(Left to right) Angela Stout, Dr. Janine Chitty, and Victoria Wiley

Two graduates from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith’s School of Education were recognized by the Arkansas Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts as exceptional educators in the state.

 

Angela Stout of Cedarville was named the Early Career Educator of the Year, while Victoria Wiley of Pittsburg, Kan., earned the Preservice Teacher Award. Both are graduates of the school’s English with Teacher Licensure program.

 

Stout’s award recognizes an educator who advances and nurtures a love for learning, reading and writing with their students through initiatives to promote literacy. The winner must also demonstrate teacher leadership through scholarly publishing, inquiry with colleagues or participating in professional organizations.

 

Stout, who teaches 10th grade English at Southside High School, said she was “honored and extremely humbled to receive the award.”

 

“This award wouldn't have been possible except for those around me,” she said. “I was blessed. I had a family who supported my decision to return to college and allowed me to remain sequestered in my office for three years writing and studying.”

 

A nontraditional student, Stout returned to school after discovering a passion for teaching and graduated from UAFS in 2015. She attributed her education at UAFS for preparing her for a career as an educator.

 

“While attending UAFS, I made lifelong friends who shared in the struggles of navigating higher education,” she said. “I was taught by the finest, most brilliant group of professors and faculty at UAFS who encouraged me, challenged me, and eventually positioned me to accomplish the daunting task of finishing my degree and entering the greatest profession – teaching.”

 

Wiley received the Preservice Teacher Award, which recognizes a preservice teacher who displays exceptional academic scholarship in the English Language Arts curriculum, exemplary field-based application of educational content knowledge, and dedication to the field of English education, among other criteria.

 

A graduate of Van Buren High School, Wiley teaches 10th and 11th grade English at Joplin High School in Joplin, Mo., where she is the sponsor of a book club and writer’s group.

 

“I would not be where I am without my professors at UAFS,” she said. “My English Education professors know so much and worked so hard for my success and to show me and guide me to be a lifelong learner. My experiences at UAFS and with them will be with me forever.”

 

Dr. Janine Chitty, assistant professor of English at UAFS, wrote recommendation letters for both graduates and said the recognitions were well-deserved.

 

“Both Angela and Victoria have demonstrated outstanding commitment to promoting a positive learning environment and opportunity for all their students,” Chitty said. “They deserve to be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the profession.”

 

For more information about the university’s School of Education, visit https://education.uafs.edu or contact Dr. Glenda Ezell, executive director of the School of Education, at 479-788-7912 or glenda.ezell@uafs.edu.

 

 

About the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

 

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith is the premiere regional institution of Western Arkansas, connecting education with careers and serving as a driver of economic development and quality of place in the greater Fort Smith region. Through a small campus, dedicated professors, and the university’s unique bond with its community, students at UAFS are able to do more in the areas they are passionate about, both on- and off-campus, in a way that prepares them for post-graduate success. To find out how you can do more at UAFS, visit www.uafs.edu.