“In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers, and the rest of us would have to settle for something less.”
—Lee Iacocca
The nomination period is open from September 1 through September 30.
Access the nomination form by clicking here.
Thank you for your support of Catholic school teachers!
The Lewis Award is an honor designed to recognize, promote and encourage excellence in teaching in the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Raleigh. In addition to the prestige and public recognition, there are monetary awards presented to the Recipient, the Finalists and the schools they represent.
Although the Lewis Award is scheduled to be presented on an annual basis, an Award need not be granted in a given year if, in the judgement of the Lewis Award Committee, the stipulated criteria of the Award have not been met.
A nominee must:
Personnel whose major responsibilities are administrative or supervisory are not eligible for nomination for the Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. Others who are ineligible include school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, speech therapists, media coordinators, teacher aides and prior Lewis Award Recipients.
Any individual, group, school, parish, etc., may submit nominations. Candidates should have the respect and admiration of students, parents and colleagues, and should play an active and contributing role in the community. As a Lewis Award Recipient serves as an ambassador for the Raleigh Diocesan Schools, the candidate should be poised, confident, articulate and possess the ability to meet people easily.
The two most important qualities a candidate should possess are the ability to form positive relationships and to inspire students to learn, regardless of their backgrounds and/or abilities.
Criteria used for the selection process shall include the following components: application form, classroom observation/interview and such traits of outstanding teachers as subject and related general information knowledge, presentation of material, classroom management, concern for individuals and school and community involvement.
Photos courtesy of:
Dr. John Pendergrass, Catholic Schools Office, Ms. Mandy Howard, The NC Catholic
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Beatriz JiménezThe Lewis Award Committee is pleased to announce that Mrs. Beatriz Jiménez has been selected as the 2017-2018 Recipient of the Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mrs. Jiménez teaches Kindergarten through Fourth Grade Spanish at The Franciscan School in Raleigh. She is in her 44th year of teaching with the last five years at TFS in her current position.
Mrs. Jiménez feels that teachers striving for excellence in Catholic schools should recognize “Christ is our Master, our ‘Maestro’, our Teacher. Teaching is the most noble profession. ‘Go and set the world on fire!’ Be passionate about what you teach your students. Love what you do and, above all, love them.”
In the Award nomination letter for Señora Jiménez, Mike Watson, Principal of The Franciscan School wrote
“Mrs. Jiménez’s initiative and innovation is based on years of experience, and resulted in her creation of [an enhanced] curriculum that raises the level of student engagement… all of this success is accomplished because of [her] Faith and the example she sets for her students… She is a true Catholic School teacher in the way she weaves love of the Faith into all she does in class, the example she sets personally for her students, and the tireless effort she puts in to assure their success.”
Mrs. Jiménez also received letters of recommendation from former students she taught in Florida. Each described the significant impact she had on their lives. Twenty years later one student, now married, has moved to Raleigh and had enrolled his daughter at TFS. He was unexpectedly delighted to find that Mrs. Jiménez would now be his daughter’s Spanish teacher and continue to have an influence on the lives of their family.
Mrs. Jiménez received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Arts in Spanish Literature and doctoral coursework in Spanish Literature from Florida International University.
The Lewis Award will be presented to Mrs. Jiménez at a special Liturgy on April 18 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
