Rebecka Peterson, the 2022 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year and mathematics teacher from Union Public Schools, will deliver East Central University’s 2022 Marvin Stokes Lecture on Monday, Oct. 24. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the Estep Multimedia Center inside ECU’s Bill S. Cole University Center. The event is free and open to the public.
“I am who I am because of teachers – both my own and my colleagues,” Peterson said when named Teacher of the Year. “Thus, first and foremost, I would say, ‘Thank you. Thank you for inspiring me to bring my best every day. Thank you for modeling grace, love, kindness, gentleness and perseverance in the classroom.’”
Area teachers of the year who are ECU Alumni will be recognized during the lecture, including Erica Dickinson, Willard Elementary School in Ada; Hayley Bryant, Latta High School; Tisha Martin, Latta Elementary School; Jill Brown, Tupelo Elementary School; Brandy Swinford, Shawnee Early Childhood Center; Hunter Fullerton, Davis High School; Christian Morgan, Wewoka Elementary School; Breanna Baker, Wewoka Middle School; Tammy Hall, Francis Elementary School; and Darryl Hatcher, Byng Middle School.
The annual Marvin Stokes Lecture, named for the legendary Byng superintendent, also serves as a platform to recognize scholarship award recipients in ECU’s Education department as well as an opportunity to celebrate district teachers of the year.
The Marvin Stokes Lectureship enhances ECU’s ability to expose students in the College of Education, and educators in the university service area, to ideas and trends on the state, national and international stages.
The funding for the event is provided by the annual earnings on funds dedicated to the Marvin Stokes Endowed Lectureship through the ECU Foundation Inc. and matched by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.