities
each week.
She is particularly proud of the program she initiated, entitled
LASER BEAMS (Bringing Early Academic Mentoring in Science), in which
her students mentor Limited English Proficient (LEP) students to bridge
the achievement gap, which Shepherd considers to be an important educational
issue. The goal of LASER BEAMS is “to have all fifth grade LEP
students in the local elementary school plan, design, implement, and
draw conclusions in a science fair format.” Shepherd noted, “These
programs build a sense of community and incorporate the notion – ‘It
takes a village to raise a child.’”
“My parents’ stewardship taught me that life spent in
the service of others is a life well spent,” Shepherd wrote
in her application. In her science research class, she discusses the
importance of making contributions to society.
Ms. Shepherd’s philosophy of education reflects her belief
that “there is no limit on what you can learn about students
and teaching.” She writes that students who are encouraged by
a teacher with a passion for learning and for the students she teaches, “dream
bigger dreams and set higher goals.”
She sees students breaking barriers and demonstrating that they can
all achieve in science, “whether male or female, black or white,
prince or pauper, all students can excel in a career related to science.” Shepherd
challenges her students by presenting them with “an entertaining,
informative, and demanding curriculum.”
 She is excited to see students preparing for the medical and veterinary
fields, law school with emphases on medical science, environmental
science, patent law, engineering, biotechnology “and, thankfully,
science education. I am proud of my students entering business programs,
medical school, and law school, but I savor the moment they say ‘I
want to teach.’” Ms. Shepherd believes educators “must
sell teaching as a career choice. We must continue to entice student
into the profession.”
Karen's influence greatly inspired
young scientist Jimmy Yang, 2005
PSHS Valedictorian, who is pursuing a career in medicine.
She is proud of her colleagues. “Exceptional! Magnificent!
Outstanding! Superior! Amazing! Dazzling! Superb! These are a few
of the superlatives I would choose when addressing educators” about
the wonderful work they do. “Too often, we listen to the media
and begin to think we are failing at our job. We are
not failing! We are succeeding and we are succeeding in a constantly
changing arena
where we must adapt to stay ahead. ”
She continued, “We are the architects of success.” In
her message as the Texas Teacher of the Year, Shepherd wrote, “To
the general public, I would say, please have faith that we are up
to the task. . . Remember, educators care about students and want
to improve their quality of life.” She continued, “Please
become involved in your community. Become an active partner in education;
help fuel the passion for learning that we must instill in our future
leaders. If we don’t, who will?”
Ms. Shepherd has earned a Master of Science from the University of
North Texas and a Bachelor of Science from North Texas State University.
Related Links
E-mail congrats to: kshephe@pisd.edu
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