NFPA's Teacher of the Year Award is now the Fire And Life Safety Educator of the Year.
Visit nfpa.org for more information and to find out about the 2008 winner.

Past Winners..
2007 Teacher of the Year
Vanita Krouch and Jeff Malkowski from Farmers Branch, Texas were the 2007 Teachers of the Year. The team has been teaching Risk Watch for two years at the Janie Stark Elementary School. Both are physical education teachers who team teach the program in their kindergarten through grade 5 classes.

Risk Watch lessons are taught each month. Each session begins with a sit down discussion, first asking for prior knowledge, and then reviewing and teaching the Risk Watch materials. In most lessons, a demonstration using students and various materials to visually show different situations are included.

"After working with this team for two years, and seeing first hand the excellent job they are doing with their students, I cannot think of anyone more deserving of NFPA's Teacher of the Year Award. The obstacles overcome each day in the classroom, the love for teaching they display, and the caring they show their students in life and safety are just a few reasons why they should receive this award." -- Wendi Kimpton, Risk Watch Champion, Farmers Branch Fire Department

"Teaching Risk Watch makes us so much more aware of the dangers children face on a daily basis. As teachers, we have a golden opportunity to teach children to become more informed about the dangers of unintentional injures and how to avoid them. As children we did not have a program like this. We discuss stories from the news and talk about injuries that happen in the world where families are not being safe".

"We teach Risk Watch on a personal and daily level. We do the main sit down lessons once a month, but we also reinforce things daily with the kids. We have morning and afternoon bus safety duty and we observe the kids practicing safe bus rules daily! There are many times were we see and hear the kids correcting one another when they observe someone not following a safety rule taught in Risk Watch. It is encouraging to see them reinforce and help each other rather than a teacher bringing it to their attention!" -- Vanita Krouch and Jeff Malkowski.
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Lesson plan: Tag for safety
Lesson plan: Secure your safety belt

2006 Teacher of the Year

Tina Dotson from Asheville, North Carolina was named the 2006 Teacher of the Year. Dotson, a first grade teacher at the Oakley Elementary School, has made the Risk Watch program an integral part of her teaching because she believes in the importance and ability to protect her students and their families.

Mrs. Dotson stresses the importance of bringing the messages home to parents and has even provided a CPR workshop for interested parents. Many parents have commented that the lessons learned will make a lasting impact on their children -- and in many cases, they are learning along with their children.

Tina Dotson's winning lesson plans.

2005 Teacher of the Year

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

"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.

"Teaching Risk Watch has also helped me learn about the many resources that are available in the community to help students learn safety."

See Mrs. Sparks Hazards Around Our Homes lesson plan.


2004 Teacher of the Year

The 2004 NFPA “Teacher of the Year” , Amy Hein, is 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'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.


2003 Teacher of the Year

The winner of the 2003 NFPA “Teacher of the Year” Award was 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.
 
2002 “Teacher of the Year”

The winner of the 2002 NFPA “Teacher of the Year” Award was 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.

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.

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.