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Each year, Humanities Texas presents awards recognizing and encouraging excellence in teaching the humanities in Texas schools. We hope you have enjoyed getting to know the 2020 winners, whom we highlighted in our e-newsletter over the past several months.
Today, we are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Teaching Awards. Over six hundred teachers from across the state were nominated for this year's awards. During the 2021–22 school year, each winning teacher will receive $5,000 and an additional $1,000 for their school to purchase humanities-based instructional materials.
Stay tuned for upcoming features on the 2021 recipients!
2021 Outstanding Teaching Award Winners
James F. Veninga Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award
| Sarah Wiseman | Liberty High School | Frisco |
Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award
| Melonie Menefee | Buffalo High School | Buffalo |
Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award
| Jennifer Cain | O'Connor High School | Helotes |
| Rex Ewert | Rochelle School | Rochelle |
| Carlen Floyd | Bowie High School | Austin |
| Michael Gillette | Boerne-Samuel V. Champion High School | Boerne |
| Michelle Grajeda | Young Women's Leadership Academy | San Antonio |
| Sarah Palmer | Morton Ranch High School | Katy |
| Cynthia Rios | Faulk Middle School | Brownsville |
| Leora Uribe | Harlandale Middle School | San Antonio |
| Della Watson | Paducah School | Paducah |
Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award
| Chad Hannon | iUniversity Prep | Grapevine |
Award for Outstanding Early-Career Teaching
| Steven Caplan | Leadership Academy | Austin |
| Jacquelyn Manz | Hutchison Middle School | Lubbock |
| Yvette Peña | The International School of the Americas | San Antonio |
Questions about Teaching Awards
Call 512.440.1991 or email ota@humanitiestexas.org.
2020 OTA winner Cora Garner with students in her DeSoto High School classroom.
2020 OTA winner Sarah Walker with one of her students at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin.
2020 OTA winner Albert Peinado with students at Eastwood Knolls International School in El Paso.