Ellensburg teacher wins regional honor

ELLENSBURG -- For Tracey Schepman, teaching isn't a profession, it's a calling.

"I am one of the lucky people," said Schepman, 53, a second-grade teacher at Valley View Elementary in Ellensburg. "I get to wake up every day and do what I love to do, and I'm pretty happy about that. Teaching is all I've ever wanted to do. Ever."

On Tuesday, Schepman was named as the 2010-11 Regional Teacher of the Year by Education Service District 105. She was one of eight teachers considered for the award and is now one of 10 candidates vying for the state title.

The winner will be announced Sept. 27 by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in Seattle.

"It's a great honor," said Schepman, who is married with two grown children. "It's an amazing honor."

In 1990, the district hired Schepman as a substitute teacher and educational assistant, which enabled her to work with developmental kindergarten and preschool students. In 1993, she became a special education teacher for Valley View Elementary, and in 2003 she became a second-grade teacher.

This past spring, she was named Teacher of the Year for the Ellensburg School District.

Reading from what staff and a five-member selection committee wrote about Schepman, ESD Superintendent Steve Myers described her as highly effective, an advocate for early childhood education and a mentor to new teachers.

At Valley View Elementary, she frequently writes and directs the school's Christmas program. She helped the school receive grants, including one that funded the mounting of ceiling projectors in 20 classrooms. She also led a staff development program in writing.

At the community level, Schepman has served as secretary for six of the past seven years on the Kittitas County Head Start/Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program Board of Directors. She's also a member of the Council for Learning Disabilities, the Ellensburg Education Association and the Valley View Elementary Parent-Teacher Association.

Mike Nollan, former principal of Valley View Elementary, said Schepman deserves the title of Regional Teacher of the Year. Not only is she an extraordinary teacher, he said she inspires everyone who works with her.

"I learned right away that she was one of those teachers I listened to," he said. "She has a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge. ... It's a real joy to be able to work with her."

The other candidates for Regional Teacher of the Year were Cece Badda, K-12 physical education and 7-12 art and health, Easton School District; Suzanne Carney, K-4 reading/librarian, Selah School District; Matt Christensen, middle school industrial technology career/technical education, Yakima School District; Krista Goudy, preschool, Toppenish School District; Paula McCracken, sixth-grade math, and Joyce Stark, high school science, both Sunnyside School District; and Berneta Wilson, middle school physical education, Naches Valley School District.

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.