Okemos Education Foundation

2002 RECIPIENTS OF "COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE" AWARD

Jane Andros is currently teaching sixth grade language arts and social studies at Chippewa Middle School. This year she is serving as social studies coordinator for Chippewa and is on the OEA Public Relations Committee. Formerly, she served on Chippewa’s Building and Planning Team, helped to organize the “Celebration of Learning” commemorating the 150th anniversary of Okemos Public Schools, and co-chaired the 2000 Tour d’Okemos as a trustee of OEF.
Jane earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin and her master’s equivalency at Michigan State University. Jane and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Okemos for 28 years; their two children both attended Okemos Public Schools. She has been part of the full-time teaching staff in Okemos since 1990.
Barbara Hoevel has served as the principal of Kinawa Middle School for the past seven years. She has been a teacher and a principal in both Texas and Michigan. Immediately prior to coming to Okemos Public Schools, Barbara was the principal of Arthur Lucas Middle School in Durand, Michigan for fourteen years.
Barbara earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Eastern Michigan University and Master of Arts in Education Administration from Michigan State University. She is currently an active member of MASSP. Barbara and her husband, Morrie, live in Okemos and have two sons, one who is a freshman at Purdue and a graduate of OHS and a sophomore at Okemos High School.

Sandy Lightfoot taught school in Michigan and Texas before joining the Okemos Public Schools in 1976. She taught Kindergarten, second, third, and fourth grades at Wardcliff and Central before moving to Bennett Woods where she currently teaches third grade.
Sandy earned her BA and MA degrees from Michigan State University. She has served on various curriculum committees within the district as well as community committees concerned with long-range planning for the Okemos Schools. Currently she is a member of the Bennett Woods School Improvement Team and a teacher liaison for the MSU teacher intern program. Sandy and her husband, Gary, have two children, a son and a daughter, who both attended the Okemos Public Schools.
Cathy Richter is currently working at Chippewa Middle School as a sixth grade math and science teacher. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Central Michigan University and master’s degree at Michigan State University. Cathy has been teaching for 18 years, the past 13 of those years in the Okemos Public Schools.
Cathy is Science Coordinator for the sixth grade, co-chair of Chippewa’s concessions committee, and serves as an OEA Public Relations Representative. Cathy has served on the OEF board and co-chaired the Tour d’Okemos in 2001. In addition, she has served with the Michigan Association of Middle School Education as a regional representative, was a member of the Building Planning Team, and helped to coordinate the “Celebration of Learning” display marking Okemos Public Schools’ 150th anniversary.

Danielle Tandoc is teaching Biology and Anatomy/Physiology at Okemos High School. She herself grew up in Okemos and graduated from OHS in 1990 earning both her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Mathematics and her master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University. She has been a member of the teaching staff for the past eight years.
Danielle has published various lessons and curricular plans in the MSTA newsletter as well as a paper on child development in the MSU Teacher Education instruction book. She is on the Building Planning Team, active in the OEA, and involved in the North Central Accreditation process at OHS.
In addition, Danielle is the Junior Varsity Basketball Coach this year and has been the Varsity Softball Coach for the past 12 years. During the summer she coaches softball and works for the Community Education program teaching various sports camps as well as playing on a Community Ed team herself.
Marcia Tanner has been teaching English at Okemos High School since 1975. She began her teaching career in 1965 and has taught first graders through adults in rural, urban and suburban settings. Currently she is teaching Advanced Placement English and Expository Writing. She also serves as Department Coordinator and works as a lab consultant in the Communications Lab.
Marcia has presented curriculum at conferences of the Michigan and National Council of Teachers of English and been involved in various activities of the National Writing Project. For the past several years she has worked as a national reader for Advanced Placement and has been instrumental in developing WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM at OHS. She received her BA and MA degrees from Michigan State University. Marcia and her husband, Bruce, reside in Okemos and have one son.

Jenny Woodruff has been teaching at Wardcliff Elementary for the past nine years. She taught kindergarten for five years and is currently in her fourth year of teaching first grade. This year she is serving on Wardcliff’s technology committee as well as on their discipline committee. In the past she has worked on Wardcliff’s School Improvement Team, and during the five years that she taught kindergarten at Wardcliff, she helped to pilot Portfolio Assessment and Student-Led Conferencing.
Jenny earned her BS and MS degrees from Michigan State University. She resides in Laingsburg with her husband, Coy, and her two children.
.

