Reported By Kelli Cook
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Some Central Florida teachers received a big honor Thursday night.
Bright House Networks held a special ceremony for this year's Star Teacher award winners at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
"I've always said a textbook when you look at it is flat, and it’s the teacher's job to really bring it to life," said Deborah Wasylik, a teacher at Dr. Phillips High School.
No one said being a teacher was easy, especially in these tight budget times.
"It is tough. My science budget is based on donations from students and parents, so we have to take advantage of every resource that’s available," Wasylik said.
For these Star Teacher winners, that means taking advantage of free cable to engage their students.
Union Park Middle School teacher Jessica Ayers used various programs to motivate her kids to go to college.
Most of her students come from homes where college seemed unattainable. But by the end of the year that all changed.
"But by the end of the project, and as the year went on, most of them, almost all of the kids will raise their hand and say ‘we’re going to college,’" Ayers said.
All 23 winners of this year's Star Teacher awards have their own success stories -- from using cable to get kids to eat healthy to teaching them how to save the environment.
"We can use everything from, in my classroom, 'Dirty Jobs' to 'Planet Earth' to 'National Geographic' to, on and on it goes, and those are available to us for free,” Wasylik said.
Winners received a $1,000 cash prize. They will also get to take a trip and attend a national awards gala later this year.
News 13 anchor Jackie Brockington was a presenter at the ceremony.
Bright House Networks is the parent company of News 13.
Here are the award winners and the names of their programs:
Higher Learning: We’re College Bound!!
Jessica Ayres, Bruchetta Jones, and Everett Jones
Union Park Middle School, Orlando, FL
DragonLore Castlesand More
Kathleen Butler, Ana King, and John Wehust
Stewart Middle Magnet School, Tampa, FL
The Florida Story Part II - Protecting Ourselves from Our Environment
Karen Horsting, Paul Peterson, and Debra Porter
Southwest Middle School, Lakeland, FL
Talking Trash at Dr. Phillips High School
Deborah Wasylik
Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, FL
Conservation at Land, Space & Sea
Marie Bienkowski, Jennifer Jabo and Michelle Lahera
Forest Ridge Elementary, Hernando, FL
Going Green Starter Kits
David Goddard and Ben Stofcheck
Academy of Environmental Science, Crystal River, FL
The Art of Computer Science
Seth Reichelson
Ocoee High School, Ocoee FL
Brain Food - Discovering Healthy Snacks
Susan Federico and Karen Stofcheck
Forest Ridge Elementary School, Hernando, FL
Entrepreneurs Incorporated
Robin Abrams, Lucille Case, and Elizabeth Abrams
Greenwood Lake Middle School, Lake Mary, FL; Rock Lake Middle School, Longwood, FL; Meadow Woods Elementary School, Orlando, FL
The Wonderful World of Work
Becky O’Connell and Mary Tyler
Inverness Primary School
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