Teachers of the Year surprised with awards

Wednesday morning started with a flurry at Noel Elementary School and Permian High School. That’s what happens when the superintendent of schools and several school board members show up and surprise you with the district’s teacher of the year award.

Ora Christian, 1^st-grade special education teacher at Noel Elementary is the Elementary Teacher of the Year and Gerald Mabele, biology and honors biology teacher at Permian High School, is the Secondary Teacher of the Year. Both received an award, recognition banner to display, and a $1,000 gift from the Education Foundation of Odessa.

"Ora and Gerald represent the very best of what it means to be an outstanding teacher," said ECISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Keeley Boyer. "They are described by their colleagues as professional, hard-working, great teammates, innovative, and focused on the success of their students. We are proud to call them ECISD's Teachers of the Year."

Mrs. Christian has taught in ECISD for 32 years, the last two at Noel Elementary. She has earned a Master designation through the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program. She is known for supporting different grade levels by modeling lessons or coaching teachers. She adaptable and flexible, and led efforts to implement new approaches to intervention and student engagement.

"When the superintendent and Trustees walked in, I was honestly in awe and a little speechless," said Mrs. Christian. "I was completely caught off guard—in the best way. It took a moment for it to really sink in. I felt elated, humbled, and incredibly grateful all at once. It was truly an unbelievable feeling—one of those moments you just try to take in and know you’ll never forget."

Mr. Mabele is finishing his sixth year of teaching, five of them at PHS. He is a Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL), meaning he leads a campus team. He is also a TIA Master teacher. The first line of his nomination form states, ‘he is adored by students and fellow teachers.’ He is also called a quiet warrior who is always tearing down barriers for those around him, colleagues and students alike.

“I teach to touch the hearts and shape the futures of the next generation,” said Mr. Mabele. “My inspiration comes from the late John Kiano Agure, my elementary and middle school teacher in Kenya. He saw something in me and opened my mind to possibilities far beyond what I thought was achievable. He made me dream bigger. That same gift, the ability to inspire, uplift, and open doors for students, is why I teach today.”

Mrs. Christian and Mr. Mabele will be ECISD’s entrants into the state teacher of the year contest sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA).

Each year, each ECISD school selects one Outstanding Teacher based on nominations received from the staff at that school. Nominations are reviewed by the campus improvement team and one teacher is selected. Those campus winners’ nominations forms are then reviewed by independent judges and three elementary and three secondary finalists are chosen for interviews with a panel of last year’s teachers of the year, principals, central office leaders, school board trustees, and community members. That panel awards the two Teacher of the Year prizes.