With only one year under her belt in Parkway, English Teacher Taylor Rose was nominated for the 2018 Albert award.

The Albert award is a Parkway commendation award that applies to new teachers in their first through fifth year in the classroom. One teacher from each level (elementary, middle and high school) receive the award.  The award was named after Dr. Al Burr, who was a teacher, coach and the first principal of West High.

“To be honest, I was unaware of the existence of the award until a few months before nominations were submitted,” Rose said. “Years ago, my dad attended Parkway West when Dr. Burr was the principal, and they had a very close relationship. Because of how high my dad has always spoken about Dr. Burr, I had known of him for years; however, I didn’t know that the award existed to applaud teachers who are new to Parkway. This made the nomination even more special and exciting–I was not expecting it in the slightest.”

Rose believes connecting with her students was the greatest contributor to her being nominated.

“I am truly passionate about making relationships with my students alongside challenging them academically,” Rose said. “I strive to be my students’ biggest cheerleader while being relentless in always trying to provide them with the most individualized and effective instruction.”

Any Parkway staff member can nominate a teacher for this award. Rose was nominated by High School Interdisciplinary Curriculum Coordinator Erin Croley, West High School Head Principal Jeremy Mitchell and Assistant Principal Corey Sink. The nominators wrote a letter of recommendation and sent it to to the Parkway Alumni Association for review.

“Ms. Rose was nominated by a group of people both within West High, as well as outside of our building and was nominated as she is an excellent instructor who works to meet the individual needs of her students,” Mitchell said.

According to Sink, Albert Award nominees are teachers who focus on helping all kids, are learning innovators, are willing to take risks and are contributors to the school community.

“Ms. Rose exceeds all expectations for a teacher who is just in her second year of the teaching profession.  She is highly student-centered, has a good understanding of best practice instructional strategies, and is well-versed in the English curriculum,” Sink said. “ Ms. Rose’s passion and concern for her students is one of her greatest attributes.”

The award winners are honored at the Parkway Appreciation Evening in April and at the Hall of Fame celebration in November, each receiving a plaque and a prize of $1000. The 2018 Albert Award winner was Central High social studies teacher Stephanie Baker.

“While it would have been amazing to win the overall district award, the fact that I received the nomination from West has been unimaginably humbling,” Rose said. “I truly am still in shock and could not be more excited or thankful.”