The recipient of the 2005 Teacher of the Year Award is Tracy Sparks, a fourth grade teacher at the Marion Intermediate School in Shelby, North Carolina.

When teaching Risk Watch lessons, Mrs. Sparks makes sure every child knows how to test a smoke alarm, fasten a bike helmet, and buckle a life jacket.

She also makes it a top priority to have students bring the lessons home with them. To motivate her students she tells her class, "We're on a mission." Mrs. Sparks sends her student's home with different safety missions.

One mission was to locate all smoke alarms in the home and test each one. Parents then needed to sign off saying the alarms were located and tested. As a result of this "mission," several students reported having dead or missing batteries. Seven students reported having no smoke alarms. As a follow-up assignment, the students had to write a letter to their parent's explaining why they should purchase smoke alarms. Every student in Mrs. Spark's fourth grade class now has working smoke alarms in their home.

"Risk Watch is fun. My class never complained when I asked them to get ready for our Risk Watch class. Often, they didn't want me to stop the lesson when it was time to change classes. Using the program has also helped open my eyes to hazards that I never thought of before," said Mrs. Sparks. "Teaching Risk Watch has also helped me learn about the many resources that are available in the community to help students learn safety."

Tracy Sparks will receive an expense paid trip to The 4rd Annual Risk Watch Champion Conference in November 2005, where she was presented her award. She will also receive a selection of NFPA educational materials.

See Mrs. Sparks Hazards Around Our Homes lesson plan.

Photos: Student's from Mrs. Spark's 4th grade class having fun with Risk Watch.

About the Award...

Let’s celebrate teachers! Teachers are key to the success of NFPA’s programs. That’s why NFPA’s “Teacher of the Year” Award is so important. It gives teachers the recognition they
deserve for playing the lead role in making kids and their families safer.

In 1996, NFPA developed the "Teacher of the Year" award program to recognize teachers who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in the use of Risk Watch or Learn Not to Burn. The award is co-sponsored by NFPA and the family of Rhea Reiss, a longtime advocate for safety education, and wife of past NFPA Board Chair Martin Reiss. Download the award guidelines. Stay tuned for the 2006 application.

Past Winners...

2004 Teacher of the Year

The recipient of the 2004 NFPA “Teacher of the Year” Award is Amy Hein, a first grade teacher at the Hickory Bend Elementary School in Glenwood, IL.

"The Risk Watch objectives can be reviewed constantly, as students are faced with safety challenges on a daily basis! I feel proud to be a Risk Watch teacher, and realize that I am providing my students and their families with priceless knowledge that will help guide their decision-making throughout their lives, " said Teacher of the Year, Amy Hein.

An educator since 1998, Amy first began teaching NFPA's Learn Not to Burn® program before working with the IL Champion Management Team (CMT) to implement Risk Watch in 2001.

Amy is a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and is adamant about providing parents with information on the importance of child safety seats. In fact, Amy's teachings were responsible for a documented 2003 NFPA "Save" involving one of her students. To date, she has personally installed 98 car seats. The user rate in her classroom has improved to 76%.

See Amy's winning lesson plan on playground safety.

NFPA's 2003 Teacher of the Year

The winner of the 2003 NFPA “Teacher of the Year” Award is Rae McMullen, a third and fourth grade teacher at the Chris Akkerman Elementary School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

“Risk Watch is the only program that I have ever encountered that addresses "life as a child". Children have to make decisions regarding their personal safety each and everyday. They make many choices subconsciously that can have ever lasting effects on their lives. Risk Watch enables children to reflect on their choices and provide them with the knowledge and experience to make safe choices,” said McMullen.

NFPA's 2002 “Teacher of the Year”

The winner of the 2002 NFPA “Teacher of the Year” Award is Michele Clayton, a first grade teacher at Leland Street Elementary School in San Pedro, CA.

Michele has developed activities such as “Sparky® Says” and the “Safety Spin” for her first grade students. These innovative activities help students demonstrate their knowledge learned from Risk Watch in a fun way. She has also developed a “Go Fish” game where students identify and select Risk Watch vocabulary and safety pictures.

NFPA's 2001 "Teacher of the Year"

The winner the 2001 NFPA "Teacher of the Year" Award was Connie Rowden, a second grade teacher at Cirby School in Roseville, CA.

As one of Roseville Fire Department's pilot teachers for Risk Watch, Connie has been teaching the program since 1999. Her classroom is a mix of English and Spanish speaking children, creating an added challenge. Connie works hard to ensure that the injury prevention games and lessons she develops benefit both groups of children. The walls in her classroom are filled with pictures of the injury prevention messages covered in Risk Watch -- created by her students.

NFPA's 2000 "Teacher of the Year"

The recipient of the 2000 "NFPA Teacher of the Year" award was Michael Jordan, a seventh and eighth grade teacher at Walt Morey Middle School in Troutdale, OR.

As one of the Gresham Fire Department's pilot teachers for the Risk Watch program, Michael created innovative ways to teach the hard to reach age group of seventh- and eighth-graders. He also turned students into Risk Watch safety advocates by having them present safety skits and safety book presentations to elementary school students.

For more information about the NFPA "Teacher of the Year" Awards, call NFPA's Public Education division at (617) 984-7269.