Impact II honors teachers

HIGH PRAISE- Educators from the Moorpark Unified School District receive five Impact II teacher recognition awards, sponsored by the Ventura County Office of Education. Moorpark High School teachers Ginger Brandenburg and Peter Daland, center, earned the Ed Lyon Excellence in Education Award. Ed Lyon, far left, and Greg Sherlock, far right, represent State Farm Insurance, the prize sponsor.

Moorpark High School instructors Ginger Brandenburg and Peter Daland earned the top award at the 15th annual Impact II teacher recognition dinner on May 2 at the Courtyard Marriott in Oxnard.

Brandenburg and Daland received the Ed Lyon Excellence in Education Award for the "most useful and replicable" project. Their joint lesson plan, "Mastering the art of persuasion," challenges students to analyze the various means of marketing and propaganda so they can master the art of persuasion and eventually write convincing letters to their congressman as well as local and state legislators.

State Farm Insurance funded Brandenburg and Daland's $500 award bonus, and they also earned a $500 grant from their business partner, Affinity Bank.

Brandenburg also earned a $500 grant from the Ventura County Star's "Star in Education Foundation" for her project "What a character!" in which students choose a major character from a novel, drama or short essay and perform an original dramatic monologue or dialogue with another character that accentuates the main character's dominant qualities.

Over the years, Brandenburg has received 13 Impact II grants, either individually or with fellow Moorpark High teacher Donna Fulgham. Brandenburg previously won the Superintendent's Award in 2006 and with Fulgham in 2002.

Overall, 32 teachers earned honors totaling $13,250 for their innovative and cooperative approaches to teaching. Since 1993, the program has awarded grants for Ventura County teachers totaling $198,500.

Following are the Impact II award winners from Moorpark Unified School District schools:

+Marion Buxton, Chaparral Middle School: "Who do fish have to do with anything?" Business partner: VCEDA.

+Donna Fulgham, Moorpark High School: "Scholars and Shakespeare, student-led conferencing." Business partner: Ventura County Office of Education.

+Peter Daland and Ginger Brandenburg, Moorpark High School: "Mastering the art of persuasion." Business partner: Affinity Bank.

+Ginger Brandenburg, Moorpark High School: "What a character!" Business partner: Ventura County Star.

+Ana Cuevas, Moorpark High School: "Cesar E. Chavez biography. Live! Iraq." Business partner: Ventura County Star.

Impact II is a National Diffusion network program designed to foster teacher/business partnerships that support teacher recognition and curriculum sharing opportunities.