OnPoint Community Credit Union has announced its Educator of the Year award winners. Tori Sharpe, a teacher at Skyview High School in Vancouver, was named the 9–12 Educator of the Year. As a winner, she will have her mortgage paid for one full year, and a $2,500 donation will be awarded to Skyview for resources and supplies.
The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education is an annual award that recognizes educators throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington for their exceptional work to inspire students and positively impact their schools and communities. Currently celebrating its 10th year, the campaign has awarded more than $365,000 in prizes to over 275 local educators and schools.
“Even beyond their direct work with students, inspiring and innovative teachers have a positive impact on our entire community,” said OnPoint Community Credit Union President and CEO Rob Stuart. “We have a rich history supporting educators, having been founded by 16 schoolteachers more than 85 years ago, and the OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education is one way we showcase the exceptional work they continue to provide today.”
As an English, AVID and ELL teacher at Skyview, Sharpe strives to create mutual respect among her students. She empowers her students to share their needs, assess their own learning and display their knowledge in the way that is best for them. She utilizes international exchange, videos, music, pop culture, traditional essays, reading, classroom collaboration and presentations as creative teaching tools. A few of the projects Sharpe’s students have completed include six-word memoirs, a “This I Believe” speech unit and a Edgar Allen Poetry Off. She works to build community inside and outside her school by facilitating volunteer opportunities at the Vancouver Bike Parade and Randall Children’s Hospital.
