Washington D.c. Teacher Recognized for Excellence By Congress

Kim Burke Ables
Science Teacher, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School

Washington, DC- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a congressional resolution recognizing Kim Burke-Ables, a science teacher at Washington D.C. schools ' Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, on her selection as the District of Columbia Teacher of the Year for 2006, and "congratulating her for her exceptional dedication to the students and her excellence as a teacher." Burke-Ables has been teaching at Banneker for three years and has received praise for developing creative ways to motivate her students to learn and understand biology, life sciences, human anatomy and physiology, and chemistry. She has contributed to making this Washington D.C. school competitive and relevant in student lives.

Student Turned Congresswoman Praises Washington D.C. Schools

Norton, who went to Banneker when it was a junior high school, said that she was pleased that, "Banneker's excellence is attributed in no small part to the excellence of Kim Burke-Ables and others like her, although the school building looks as it did when I was a seventh grade kid and Banneker was a junior high school." Norton recently announced that she intends to make a priority for the coming year federal tax credits for Washington D.C. school bonds so that Washington D.C. school systems can more quickly rebuild or repair old schools like Banneker. "Banneker's excellence despite the limitations and the age of its facilities is the inspiration any of us should need to make old schools like Banneker fit for what Kim Burke-Ables and other teachers do inside."

In honoring Burke-Ables, Norton also expressed appreciation to Banneker Principal Anita Berger for providing an environment for enriched academic growth and development and to other Washington D.C. school principals and teachers "for their commitment and service to the education of the city's children." The resolution congratulated Banneker's designation in the May 21, 2006 edition of Newsweek Magazine as one of the nation's best high schools. The national recognition of one Washington D.C. school and its teachers has brought pride and high expectations for Washington D.C. school students and parents alike.

Exemplary Teaching at Washington D.C. Schools

Burke-Ables was among elected officials, educators and residents who recently attended a Capitol Hill reception Norton sponsored in recognition of 2005 National Teacher of the Year Jason Kamras of Sousa Middle School, who preceded Burke-Ables as the D.C. Teacher of the Year. Kamras is the only Washington D.C. school teacher to win the competition for National Teacher of the Year, the oldest and most prestigious national honors program that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching.

This is not the first time Burke-Ables has received prestigious educational awards. In 2004, she was selected to work as an educational consultant to the National Academies of Science and won a TEACH Fellowship (Teaching Educators Agriculture and Conservation Holistically) with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to travel to Ghana, West Africa. In 2003, the Milken Family Foundation gave the science teacher the District of Columbia Milken Educator Award. All of these awards have contributed to her outstanding performance as a science teacher for Washington D.C. schools.