An English teacher with more than 25 years of experience in Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is being honored for her dedication to the profession.
Donna Ross, of Urbana High School, will receive the 2022 Charles E. Tressler Distinguished Teacher Award. Sponsored by Hood College, the award is presented to an FCPS teacher who has had a significant impact on young people.
Ross learned she was the recipient today following a visit by the FCPS SurPRIZE patrol led by Interim Superintendent Dr. Mike Markoe, who was joined by Board of Education member Karen Yoho and Frederick County Teachers Association President Missy Dirks.
Ross was nominated by another Urbana High English teacher, Sarah Yoder.
“Donna is a distinguished teacher who keeps an exciting, safe and creative classroom where students of all abilities find success,” Yoder said. “Donna pushes her students not only to achieve curriculum standards, but also to find and hone their latent talents.”
Before joining Urbana High, Ross taught five years at Gov. Thomas Johnson High. She earned a master of science degree in Education and Reading Specialization from Hood College, and a bachelor of arts degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland.
The late Samuel Eig of Gaithersburg, MD, established the Tressler Award to recognize Dr. Tressler, a Giles professor emeritus of early childhood education who taught at the college from 1964 to 1990. Dr. Tressler chaired Hood’s Education Department for 18 years and served on the school’s graduate school council for 12 years.