The Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation’s third annual Teacher of the Year Celebration on Tuesday was a ballpark hit.
Amanda Hendrix, who teaches English at Bartlesville High School, was honored as the district’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Jayleen Mayes, BHS language arts teacher, received the 2021 Rising Star Teacher of the Year award.
Setting aside the usual glitz and glamour, the foundation hosted a fun pandemic-friendly event at Rigdon Field at Doenges Memorial Stadium. The theme was completed with hot dogs and baseball attire.
Blair Ellis, BPS Foundation executive editor, said the group hosted the event with a Hollywood red-carpet theme the previous two years.
Full list:BPS announces site Teachers of the Year, Rising Stars
“But this year we wanted to move the event outdoors in an effort to prioritize the health and safety of our teachers and guests,” she said.
After a tough year of reimagining school for the pandemic era, the district honored Granger Meador, BPS executive director of technology and communication, with the first COVY award — presumably called that due to the COVID-19 virus — for his ability to meet the challenges of a global pandemic.
“That was a surprise for me — a humorous and hopefully one-time-only award for leading the district’s Pandemic Response Committee since early March of 2020,” he said.
