{"id":509100,"date":"2026-01-11T18:54:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T18:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509100\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T18:54:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T18:54:44","slug":"10-teachers-honored-for-excellence-as-fwisd-restores-recognition-after-2-year-pause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509100\/","title":{"rendered":"10 teachers honored for excellence as FWISD restores recognition after 2-year pause"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"&quot;byline&quot;\">by Jacob Sanchez, Fort Worth Report <br \/>January 11, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Kenneth Amos wants his students to find their color in life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Monique Gillaspy wants to instill in her kindergarteners a lifelong love of learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Marie Vinson wants a strong literacy foundation for her students so they have the tools to understand the world and advocate for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>They are three of the 10 educators Fort Worth ISD recognized Friday as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fwisd.org\/departments\/teachingchairs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chairs of Teaching Excellence<\/a>, the district\u2019s top honor. Through tears and strained voices, the teachers shared classroom joys and love of students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am grateful to educate our students, to be in front of these many different souls every day and to hopefully provide an environment where self-discovery can happen, where they can realize their inner genius,\u201d said Amos, a Polytechnic High School teacher.<\/p>\n<p>The event at Ridglea Country Club marked the recognition\u2019s return after a previous superintendent eliminated the honor two years ago. Superintendent Karen Molinar credited the business community and Pat Linares, a former longtime FWISD leader, for restarting the award that was created in 1994.<\/p>\n<p>Who are FWISD\u2019s 2025 Chairs of Teaching Excellence?<\/p>\n<p>The Chairs of Teaching Excellence honors Fort Worth ISD teachers for their commitment to excellence and impact on student learning.<\/p>\n<p>Each teacher was selected after submitting an application, a review of their student outcomes, a teaching demonstration and an interview. Each recipient receives $5,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The honorees were:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>KaCee Dobbins<\/strong> of Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, Broadway at the Bass Chair for Teaching Excellence in Dance and Theater<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monique Gillaspy<\/strong> of Ridglea Hills Elementary School, Central Market Chair for Teaching Excellence in Early Childhood Education<\/li>\n<li><strong>Briana Welch<\/strong> of Seminary Hills Park Elementary School, Cook Children\u2019s Chair for Teaching Excellence in Special Education<\/li>\n<li><strong>Christa Martien Chanthavongsy<\/strong> of W.P. McLean Middle School, Friedman Chair for Teaching Excellence in Performing Arts<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kenneth Amos<\/strong> of Polytechnic High School, JP Morgan Chase Chair for Teaching Excellence in Secondary English<\/li>\n<li><strong>Matthew Rose<\/strong> of Arlington Heights High School &#8211; FWISD, Meta Chair for Teaching Excellence in Career and Technical Education<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jerrett Lyday<\/strong> of I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA, Sewell Lexus &amp; Infinity of Fort Worth Chair for Teaching Excellence in Humanities<\/li>\n<li><strong>Erica Del Rio<\/strong> of Glen Park Elementary School, Tarleton State University Chair for Teaching Excellence in Science or Math<\/li>\n<li><strong>Joe Gonzales III<\/strong> of Rufino Mendoza Elementary School, Texas Health Chair for Teaching Excellence in Health and Physical Education<\/li>\n<li><strong>Marie Vinson<\/strong> of Seminary Hills Park Elementary School, Goggan, Blair &amp; Sampson LLP Chair for Teaching Excellence in Elementary Reading<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBut, more importantly, they wanted to bring it back because they believed in public education and teachers,\u201d Molinar said.<\/p>\n<p>Gillaspy has spent all 13 years of her career as a kindergarten teacher at Ridglea Hills Elementary. Her job sets the tone for the next 12 years of school for students, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u200aIf students do not feel seen or heard when they walk through our hallways and our classrooms, then we have not fully done our job,\u201d Gillaspy said. \u201cWe, as teachers, should pride ourselves in the impact that we can make in just one single child and a whole community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In May, Gillaspy will reach a milestone in her career: Her first kindergarteners graduate high school.<\/p>\n<p>Vinson, a reading teacher at Seminary Hills Elementary, deeply inhaled and slowly released her breath as she took the stage. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Before she spoke, she channeled a lesson she uses with her students to help center themselves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I need to do a little wiggle,\u201d Vinson said, with a chuckle.