University of Wyoming College of Education Spring 2019

Chris Bessonette celebrates
with his students after
being named a Milken
Educator Award recipient.
PHOTO BY MILKEN FAMILY
FOUNDATION
even recently participated in a long-term research project on
vocabulary instruction with College of Education Associate
Professor Patrick Manyak.
“I am inspired by challenges,” says Bessonette. “In my
classroom, I challenge all my students to believe in themselves
and to use their background as a source of pride and motivation.
I am inspired to close the achievement gap between minority and
disadvantaged students and their white peers in my classroom
while challenging all students to learn as much as possible.”
In Data She Trusts
Shirey currently is the principal of Pinecrest Academy Horizon
elementary school in Henderson, Nev. Her data-driven
efforts there have resulted in the school being named the Best
Elementary School and Best Charter School in the Las Vegas
Review Journal’s annual poll. She also earned a 100 percent
satisfaction rating in the school’s semiannual survey of staff and
families.
“It is an incredible honor to receive the Milken Educator
Award, and I am thrilled to join this group of educators.
Educating children is a tremendous calling, and it is humbling to
know that somebody noticed the work that I was putting in to
help our students succeed. I became an educator because I wanted
to impact lives and make a difference in the world,” says Shirey.
One example of her dedication occurred last year when the
team noticed fifth-grade student performance at Horizon
wasn’t up to par. To combat this, Shirey and her team used data
to shift class schedules, teacher assignments, curriculum content
and pacing in order to improve performance. The solution
worked and within six months the fifth-graders at Horizon
showed the highest growth and improvement out of all four
Pinecrest campuses.
“We make our school a happy place with high expectations
for behavior and academics, and we celebrate everyone’s success.
We provide all the support we can to make the teachers’ days
easier so they can focus on the work of teaching. The students
are surrounded by teachers who never give up on them and
keep pushing them to succeed,” says Shirey.
Shirey has written grants that contributed over $3 million to
benefit students throughout the Pinecrest system. This money
has been used across Pinecrest campuses to improve technology,
aid in the implementation of a blending learning model and
fund social workers to support the students.
Shirey is always looking to expand her abilities to lead
and advocate for teachers. She participated in the Public
Education Foundation’s Executive Leadership Academy, earned
a leadership certificate from Georgetown University and
attended the Doral Academy Leadership Institute. She has also
presented at the National Charter School Conference and the
Charter School Association of Nevada Conference.
DEDICATED ALUMNI RECEIVE
MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARDS
By Jason Harper
Forty educators throughout the nation were honored as
2018-19 Milken Educator Award winners. Two of those
awarded, Chris Bessonette, M.A. curriculum and instruction
’11, and Wendy Shirey, B.A. elementary education ’00, are UW
College of Education alumni. The awards, dubbed the “Oscars
of Teaching” are one of the highest honors bestowed upon
classroom teachers and educators across the country, and each
comes with an unrestricted $25,000 check.
A Voice for English Language Learners
Bessonette an English language arts (ELA) teacher at Teton
County School District’s Munger Mountain Elementary
School in Jackson, teaches in a dual-language-immersion
(DLI) classroom with a partner Spanish-language teacher. This
approach puts English language learners (ELLs) and native
English speakers in one classroom so both
groups can support each other’s language
and vocabulary development.
“I see being a Milken Educator as an
opportunity to engage in educational
conversations to a greater degree. That
being said, providing the best education
I can for the kids in my classroom will always come first,”
says Bessonette.
An advocate for DLI education, Bessonette has championed
the program at the Teton County School District by serving
on the school’s ELA committee, dual-immersion leadership
committee and building leadership committee. The district
turned to his expertise to guide the discussion when exploring
the expansion of the DLI program to other schools in the
district. Data presented by Bessonette helped the district to
decide to open the first dual-immersion elementary school in
Wyoming last year.
The effects of his leadership are felt statewide. Bessonette
supports his peer teachers by leading professional development
and participating in learning communities.
He conducts research and presents at conferences, including
the UW-sponsored Wyoming English as a Second Language
Conference. Bessonette and other second-grade staff members
Wendy Shirey speaks
to her school after
being named a Milken
Educator Award
recipient.
PHOTO BY MILKEN
FAMILY FOUNDATION
10 • Education@UWYO Spring 2019 Education@UWYO Spring 2019 • 11