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AATSP-GA Professor of the Year Eric Skipper Gainesville State College
The Georgia Chapter of the American Association
of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) has selected Watkinsville resident Eric Skipper as outstanding Spanish Professor
for 2010.
Dr. Skipper is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology,
with additional post-graduate courses at Georgia State University. He earned his Ph.D. at Florida State University,
with specialization in Contemporary Peninsular Spanish Literature. Following career assignments at institutions of higher
learning in Florida and Georgia, in 2005, he joined the faculty of Gainesville State College, where he currently serves as
Associate Professor of Spanish and Coordinator of Foreign Languages.
Dr. Skipper's research interests
include studies of the Mexican connections in the works of John Steinbeck and Laura Esquivel. He has presented numerous foreign
language conference sessions on unique aspects of learning in the works of Spanish writers as well as analytical studies
of the special challenges faced by today's students in the foreign language classroom.
The Professor of the Year award was formally presented by AATSP-GA on March 13, 2010, during the annual conference
of the Foreign Language Association of Georgia (FLAG) in Augusta.
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AATSP-GA High School Teacher of the Year Carmen Ruddle Lowndes
High School
Lowndes High School faculty member Carmen
J. Ruddle has been named AATSP GA High School Teacher of the Year for 2010. Mrs. Ruddle earned her bachelor's and master’s
degrees in Secondary Spanish Education at Valdosta State University. Following teaching assignments in her homeland of Puerto
Rico, she joined the Lowndes High School Foreign Language Department in 1990. Her achievements include the development of
highly successful teaching strategies that prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examinations in Spanish.
In naming Carmen Ruddle Spanish Teacher of the Year, the Executive Board of Georgia AATSP recognizes her active participation
in a variety of programs endorsed by the state Chapter. She has sponsored award-winning student participants in state
and national competitions, including the National Spanish Examination, AATSP GA Spanish Composition and Poster Contests, Spanish
Immersion Camp, and High School Spanish Student of the Year. She is a school chapter sponsor of the National Spanish
Honor Society, whose activities promote intercultural awareness and community service throughout the academic year.
Mrs. Ruddle has earned the praise of her colleagues as "the ultimate teacher: knowledgeable, student-friendly, organized,
dedicated and positive."
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AATSP-GA Middle School Teacher of the Year Theresa Anderson Turner Middle School AATSP-GA has
selected Theresa Anderson of Turner MS in Lithia Springs as Middle School Spanish Teacher of the Year for 2010.
A heritage learner of El Salvadorian background, Mrs. Anderson obtained certification in Spanish at Georgia State University
before joining the teaching staff of Turner Middle School, Douglas County, in 2004. She serves as school chapter sponsor of
AMISTAD, the AATSP ambassadorship and honor society for middle school students. Mrs. Anderson's AMISTAD chapter promotes Spanish
culture in the school and provides interpretation, translation, and tutoring services for teachers and students. The students
were featured in a CBS Atlanta broadcast that recognized them for having provided extraordinary assistance to a family in
dire need after last September's flooding in Douglas County.
The Executive Board of Georgia AATSP
commends Theresa Anderson for professional contributions to programs that promote foreign language learning in Georgia.
Her enthusiastic students maintain strong bonds with her long after moving to the high school level. The Middle School
Spanish Teacher of the Year award was formally presented at the AATSP-GA general meeting during the annual FLAG Conference
in Augusta.
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AATSP-GA University Student
of the Year Cindy Burton Augusta State University
AATSP-GA has chosen Cindy Burton as the
2010 University Student of the Year. Ms. Burton, a senior, is a student of Dr. Jana Sandarg at Augusta State University. She is a native Spanish speaker from Perú, and has traveled to Honduras, México, Guatemala, Chile,
and Colombia. Cindy is a member of Alpha Mu Gamma, the university level foreign
language honor society, and a member of Phi Kappa Phi. She has previously competed in the AATSP-GA University Composition
Contest on the advanced native speaker level and earned a Superior designation. Her activities at Augusta State include being
a cook for the Spanish Club cooking class, tutoring advanced level students, attending and working at the Hispanic Festival
in downtown Augusta, and serving as an interpreter for Clínica Latina in Augusta.
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AATSP-GA High School Student
of the Year Fan Fan, Chattahoochee
High School
The Georgia Chapter of AATSP has chosen Fan Fan, a Spanish student at Chattahoochee
High School, as the 2010 High School Student of the Year. Fan Fan is a student of Ms. Stephanie Clower. The selection committee
recognized Fan for her years of service to the Spanish Club, and her community service as a volunteer at the Hispanic Pediatric
Clinic, YMCA, and as a tutor.
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AATSP-GA Middle
School Student of the Year Evan
Joseph Wallace, Woodland Middle School at Euharlee
The Georgia
Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese has named Evan Joseph Wallace as the Middle
School Spanish Student of the Year for 2010. Evan is a
ninth grade student at Woodland Middle School, where he is enrolled in Spanish with Dr. Candace Murdock. He was
recognized by the selection committee for his curiosity, dedication to his studies, and leadership skills. He competed
this year in the National Spanish Exam, and he is a member of Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad, the honor society for
middle school students sponsored by AATSP. Evan is active in his community,
serving at a shelter for the homeless, participating in the "Drive for a Llama" and in the " Navidad
for Underpriveleged Children" projects.
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