Teachers of the Year (TOYs) from across the U.S.-affiliated Pacific are gathering in Honolulu as part of the 24th annual Pacific Educational Conference (PEC). The PEC (www.prel.org/pec2007/2007.asp) will take place July 9–12 at McKinley High School. The Pacific TOYs are chosen by their respective departments and ministries of education for their teaching excellence. Corporate sponsorships from Continental Airlines, Harcourt Education International Group, Hawaiian Airlines, and Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) provide the opportunity for the Pacific TOYs to attend the PEC, where they not only pursue their own professional development, but also share their successful teaching strategies with other conference attendees.
This year’s TOYs are: Dr. JoseRose Jyothibhavan of American Samoa, Mrs. Lourdes Innocenty of Chuuk, Ms. Acelia Dela Cruz of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Mrs. Rufina Fejeran Mendiola of Guam, Ms. Jami Muranaka of Hawai‘i, Mr. Alerson Alik of Kosrae, Ms. Christina Orak of the Republic of Palau, Ms. Mayleen Saimon of Pohnpei, Mrs. Kenye Anien of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Ms. Dolores Gurumow of Yap. For more information about the Pacific TOYs, visit www.prel.org/pec2007/toy.pdf
PREL is an independent, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation that works in partnership with the Pacific educational community to provide quality programs and products developed to promote educational excellence, including professional development and educational materials. In addition, PREL administers the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific, 1 of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded through the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. With a commitment to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to develop a strong academic foundation, regardless of circumstances or geographic location, PREL serves the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands, including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), Guam, Hawai‘i, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
For additional information about this media release or PREL and its work please contact Jackie Burniske, Executive Director, Center for Information, Communications, and Technology by telephone at (808) 441-1300 or by email at burniskj@prel.org.
(Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008)