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School Zone
Two DCPS' Employees Named Finalists for 2009 EVE Award in Education
Patricia Willis, Duval County Public Schools’ (DCPS) Deputy Superintendent, and Joni Shook, Coordinator of Guidance, have been selected as two of 12 finalists for the 2009 EVE Awards, presented by The Florida-Times Union.
Ms. Willis, who was nominated by Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals, has worked in public education for more than 31 years.
In her previous role as Chief Officer of Professional Development for DCPS and The Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership, as well as her current role as Deputy Superintendent, Ms. Willis has led the extensive redesign of all staff training. The result is that all professional development is aligned to the needs of classroom teachers, current and aspiring principals, and administrators. The district’s professional development programs now meet the highest state and national standards.
Ms. Willis’ work has been recognized by the Council of Great City Schools and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. She has served as president of the Duval County Secondary Principals Association and as the State Board Member of the Florida Association of Secondary School Principals. Additionally, Ms. Willis was selected to be one of only 50 educators in the nation to attend and graduate from the prestigious National Staff Development Council’s Academy 17, a 30-month program.
Not only has Ms. Willis donated her adult life to public education, she has similarly provided continuous leadership and service to her church and community. Throughout her life, she has been a devoted member of the Greater Beulah Missionary Baptist Church where she leads Christian education programs, directs the music ministry, and develops and directs youth programs, as well as outreach programs for the homeless and less fortunate. She is an active leader of the local, state and regional levels of the East Florida Bethany Baptist Association, and the Florida Baptist State Missionary and Education State Convention. Ms. Willis is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Ms. Shook, nominated by DCPS’ Guidance Supervisor Nan Worsowicz, has been an employee of Duval County Public Schools for more than 28 years.
Since becoming a school counselor in 1981, Ms. Shook has been widely recognized as the informal and now the formal leader of DCPS's elementary school counselors. In just the last six years while at district level, she has co-written the DCPS K-12 Comprehensive Guidance Plan, a tremendous undertaking and a much needed contribution. Ms. Shook has also implemented an elementary Career Guidance Program which resulted in the state of Florida lauding the DCPS Guidance Program as "a leader in the state in preparing students for postsecondary education."
In 2008, her leadership and standards led six out of seven Duval County school counselors to receive Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) awards, which she has made a standard for all school programs.
In addition to the recognition Ms. Shook has brought to Duval County public schools, in 2008, she was awarded the Florida School Counselor Association's Administrator/Supervisor Advocacy Award, which recognizes an administrator, coordinator, director or supervisor whose leadership has shown outstanding services and impact in the guidance and counseling field for counselors on a local, state, or national level.
Ms. Shook has also partnered with the University of North Florida’s (UNF) counselor education program as an annual member of the selection team for new students, a frequent guest lecturer, advisor, and champion of our student to the principals of DCPS. Joni represents UNF and DCPS when she presents at conferences and has been tapped to be a national trainer for the Education Trust, an honor that dozens sought and only a few were given.
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