Five finalists for the 2016 Albert Lea Teacher of the Year Award were announced this week.

The Teacher of the Year award ceremony will be at 3:30 p.m. March 16 in the Albert Lea High School commons area.

The event will acknowledge each of the candidates. Along with the Teacher of the Year Award given by the Albert Lea Education Association, the Apple Award will also be presented by the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce.

The finalists are Crystal Barclay, Rebekah Crissinger, Kevin Gentz, Kristin Hunnicutt and Margo Wayne.

The following is information on each finalist:

Crystal Barclay

Barclay, a fourth-grade teacher at Halverson Elementary School, has worked for Albert Lea Area Schools for 13 years. She has a master’s degree in teaching and learning from St. Mary’s University.

During her career with Albert Lea Area Schools, Barclay has been a science fair instructor for Sibley Elementary School, a member of the district curriculum committee, a professional learning community facilitator for the fourth- and fifth-grade intervention team at Halverson, has worked on curriculum writing in science, math and language arts, and has been on the leadership team at both Sibley and Halverson schools.

She is a member of the math team, Halverson School Climate Committee, Responsive Classroom Leadership Committee and Teacher of the Year Committee. Barclay is also a mentor for a first-year teacher, is the Halverson yearbook creator, the Halverson parent-teacher organization teacher representative, is the supervising teacher for Halverson’s Young Authors/Young Artists and works with a targeted service program teaching fourth- and fifth-grade students in an after-school program once a week.

She has been nominated for Teacher of the Year several times.

Beyond being a teacher, one thing Barclay always wanted was to become a mom. She received that opportunity when she was given the chance to be a foster parent to a 3 1/2-month-old boy whom she adopted 18 months later.

 

Rebekah Crissinger

Crissinger has worked with Albert Lea Area Schools for nine years. She received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Luther College. She teaches orchestra classes at Albert Lea High School and Southwest Middle School. During her career with Albert Lea Area Schools, she has been an assistant cheerleading coach for two years and a member of the transition committee at Southwest Middle School and ALHS.

She was named KAAL Teacher of the Month in March 2012.

Crissinger and her husband, Calvin, have two children together, Lillian, who is a fourth-grader and Ethan who is 3. She also has a 16-year-old stepson.

 

 

 

Kevin Gentz

Kevin Gentz is in his eighth year with Albert Lea Area Schools. He received his master’s degree in science education with an emphasis in mathematics. During his career with Albert Lea Area Schools, Gentz has been a Link Crew coordinator for seven years, served as an assistant track and field coach, served as the coordinator for the math sixth- through 12th-grade curriculum for more than a year, served on the scholarship committee and served as a professional learning community facilitator for six years. He is also in his sixth year of being the head boys track and field coach.

Gentz, a math teacher at Albert Lea High School, was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2009 and 2015.

Gentz and his wife, Kelly, have been married for 13 years. They live in Owatonna with their three children, Kiara, 11; Micah, 7; and Tenley, 5. The family shares their home with their Boxer, Bella.

 

Kristin Hunnicutt

Kristin Hunnicutt is an elementary school teacher with Albert Lea Area Schools. She has worked with the district for 13 years and received her master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s University in 2008. During her career with Albert Lea Area Schools Hunnicutt has been a member of the PBIS and RTI Task Force and has been a professional learning community facilitator at Lakeview and Halverson elementary schools. She serves on the district reading committee, district math committee, child study team and building leadership team. She is the ATPPS building coordinator at Halverson Elementary, works with a targeted service program teaching third-graders after school and is a mentor for a first-year teacher.

She received the Excellent Educator Award in 2009 and has been nominated for Teacher of the Year several times.

She is involved in the Blue Zones Project and Public Library Reading Nights.

 

 

Margo Wayne

Margo Wayne has been a teacher with Albert Lea Area Schools for 39 years and received her master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s College in 1992.

She is the assistant cross country coach. Wayne was also the head girls track coach for 33 years, the head girls cross country coach during the first five years of her teaching career and the B squad volleyball coach for 27 years.

She was a member of the Teacher of the Year committee, a Big 9 Girls Track and Field representative and has served on several athletic committees. She has written health and physical education curriculum during every evaluation cycle and was on the two-person committee to write the high school health and physical education standards for each of the classes.

She was a first-year inductee on the Wall of Inspiration at Albert Lea High School.

She was Big 9 Track Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1993 and the Section Track Coach of the Year in 1993. She has been a Teacher of the Year nominee is 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2016 and was selected as a finalist in 2008, 2009 and 2016. In the fall of 2015 she received the ALHS traveling trophy recognizing a teacher’s years of service to students at the high school, and in 2009 she received the 4-H Outstanding Adult Leader Award from the Freeborn County Extension Agency.

Wayne lives on a farm near Ellendale with her husband, Milton. The couple has two adult children, Tiffany and Travis.