4 Named Area’s Best Foreign Language Teachers by WT-Led Association

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Teachers from Amarillo, Canyon and Groom will be celebrated as the region’s best multilingual instructors by West Texas A&M University and the Panhandle Language Teachers Association.

Recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award include Adriana Alderete, a high school Spanish teacher at San Jacinto Christian Academy in Amarillo; Karissa Huffman, a Spanish teacher at Groom High School; Abbie Reyes, a Spanish teacher at West Plains High School in Canyon Independent School District; and Sylvia Weis, a Spanish teacher at Bonham Middle School in Amarillo ISD.

“We are recognizing these exceptional teachers for their outstanding foreign language teaching, student engagement, enthusiasm and application of current teaching methodologies,” said Dr. Andrew Reynolds, WT professor of Spanish.

The quartet of teachers will be honored at 1 p.m. Feb. 10 during the 2023 Panhandle Language Teachers Association winter development workshop in Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St.

Teachers were nominated by their peers, then observed by faculty and students of WT’s Spanish program. A final review was conducted by PTLA’s executive board.

PTLA is a regional organization with more than 100 members that is housed within the WT Spanish program. It has pioneered teacher development in language education in the Texas Panhandle since 2019 by providing professional development workshops and conferences to area language teachers.

PTLA’s executive board is comprised of Reynolds; Dr. Juan García Oyervides; and Tammy Schmidt, a former Spanish teacher at Happy High School who works as the educational travel program coordinator for ELC Educational Travel.

Addressing regional challenges is a key principle of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $115 million.

Photo: Panhandle Language Teachers Association's 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award recipients include, from left, Adriana Alderete, a high school Spanish teacher at San Jacinto Christian Academy in Amarillo; Karissa Huffman, a Spanish teacher at Groom High School; Abbie Reyes, a Spanish teacher at West Plains High School in Canyon Independent School District; and Sylvia Weis, a Spanish teacher at Bonham Middle School in Amarillo ISD.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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