Making IT Happen is an internationally recognized awards program for educators and leaders in the field of educational technology integration in K–12 schools. The program identifies and rewards educational technology leaders around the world for their commitment and innovation. The program is coordinated by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
In 2015, VSTE recognized two Virginia educators with this important award:
Janet Copenhaver is the Director of Technology and Innovation in the Henry County Public Schools. Copenhaver has worked for the Henry County Public School system for 21 years. Her untiring dedication to the students of Henry County has helped make the school division a leader in emerging technologies. She has received a variety of recognitions for her work and has traveled throughout the United States presenting at conferences and helping other school divisions.
Prior to her retirement, Dr. Mano Talaiver was the Director of Longwood University's Institute for Teaching through Technology & Innovative Practices (ITTIP). She has worked to bring emerging technologies, STEM learning, online learning, teacher professional development to school divisions with a focus on broadening the participation of low-income, rural and minority communities in computing and STEM. She continues her work as part of ISTE's Verizon Mobile Learning Academy.
You can learn more about the award and previous Virginia winners here.
Dr. Helen Crompton is the 2015 Outstanding Leader of the Year. Dr. Crompton is an assistant professor of Instructional Technology in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Old Dominion University. She has dedicated her life to improving educational technology at all levels: local, state, regional, national, and global. Locally, Dr. Crompton has brought K-12 and university educators together. In collaboration, both practitioners and scholars have worked to ensure that our future teachers go out into the Commonwealth, and beyond, prepared with the technological knowledge, skills, and tools they need to educate 21st century children. Globally, Dr. Crompton is working with two divisions of the United Nations to educate the public regarding the benefits of educational technology. Dr. Helen Crompton works tirelessly to enhance the lives of learners at all levels. She is an outstanding advocate for educational technologies and is an outstanding candidate for this award.
Kim Harrison is the 2015 Innovative Educator of the Year. Kim is an Instructional Technology Specialist based at Indian Lakes Elementary School in Virginia Beach. Kim is truly an innovator. She has a passion for sharing virtual environments and was the innovator behind Virginia Beach City Public Schools bringing Minecraft into the elementary classroom. Kim has shared her passion for bringing Minecraft into the elementary classroom in her school, throughout the division (through division-wide professional development courses), and across the state of Virginia (as she serves as Chair for VSTE's new Virtual Environments Professional Learning Network and leads sessions at the VSTE conference each year). Another pet project is VSTE Island in Second Life. She can always be found "in world" leading a book study, modeling to a newbie how to walk around (as opposed to appearing as a floating head), or just hanging out. Kim is always ready to jump in and answer any questions from those of us who "just don't get it!" Kim’s passion for this technology and dedication to bringing this awesome new technology to her young students impresses all who know her.
The 2014 VSTE Teacher of the Year is Daniel Nemerow, a math and special education teacher at Patriot High School (Prince William County Schools).) In his 11 years of teaching, Daniel has proven to be an exemplary model for the seamless implementation of emerging technologies in the classroom. His singular focus is always on creating the best possible 21st century learning environment for his students. He regularly inspires his fellow educators to reach beyond their comfort level to implement technology in their classrooms. Congratulations, Daniel!
The 2014 VSTE Leader of the Year is Janet Copenhaver, Director of Technology at Henry County Public Schools. Janet has worked tirelessly to both network and upgrade networking in all facilities of our school division. Her leadership in implementing a 1:1 mobile device initiative for students in grade 3-8 has earned Henry County the privilege of hosting a plethora of visits from districts around the country seeking to emulate the successful integration of technology into daily learning that exists in Henry County Public Schools. A large part of each day is occupied by classroom visits as she works with students and staff to maximize the way they use technology for learning and student achievement. Congratulations, Janet!
The 2014 VSTE Innovative Educator of the Year is Dr. Teresa Coffman, Professor of Education, University of Mary Washington. Dr. Coffman is working to pilot Google Glass in the College of Education at the University of Mary Washingon. The use of wearable technologies is relatively new and she is at the vanguard of its immersion into education and society at large. Dr. Coffman is also responsible for piloting “Teacher Spot” an online Community of Practice for teachers in their degree program at the University. It also serves as a Learning Community for practicing teachers following graduation. She is viewed as an expert on instructional technology and the use of inquiry learning, both within the University and the larger global educational community. Congratulations, Teresa!
