Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Key Earns Masters

Melody Key, a teacher at George Elementary School in the Springdale School District, has been named a Polly M. Jackson Master Economics Teacher (MET).

Her selection was announced March 13 by Sonya Schmidt, executive director, Arkansas Coun-cil on Economic Education (ACEE).

The council founded and administers the MET program in Arkansas. Dr. Jim Rollins, superintendent of Springdale School District and past president and board member of the ACEE, expressed great pleasure upon learning that Key was one of only three teachers chosen out of many nominations from across the state by the 1998 MET selection committee.

Key joins the ranks of a special group of 24 Arkansas educators who have received this distinction over the years.

ACEE will present her with a framed certificate during a recog-nition ceremony at the annual MET staff development seminar to be conducted later this year.

Key has attended and served as a staff member in economic education workshops over the years.

She has captured national awards for excellence in integrating econ-omics into the elementary school curriculum with highly innovative projects. These awards were pre-sented to her by the National Council on Economic Education.

She has also received awards in the Bessie B. Moore Arkansas Awards program for teaching economics from ACEE.

Key's selection as a Master Economics Teacher will result in additional opportunities for her to be trainer and presenter for economic workshops, in-service programs and meetings for educators throughout Arkansas.

Key will also receive a special MET pin which notes she has received the highest honor in economic education in Arkansas. To have received this pinnacle she has distinguished herself as a true advocate of economic education and has made economics a vital part of her elementary school curriculum.

Key, a native of Gurdon, taught first grade at Gurdon Primary School from 1980- 87.