MRA Awards and Grants

Award Recipients for the Year 2002

The Michigan Reading Association recognizes individuals and agencies that demonstrate outstanding leadership in the field of literacy. Congratulations to the award winners!

Elementary Teacher:
Kathleen Operhall is a Title I Reading Specialist for Logan School in Detroit. Her responsibilities include providing remedial reading and writing instruction to students, focusing in on MEAP grades; working with teachers on improving reading instruction through test analysis and MLPP; testing coordinator and school curriculum leader. She firmly believes that every child can learn. Working with children over the past thirty years has taught her that every student has something special to offer and bringing that 'something special' to light is what Ms. Operhall enjoys most.

Adult Educator:
Anne Greashaber is a Professional Services Instructor in the Adult Transitions Program at Washtenaw Community College. Under her direction, the Washtenaw Community College's GED program has experienced substantial growth. In Ms. Greashaber's twenty-plus years of teaching experience, she has implemented a comprehensive and effective educational program and is constantly searching for new and innovative ways to enhance service delivery. She is an active member of numerous reading councils, including the Michigan Secondary Reading Interest Council.

Administrative:
Pamela Schomaker is Principal at the Merrill Elementary School in Merrill. Along with her title comes many responsibilities: District Title I Director, Reading Recovery Liaison, District Gifted/Talented Director, Readiness Preschool Director, Birth to Five District Rep, and NCA Steering Committee Chair. Ms. Schomaker is a strong advocate in believing that reading and writing must be taught hand-in-hand; she bases her staff's professional development on current research and best practices in both learning and teaching methods.

Teacher / Educator:
Esther Meyers Coleman is presently an Associate Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Graduate Reading Program at Marygrove College. She says a lifetime journey of reading and involvement in literacy activities began for her when she learned to read at approximately two years old. Her current role as Coordinator of the Reading and Literacy Development in the teacher preparation sequence and for the Masters Degree Program in Reading with the Reading Specialist Endorsement requires that Dr. Coleman maintain the integrity of the course offering and to monitor the success of candidates in passing competency tests.

Literacy - Co-Individual:
W. Dorsey Hammond is currently a Professor of Reading, Chair of Education Department at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. Dr. Hammond was a faculty member at Oakland University Department of Reading and Language Arts for approximately thirty years and has worked with countless numbers of undergraduate, masters and doctoral students in the field of literacy. He co-edited the book Early Literacy Instruction for the New Millennium (published by the Center for Improvement of Early Reading Instruction and the Michigan Reading Association).
Sheila Potter is currently the Director of Curriculum Services, Beck Evaluations & Testing Associates, Inc., Pleasantville, NY. Ms. Potter recently retired from the Michigan Department of Education where she directed state K-12 English language arts activities in curriculum, instruction, classroom assessment and teacher education. She has introduced and worked to sustain several statewide literacy initiatives. One such effort has been the integration of the English language arts through the Michigan English Language Arts Framework (MELAF) Project.

Literacy-Agency:
St. Clair Library Literacy Project is a free community tutoring service that began as part of an adult education program in the 1980s. They recognize that literacy is important for adults to hold and maintain jobs, particularly in the literacy of their children and for personal growth and improvement. Their quarterly newsletter is published through the St. Clair County Library to keep tutors and board members up-to-date with Project events, available training, meeting dates, and tutoring tips.

 

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