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 serves the educational community in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific, the continental United States, and countries throughout the world. PREL bridges the gap between research, theory, and practice in education and works collaboratively with schools and school systems to provide services that range from curriculum development to assessment and evaluation. 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 has service centers in 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 the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau.
For additional information about this media release or PREL and its work, please contact Javier Elizondo, Director of Communications, by telephone at (808) 441-1300 or by email at elizondoj@prel.org, or visit our website at www.prel.org.
(Posted Wednesday, March 10, 2010)