On May 8, 2009, Dr. Johnson came to Lowery Road Elementary to present Ms. Shawna Messina the award of Teacher of the Year for the Fort Worth ISD. Miss Messina will receive Rangers tickets, Del Frisco's gift certificates, and the use of a Lexus from Sewell Lexus for the entire summer.
Student successes motivate Shawna Messina daily. A strong-willed student needing a challenge became a classroom role model and later earned a trip to the People to People World Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. Another with a reading disability passed the reading TAKS and placed at the Science Fair. Attune to trendy music, fashion and television, Ms. Messina knows what’s “cool,” which keeps lessons lively and helps her understand how students connect popular culture to lessons. Even hobbies link to teaching. A SCUBA enthusiast, she developed units on the ocean and ecosystems. A Sudoku fan, she coached students successfully for math competition. Reading skills last a lifetime, says this teacher, responsible for the 5th grade literacy curriculum. She counts herself lucky. “I truly love what I do.”
Ms. Messina graduated from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and has taught in the Fort Worth ISD for eight years.