HOUSTON – Great teachers inspire students and shape their future. That's why ConocoPhillips is teaming up for the second year with the Houston Astros to recognize Houston-area math teachers who go above and beyond to help their students excel.
The ConocoPhillips Math Teacher of the Month program recognizes teachers for their commitment to exceed expectations in support of students in their classrooms. Every month during the baseball regular season, one of the winning teachers will be honored during an Astros home game for their part in helping students excel at math.
“Math proficiency is key to a student’s academic and career success, and we understand the critical role teachers play in students’ mathematical achievement in the classroom,” said Ellen DeSanctis, vice president of Investor Relations and Communications. “That’s why we are pleased to honor Houston-area teachers who help inspire students to succeed both in the classroom and beyond.”
Six recipients were chosen from more than 300 nominees, who were recommended by students, colleagues and principals. An external committee, including representatives from academia and the nonprofit sector, selected the six winning teachers based on their commitment to excellence in teaching; creativity and innovation; leadership skills; traditional and non-traditional teaching tools; ability to go above and beyond to make in a difference in students' lives; demonstrated increase in student mathematical achievement and affinity; and alignment with ConocoPhillips SPIRIT Values.
This year’s recipients demonstrate many outstanding qualities including building student confidence, finding new and creative resources to aid in learning, providing staff development for fellow teachers, and blending traditional with non-traditional tools to capture students’ attention. One recipient, Seven Lakes Junior High math teacher Tanya Castro, uses her marathon running experiences to remind her students that regardless of pace, everyone who attempts and crosses the finish line is a winner.
Each winning teacher will receive awards from both ConocoPhillips and the Houston Astros, including a donation to their school district, gift card to purchase classroom supplies, Astros game tickets, on-field recognition at a pre-game ceremony at Minute Maid Park and tour of the facility.
Last year’s recipients are already putting their awards to use. Terri Walding, a fourth-grade math and science teacher at North Shore Elementary, used part of her award to purchase iPads for her classroom. Students use the iPads to create math and science projects and solve problems through an interactive math program.
“The students are able to increase their knowledge of math as they prepare to take the STAAR test in May,” said Walding. “This helps them improve their skills and review the different material they need to comprehend in order to pass the test.”
Winning teacher’s bios and photos are available at www.conocophillips.com/MathTeacheroftheMonth.
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About ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is the world’s largest independent E&P company based on production and proved reserves. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ConocoPhillips had operations and activities in 21 countries, $30 billion in annual revenue, $97.5 billion of total assets, and approximately 15,900 employees as of Dec. 31, 2015. Production averaged 1,589 MBOED in 2015, and proved reserves were 8.2 billion BOE as of Dec. 31, 2015. For more information, go to www.conocophillips.com.
Contacts
Andrea Urbanek
281-293-3472
andrea.urbanek@cop.com