Back to OEF home

	*Jane Andros* is currently teaching sixth grade language arts and social studies at Chippewa Middle School. This year she is serving as social studies coordinator for Chippewa and is on the OEA Public Relations Committee. Formerly, she served on Chippewa’s Building and Planning Team, helped to organize the “Celebration of Learning” commemorating the 150th anniversary of Okemos Public Schools, and co-chaired the 2000 Tour d’Okemos as a trustee of OEF. Jane earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin and her master’s equivalency at Michigan State University. Jane and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Okemos for 28 years; their two children both attended Okemos Public Schools. She has been part of the full-time teaching staff in Okemos since 1990.		*Barbara Hoevel* has served as the principal of Kinawa Middle School for the past seven years. She has been a teacher and a principal in both Texas and Michigan. Immediately prior to coming to Okemos Public Schools, Barbara was the principal of Arthur Lucas Middle School in Durand, Michigan for fourteen years. Barbara earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Eastern Michigan University and Master of Arts in Education Administration from Michigan State University. She is currently an active member of MASSP. Barbara and her husband, Morrie, live in Okemos and have two sons, one who is a freshman at Purdue and a graduate of OHS and a sophomore at Okemos High School.

	*Sandy Lightfoot* taught school in Michigan and Texas before joining the Okemos Public Schools in 1976. She taught Kindergarten, second, third, and fourth grades at Wardcliff and Central before moving to Bennett Woods where she currently teaches third grade. Sandy earned her BA and MA degrees from Michigan State University. She has served on various curriculum committees within the district as well as community committees concerned with long-range planning for the Okemos Schools. Currently she is a member of the Bennett Woods School Improvement Team and a teacher liaison for the MSU teacher intern program. Sandy and her husband, Gary, have two children, a son and a daughter, who both attended the Okemos Public Schools.		*Cathy Richter* is currently working at Chippewa Middle School as a sixth grade math and science teacher. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Central Michigan University and master’s degree at Michigan State University. Cathy has been teaching for 18 years, the past 13 of those years in the Okemos Public Schools. Cathy is Science Coordinator for the sixth grade, co-chair of Chippewa’s concessions committee, and serves as an OEA Public Relations Representative. Cathy has served on the OEF board and co-chaired the Tour d’Okemos in 2001. In addition, she has served with the Michigan Association of Middle School Education as a regional representative, was a member of the Building Planning Team, and helped to coordinate the “Celebration of Learning” display marking Okemos Public Schools’ 150th anniversary.

	*Danielle Tandoc* is teaching Biology and Anatomy/Physiology at Okemos High School. She herself grew up in Okemos and graduated from OHS in 1990 earning both her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Mathematics and her master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University. She has been a member of the teaching staff for the past eight years. Danielle has published various lessons and curricular plans in the MSTA newsletter as well as a paper on child development in the MSU Teacher Education instruction book. She is on the Building Planning Team, active in the OEA, and involved in the North Central Accreditation process at OHS. In addition, Danielle is the Junior Varsity Basketball Coach this year and has been the Varsity Softball Coach for the past 12 years. During the summer she coaches softball and works for the Community Education program teaching various sports camps as well as playing on a Community Ed team herself.		*Marcia Tanner* has been teaching English at Okemos High School since 1975. She began her teaching career in 1965 and has taught first graders through adults in rural, urban and suburban settings. Currently she is teaching Advanced Placement English and Expository Writing. She also serves as Department Coordinator and works as a lab consultant in the Communications Lab. Marcia has presented curriculum at conferences of the Michigan and National Council of Teachers of English and been involved in various activities of the National Writing Project. For the past several years she has worked as a national reader for Advanced Placement and has been instrumental in developing WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM at OHS. She received her BA and MA degrees from Michigan State University. Marcia and her husband, Bruce, reside in Okemos and have one son.

	*Jenny Woodruff* has been teaching at Wardcliff Elementary for the past nine years. She taught kindergarten for five years and is currently in her fourth year of teaching first grade. This year she is serving on Wardcliff’s technology committee as well as on their discipline committee. In the past she has worked on Wardcliff’s School Improvement Team, and during the five years that she taught kindergarten at Wardcliff, she helped to pilot Portfolio Assessment and Student-Led Conferencing. Jenny earned her BS and MS degrees from Michigan State University. She resides in Laingsburg with her husband, Coy, and her two children.		.