Four Extraordinary Classes – The Power of Teamwork

by Jill Haney

UPDATED 5/20/2010 (by Denise)  Katie Haney and her class won the contest!!!!  The entire class from Wilderness Oak Elementary will be going to Universal Orlando on June 18th!!! SO EXCITED FOR THEM!!! See more info here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/37252826#37252826

It is always a joy to showcase kids doing extraordinary things. Over at NBC’s The Today Show, there is a contest going on to name the Most Extraordinary Class as part of the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Four finalists have been chosen, and videos of each class are featured at:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37155886/ns/today-wild_about_harry/

Check out the videos and submit your vote. All of the classes are amazing. I am the proud mom of one of the first graders featured in the first video. My daughter and her class have now raised nearly $10,000 to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Their video and each of the other three remind us of the power of teamwork and the strength of vision that a group of any age can achieve.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Jill’s responsibilities include managing the development of proprietary reading curriculums, training customers on PCI’s reading curriculums and other proprietary products, conceptualizing new products, writing sales and marketing literature related to the reading curriculums, staying current on reading and other educational research, overseeing the research conducted on PCI’s products, and staying current on federal and state legislation related to education.

Prior to her career with PCI Education, she was a national reading consultant and a seventh grade reading teacher. In 1999, she was named Teacher of the Year for San Antonio ISD and won the Trinity Prize for Teaching. Haney earned a BA with honors and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University in San Antonio. She has additional graduate reading hours from University of Texas San Antonio.