5 TCTA members among finalists for H-E-B awards

Five TCTA members are among the state finalists for the 2019 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. In May, H-E-B will reveal the six winning teachers, one elementary and one secondary in each of three categories:

• The Rising Star Award — honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience. These winners will each receive a $5,000 check for themselves and a $5,000 grant for their schools.
• The Leadership Award — honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. These winners will each receive a $10,000 check for themselves and a $10,000 grant for their schools.
• The Lifetime Achievement Award — salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers will each receive $25,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools.

The statewide finalists were surprised over the past two months with in-school visits from H-E-B. The TCTA members named as finalists are:

• JoLisa Hoover, a fourth-grade teacher at Reed Elementary in Leander ISD, who has been teaching since 1992 and has been with the district since 2005. She is a Lifetime Achievement finalist for elementary teachers. Hoover has been a TCTA member since 1997 and serves as a TCTA faculty representative on her campus.
• Katherine Miller, a fourth/fifth-grade reading teacher at Cunningham Elementary in Wichita Falls ISD. She is a Leadership finalist for elementary teachers. Miller has been a TCTA member since 2013.
• Karen Naiser, a kindergarten teacher at Bay Colony Elementary in Dickenson ISD. She is a Lifetime Achievement finalist for elementary teachers. Naiser has been a TCTA member since 1983 and serves as a TCTA faculty representative on her campus.
• Ryan Piwetz, a science teacher at Port Aransas High School in Port Aransas ISD. He is a Leadership finalist for secondary teachers. Piwetz has been a TCTA member since 2006.
• David Walker, a science teacher at the nationally recognized Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School in Austin ISD who has been an educator for 10 years. He is a Rising Star finalist for secondary teachers. Walker has been a TCTA member since 2012.

The H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards also honor principals, early childhood education programs and school boards.

Learn more about the program and the 2019 finalists