The 2013 VSTE Teacher of the Year is Wendy Phillips, a literacy specialist at Belview Elementary School (Montgomery County Schools) who also serves as an adjunct professor in literacy education at Radford University. Wendy has been the recipient of many grants, most recently securing the iRead grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley which awarded her iPads and iPods to integrate into her teaching and build on her strong understanding of technology and how this mobile technology could be leveraged to enhance learning in and out of the classroom. Check out her iRead with iPads blog at
The 2013 VSTE Leader of the Year is Richard Pierce, Associate Professor at Shenandoah University. Dr. Pierce is an active member of VSTE, ISTE, Association for the Advancement for Computing in Education, Society for Applied Learning Technology, Texas Educational Computer Association, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and EDUCAUSE. Richard’s practice of online content, open resources, online assessments and pedagogy has been adopted as a model by the Frederick County Schools for their gifted and talented program. Be sure to check more on those efforts at his presentation at the VSTE conference in December! His technology planning and design model has been adopted by the larger Shenandoah University campus for all multi-site, distance education programs including Pharmacy, Nursing, Physician’s Assistant, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. Congratulations, Richard!
The 2013 VSTE Innovative Educator of the Year is William Berry, an ITRT at Moody Middle School (Henrico County). William’s passion is excellent instruction and makes it his mission to improve instruction for his teachers ad learning for his students by introduction innovative uses of blogs, Twitter, and RSS feeds. He has established a culture of innovative thinking and teaching at his school and throughout the division. William’s newest project is a blog of multimedia-rich resources containing high-level questions, lesson starters, and chunks of content in digestible pieces. Check out this great resource here,
The 2012 VSTE Teacher of the Year is Norene Skiles, the library media specialist at Windsor Oaks Elementary School in Virginia Beach. Norene is in her 26th of teaching, 23 of those years at Windsor Oaks. Along with being a VSTE member, she is also a STAR Discovery Educator and a member of the Virginia Association of School Librarians (VAASL). “Every class that comes to the library receives a personal lesson taught by Mrs. Skiles and every lesson includes technology integration. From laptop computers to online databases to iPads to iTouches, our students are exposed to the newest technology and online resources through Mrs. Skiles’ lessons and demonstrations.” Congratulations, Norene!
Mark is an active member of VSTE, the Northern Virginia Assistive Technology Alliance, and Capitol Region Society for Technology in Education (CRSTE). Mark is a leader who makes it a priority to keep abreast of the current trends in all aspects of technology. He understands and navigates the operations of a large school district in order to provide administrators and instructional staff members with contemporary technology skills, advice, and philosophy. Most importantly, through his daily interactions Mark works tirelessly to genuinely improve the quality of education by modeling best practices. Congratulations, Mark!
The 2012 Innovative Educator of the Year is Monica Kissel, Assistant Principal of Steuart Weller Elementary School in Loudoun County. Monica is a leader in innovation. She works tirelessly to find new ways to bring excitement and motivation in her school. Among her projects, Kissel worked with Microsoft to incorporate the Xbox into the special education setting and was featured on Microsoft’s Innovative Educator Blog; she presented a Microsoft Webinar; and was featured in USA Today. Kissel was selected by George Mason University to present at the Educational Leadership Program for future administrators, and was an integral part in the Business Partnership with National Geographic, connecting students to scientists from around the world. Last but not least, Kissel is a founding member of TEDx Ashburn, an event that brought together leading visionaries and community members, all looking for ways to improve education. Kissel’s influence spans beyond her school walls. Her expertise is sought out at the district level and she is asked to train peers, consult, and present at conferences about the different ways she uses technology, works with colleagues and brings staff on board new projects. Her efforts received visibility and press coverage, and her projects are now adopted at the international level. Congratulations, Monica!