Contact: Rachel N Rodriguez Cell: 505-417-1343 Email: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2013

Middle School Teacher Selected for Prestigious Program Mountain Mahogany Community School’s Jennifer Chavez-Miller one of 72 teachers selected from nationwide pool of 300 by the U.S. Department of State. Albuquerque, NM – Jennifer Chavez-Miller, middle school teacher at Mountain Mahogany Community School, was recently selected for the Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) program by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Chavez-Miller is also a Golden Apple Award-winning teacher. One of only 72 teachers from 46 states, Chavez-Miller was selected for this honor from approximately 300 applicants from across the United States. The goal of the TGC program is to provide teachers the opportunity to explore the themes and applications for global education in the U.S. secondary school classroom. As a part of TGC, Chavez-Miller will participate in an online professional development course, attend a Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C., travel on an international fellowship for two or three weeks, and be eligible for alumni professional development sessions and small grants. As a part of her in-country fellowship, Chavez-Miller will learn about the country’s society and culture, visit schools and classrooms, and meet with teachers and educational leaders. The country to which Chavez-Miller will travel has yet to be determined. She will also have ample opportunity to share her culture and experience with host country colleagues and develop new materials and lesson plans with an international focus for your U.S. classroom, school and community. Chavez-Miller applied for the program with this perspective, “It's a privilege to be a teacher, and I know that my students look to me - along with other caring adults in their lives - for guidance and inspiration. I want to build and maintain a global classroom for my students, planting seeds so that they can take their work as global students into their lives and communities.” Upon learning of Chavez-Miller’s being selected for the program, Kendra Toth, Director of Mountain Mahogany, said, “We are proud of and thrilled for Ms. Jennifer and look forward to the positive impact this program will have on the students at Mountain Mahogany.” The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the primary funder and sponsor of this program. IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) implements the program on behalf of the Department of State.

Mountain Mahogany Community School is a tuition-free public charter school in Albuquerque’s North Valley serving 204 students. Educating and nurturing the whole child, MMCS’ transformative approach to education fosters not only students’ academic needs but also their social/emotional and physical needs. MMCS provides a mind, body, and art-integrated curriculum within a supportive learning community.