Oceans Teacher Named as Regional Teacher of the Year

Cliff Strain, sixth grade oceans science teacher at Flour Bluff Intermediate School was named as the Texas Regional Elementary Teacher of the Year for Region II for 2005-2006. “We are very excited to have one of our teachers reach the regional level for the second year in a row”, says Julie Carbajal, Superintendent. “Mr. Strain is an outstanding science teacher who gives students a “hands-on” classroom experience.”

Strain’s oceans science class at the Flour Bluff Intermediate is very popular with students. The class incorporates an indoor and outdoor science lab which provides students a hands-on approach to learning. His classroom environment provides students with life experiences such as seining in the Laguna Madre, kayaking at the FBISD wetlands, boat expeditions through the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and maintaining and growing specimens in classroom aquariums. He is very involved with the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Math Science Center.

Strain was named Elementary Teacher of the Year at Flour Bluff I.S.D. in May 2005 and was selected as one of 20 elementary teachers state-wide to advance to the state level. The Texas Education Agency sponsors the Texas Teacher of the Year Program annually in which an elementary and secondary level teacher from each of the 20 education service center regions are selected at the regional level and advance to the state level. As Regional Teacher of the Year he will receive a $500 cash award from SBC Communications, Inc., and become a semifinalist in the state Teacher of the Year Contest to be held in October 2005.