<\/p>\n<p>The recognition was overwhelming, she said, because of the importance of reading. Her status as the elementary reading teaching chair helps ensure students and families across Fort Worth ISD\u2019s communities have access to meaningful literacy experiences, she said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-10--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361842\"\/>Teacher Marie Vinson holds back tears during the Chairs of Teaching Excellence event  Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Fort Worth. As the first to graduate high school, college and soon graduate with her masters, she said literacy is more than learning how to read, but it is access to opportunity and voice. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n<p>Although it wasn\u2019t specifically mentioned, <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/10\/27\/heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-state-takeover-of-fort-worth-isd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas\u2019 takeover of the district<\/a> loomed over the event. Arlington Heights High School teacher Matthew Rose said Fort Worth ISD has gone through tough times before and preserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to be OK. We\u2019re going to be fine,\u201d Rose said, looking directly at Molinar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCoach Rose, you\u2019re right,\u201d the superintendent said later in the event. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be fine because of the people in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-15--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361844\"\/>Joe Gonzales III is a teacher at Rufino Mendoza Elementary. Gonzales was named the Texas Health Chair for Teaching Excellence in Health and Physical Education. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-9--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361843\"\/>Kenneth Amos is a teacher at Polytechnic High School. Amos was named the J.P. Morgan Chase Chair for Teaching Excellence in Secondary English. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-11--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361838\"\/>Marie Vinson is a teacher at Seminary Hills Park Elementary. Vinson was named the Linebarger, Groggan, Blair &amp; Sampson, LLP Chair for Teaching Excellence in Elementary Reading. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-13--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361840\"\/>Matthew Rose is a teacher at Arlington Heights High. Rose was named the Meta Chair for Teaching Excellence in Career and Technical Education. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-7--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361839\"\/>Monique Gillaspy is a teacher at Ridglea Hills Elementary. Gillaspy was named the Central Market Chair for Teaching Excellence in Early Childhood Education. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-14--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361837\"\/>Erica Del Rio is a teacher at Glen Park Elementary. Rio was named the Tarleton State University Chair for Teaching Excellence in Science or Math. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260109_TeachingExcellenceChairs-8--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-361836\"\/>Christa Martien Chanthavongsy is a teacher at McLean Middle School. Chanthavongsy was named the Friedman Chair for Teaching Excellence in Performing Arts. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n<p>Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/11\/10-teachers-honored-for-excellence-as-fwisd-restores-recognition-after-2-year-pause\/mailto:jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_jacob_sanchez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@_jacob_sanchez<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/about\/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/11\/10-teachers-honored-for-excellence-as-fwisd-restores-recognition-after-2-year-pause\/&#8221;&gt;article&lt;\/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org&#8221;&gt;Fort Worth Report&lt;\/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/&#8221;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&#8221;https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;quality=80&amp;amp;ssl=1&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&#8221;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>&lt;img id=&#8221;republication-tracker-tool-source&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=361873&amp;amp;ga4=2820184429&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1px;height:1px;&#8221;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &#8220;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/11\/10-teachers-honored-for-excellence-as-fwisd-restores-recognition-after-2-year-pause\/&#8221;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;\/script&gt; &lt;script id=&#8221;parsely-cfg&#8221; src=&#8221;\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/script&gt;<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Jacob Sanchez, Fort Worth Report January 11, 2026 Kenneth Amos wants his students to find their color&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":509101,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,14948,7372,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-509100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fort-worth","10":"tag-fort-worth-isd","11":"tag-fortworth","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-tx","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115877987500838478","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}