The Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce recognized Washougal School District teachers Kelly Chen and Jaymi McQueen as the 2024 Teachers of the Year at their annual awards banquet on June 4, 2024. The two educators bring dedication and innovation to their classrooms at Hathaway Elementary School.
“These two teachers are so deserving of this honor! Jaymi and Kelly are highly valued and respected members of the Hathaway community. They collaborate closely to ensure all of their students are successful,” said Wendy Morrill, principal at Hathaway Elementary School.
It's such an honor to receive this award as there are so many wonderful teachers in our district that are deserving,” said McQueen.
“It has been an honor to work with Jaymi and the staff and students at Hathaway for the last few years. I have also had the privilege to work at other schools in the district throughout my career; Washougal really is a special place,” said Chen.
McQueen and Chen have demonstrated a strong commitment to student learning, leading to a 27% year-to-year increase in student performance on the English Language Arts Smarter Balanced Assessment. This notable improvement is a testament to their dedication to Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
"When I shared the news with my students, they said, 'if you're the teacher of the year, we're the students of the year!' and I absolutely agreed with that," said McQueen.
The two teachers work each week to identify standards, plan lessons, and calibrate interventions based on data they gather. In addition, the team works within the Multi-Tiered System of Support structure at Hathaway to advocate for support for students who need higher levels of support to be successful.
The Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce and Washougal School District commend Kelly Chen and Jaymi McQueen for their dedication and exemplary contributions to enhancing student learning outcomes.