Celebrating our Exceptional Educators: Teacher Appreciation Week 2022

Our work would not be possible without the backing and commitment of our resilient, innovative, and outstanding educators. With the many challenges these past two years brought our teachers – pivoting to virtual learning, adapting to ever-changing COVID-19 protocols, prioritizing social-emotional learning (to name a few) – they continued to put students first.

For this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week, a time for us to come together as a nation to honor the leaders who educate and prepare our children, NAF would like to highlight five exceptional teachers in our network who went above and beyond to provide high-quality learning experiences for high school students.

Cliff Greer – Academy of Engineering Director, Naples High School (Naples, FL)

Cliff has demonstrated an unwavering passion to provide valuable work-based learning experiences to his students by transforming the image and perception of his academy in his school, district, and surrounding community. In his five years as academy director, he has cultivated a plethora of community partners and tripled the size of their advisory board. All this hard work paid off and culminated in an all-expense-paid trip for students to tour the Kennedy Space Center in Port Canaveral, FL.

“When I give students a legitimate ‘Why’ for an assignment, they are hooked.”

LaKisha Dykes – Academy of Health Sciences Teacher, Skyline High School (Dallas, TX)

LaKisha embodies what it means to be an “all-in” advocate. She frequently volunteers for learning opportunities at Skyline, mentors her peers by sharing the latest best practices, and actively connects her students with local professionals. LaKisha believes that all students have the right to a quality education and the potential to be successful leaders in their community. She frequently exceeds expectations ensuring that her students have the skills to succeed.

“LaKisha has an engaging teaching style and readily tries new strategies, which accommodates her students’ learning needs.” – Mansoureh Tehrani, Educational Consultant, Dallas

Phyllis Wylie – Academy of Hospitality & Tourism Teacher, Skyline High School (Dallas, TX)

Skyline High School is an exemplar of the NAF educational design at work. This educator was pivotal in the opening of their first academy. Ms. Wylie’s dedication serves as an inspiration to new teachers, allowing Skyline to open four more academies. Without Phyllis’ leadership, dedication, and enthusiasm, this school would not offer the robust CTE program they have today – housing five Katherine Blasik Distinguished Academies.

“Phyllis has worked tirelessly from the beginning to make our academy the best program in our school and district.” –  Jose Sologuren, NAF Director, Skyline High School

Michele Halopoff – PAB Academy of Finance Teacher, Porterville High School (Porterville, CA)

Michele teaches in a small farm town that doesn’t offer robust resources, unlike some of NAF’s more urban academies. However, Michele has succeeded in securing strategic community partners to ensure her students have access to work-based learning experiences despite teaching in an under-invested in community. She was instrumental in creating (and sustaining) a student-run store and campus-based credit union, where students gain invaluable internship and work experiences.

“Michele always looks at problems as an opportunity for creative problem-solving.” – Julie White, Fellow Porterville High School Educator

Sara Kroboth – Academy of Finance Teacher, Clark High School (Las Vegas, NV)

Sara Kroboth acts as a pillar for the Academy of Finance at Clark High School. In a time when all teachers are pushed to their limits, she still finds hours to stay late and provide one-on-one tutoring to her students, as well as supervise a litany of clubs. She was instrumental in ensuring that her academy is recognized as a non-profit organization, allowing her students to have access to more resources, support, and opportunities.

“Sara supports our students in all of their endeavors and creates an environment full of creativity and comfort in her classroom.” –  Robin Vitiello, Academy of Finance Director, Clark High School

We would like to thank Cliff, LaKisha, Phyllis, Michele, and Sara for their commitment to educating the next generation of leaders. We invite our network to celebrate educators by liking, commenting on, or sharing their spotlights on NAF’s Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn.