NIE Teacher of the Year announced

Due to his ongoing efforts to enrich the minds of his students with the use of newspapers, Dr. Christopher P. Ochoa, Ph.D.., has received the 2009 Newspapers in Education (NIE) Teacher of the Year Award.
 
Dr. Ochoa, who has been a fifth and sixth-grade teacher at Alice Byrne Elementary School since 2004, was honored Thursday at the Yuma Fun Factory during an award ceremony hosted by The Sun.
 
"NIE educators are innovative and know how to use newspapers in every subject, which makes it so much more fun to learn," said Karen Phillips, NIE manager for The Sun.
 
His system of using newspapers in an enjoyable way to supplement traditional methods of teaching is what led the judges to choose Dr. Ochoa for the award.
 
"He involved the kids with the papers daily," said Allen Zeedyk, The Sun's home delivery manager and one of three judges who selected him for the honor.
 
"He made them take them (the newspapers) home, discuss them with their parents, and then come back and discuss them in class again the next morning. He uses newspapers as a learning tool, not a handout."
 
For the past four out of five years, Dr. Ochoa has been teaching at Alice Byrne. During this time, 90 percent of his students have met or exceeded their grade level in writing, and 100 percent of them have become proficient in English through the course of the school year.
 
Dr. Ochoa's passion for teaching was another reason that made him stand out, Zeedyk said.
  
"The key thing  to me is that he gave up a career as a lawyer, where he probably could have earned a lot more money, because he has a passion for teaching," Zeedyk said.
 
Dr. Ochoa said it is his desire to have a positive impact on his students early in life, before they end up in the legal system he was once a part of.
 
"I enjoy teaching," said Dr. Ochoa. "It is proactive instead of reactive, which would have been the case in the court system. I get to teach my students social skills they can use later in life, and the newspaper is a way to talk interactively with them about ethical issues that confront our society every day."
 
Dr. Ochoa said he was full of emotion after receiving the award.
 
"I feel humble, and a little overwhelmed," said Dr. Ochoa. "I would like to thank the teachers at Alice Byrne for their continuing support. I would also like to thank my students because they work hard. I have high expectations of them and they always try to meet those expectations."
 
Dr. Ochoa said public support for education is essential.
 
"Especially with the funding issues currently facing our school system, events like this show the community has our best interest in mind in terms of education and the welfare of our children." 
 
Dr. Ochoa was picked from a group of 15 nominees by the three judges including Zeedyk, Bob Roeser - Sun Circulation Director, and Barbara Bajo - single copy sales manager.
 
Finalists for the award were Sharon Jones of Pecan Grove Elementary School and Julie Rodriguez of Castle Dome Middle School.
 
The NIE program allows teachers to request newspapers from The Sun at no charge for in-class use. It is designed to get kids interested in current events and to teach them the importance of newspapers, as well as to increase education and literary proficiency in the community. In the past 10 years, Yuma County has gone from 113 teachers requesting 300-plus papers a week to more than 270 teachers requesting about 17,500 papers a week.
  
Phillips estimates that every one of Yuma County's 71 schools uses the NIE program in some way.
 
"Any kid would rather learn from something current and up-to-date than from a textbook that is 10 years old," she said. 

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Nominees for the 2009 Newspapers in Education Teacher of the Year Award:

Brenda Dennis, Palmcroft Elementary School

Ben Franz, Crane Middle School

Felipe Garibay, Gadsden School District

Sharon Jones, Pecan Grove Elementary School

Kerry Morse, Gila Vista Junior High School

David Mount, Kofa High School

Bob Nelson, Woodard Junior High School

Rachel Nickle, Woodard Junior High School

Marsha Nodlinski, Yuma High School

Christopher Ochoa, Alice Byrne Elementary School

Kristine Oviedo, Yuma High School

Vicki Peterson, Rancho Viejo Elementary School

Julie Rodriguez, Castle Dome Middle School

Kevin Weatherbee, Otondo Elementary School