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Each year, Humanities Texas presents awards recognizing and encouraging excellence in teaching the humanities in Texas schools. We hope you have enjoyed getting to know the 2019 winners, whom we have featured in our e-newsletter over the past several months.
Today, we are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 Outstanding Teaching Awards. Over seven hundred teachers from across the state were nominated for this year's awards. During the 2020–21 school year, each winning teacher will receive $5,000 and an additional $1,000 for his or her school to purchase humanities-based instructional materials.
Stay tuned for upcoming features on the 2020 recipients!
2020 Outstanding Teaching Award Winners
James F. Veninga Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award
| Sarah Walker | Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders | Austin |
Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award
| Adrian Reyna | Longfellow Middle School | San Antonio |
Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award
| Elizabeth Carr | South Texas ISD Medical Professions | Olmito |
| Deirdre Doughty | Colorado River Collegiate Academy | Bastrop |
| Patsy Hall | Richland Springs High School | Richland Springs |
| Martha Heidari | Glenn Elementary School | San Antonio |
| Susan Henson | Glenda Dawson High School | Pearland |
| Elizabeth Irish | Durham Intermediate School | Southlake |
| Erika Koenig | Palacios High School | Palacios |
| Patience LeBlanc | Fowler Middle School | Plano |
| Amanda Pfeiffer | Bowie High School | Austin |
| Frances Santos | Travis Early College High School | San Antonio |
| Leah Stephanow | Cypress Woods High School | Cypress |
Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award
| Albert Peinado | Eastwood Knolls International School | El Paso |
Award for Outstanding Early-Career Teaching
| Cora Garner | DeSoto High School & iSTEAM3D | DeSoto |
| Sydney Grice | Ripley House Charter School | Bellaire |
Questions about Teaching Awards
Call 512.440.1991 (press 2) or email ota@humanitiestexas.org.
(From l to r:) Former Humanities Texas Executive Director Michael L. Gillette, 2016 OTA winner Angie Greenlaw, and State Senator Jane Nelson at Greenlaw's award presentation at Flower Mound High School Ninth Grade Campus.
(From l to r:) Dean of Early College at LBJ High School Yesenia Sandoval, former Humanities Texas staff member Marco Buentello, 2017 OTA winner Ana Cristina Martinez, and LBJ High School Principal Armando Salazar at Martinez's award presentation.
(From l to r:) State Senator Larry Taylor, 2016 OTA winner Laurie Wagner, and former Humanities Texas Executive Director Michael L. Gillette at Wagner's award presentation at Rogers Middle School in Pearland.