Dana Ramey was named Rhode Island's 2010 Teacher of the Year on Wednesday.
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Middletown High School spanish teacher Dana Ramey was named Rhode Island’s Teacher of the Year in a surprise ceremony at on Wednesday that left the educator stunned and brought the crowd to its feet.
Governor Donald Carcieri and Education Commissioner Deborah Gist presented Ramey with the award, which is given to one teacher in the state each year for their efforts going above and beyond for their students.
It’s the second year in a row that an island teacher has been awarded Teacher of the Year honors. Last year, Thompson Middle School science teacher Barbara Walton-Faria took home the prize for her work in Newport.
Ramey, a spanish teacher at Middletown High known to students as Senor Ramey, has been at the school for the past 13 years.
Ramey is a graduate of UMass-Dartmouth and The University of Rhode Island. Among his notable accomplishments: developing a program through which high school students teach Spanish to Middletown 4th graders, and organizing the annual “World Language Fair” at the high school and was recognized as an outstanding teacher when he achieved National Board Certification in 2003.
In addition, he completed a Fulbright Exchange teacher experience in Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico where he taught English. And in 2004, Ramey was instrumental in bringing several award winning administrators from Brazil to Middletown to observe American education and, to this day, a number of those administrators continue to communicate with staff.
“Señor Ramey has had tremendous success in broadening both the language skills and cultural education of his students, while creating a classroom environment that celebrates learning,” said Governor Carcieri. “He is not only an effective and well-loved teacher, he is also a respected leader who is personally invested in advancing foreign-language education. He clearly understands the value of graduating students with a world perspective and ability to communicate with people from other cultures.”
Community involvement is an everyday occurrence for Señor Ramey. He and his family sponsor a family yearly from the Naval War College. His warmth, friendliness and kindness enable our visitors to “settle in” to life in America.
He also serves on the board of the Rhode Island Foreign Language Association and the Northeast Conference for Teachers of Foreign Languages advisory board.
“As one of his students put it, Señor Ramey teaches Spanish not just as a class, but as a new way to interact with the world,” said Commissioner Gist. “He is known for teaching through what he calls immersion experiences: bringing cultural awareness as well as language instruction to the classroom and leading students on homestays in Mexico and Spain. Señor Ramey is an excellent example of a highly effective educator for today. As one parent noted, he is a role model who helps students and families see that we are all citizens of the world.”
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