Stephanie Bellot-Donaldson, a Spanish teacher in the Spanish Immersion program at Hawthorne Elementary School (Jefferson County), is the 2024 recipient of the Kentucky World Language Association (KWLA) Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. She received the award on Sept. 14 at the KWLA Fall Conference.
This award recognizes an individual of the world language teaching profession who has demonstrated long-term achievement and service to the profession.
Bellot-Donaldson is a National Board Certified Teacher in early and middle childhood literacy. She earned her master’s degree in education at Dominican University and her bachelor’s degree in corporate communications and political science at the University of Kentucky.
She teaches Spanish immersion classes at all levels in her school and serves as an elected representative in the school-based decision making (SBDM) council.
Bellot-Donaldson has been integral in developing the Spanish immersion curriculum at Hawthorne Elementary, including creating accessible resources, lessons and assessments so that all of the diverse learners in her classroom can be successful. She is a tireless advocate for her multilingual students and has worked with teachers who specialize in addressing dyslexia to ensure that her curriculum develops literacy and language skills for all students. According to one of her colleagues, “In all her endeavors, Stephanie exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding educator.”
In March 2025, Bellot-Donaldson will represent Kentucky world languages teachers at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT), which is the regional conference, where she will be a candidate for the SCOLT Teacher of the Year Award. Should she win the award at the regional level, she would then advance to the national level where she would compete for the National World Languages Teacher of the Year Award, given by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
The other candidates for KWLA’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, who represented Kentucky chapters of professional language organizations, included:
- Claudia Alfaro, Spanish teacher at Holy Trinity Parish School in Louisville, Outstanding Spanish Teacher;
- Teresa Lambert, French teacher at Lafayette High School (Fayette County), Outstanding French Teacher;
- Koji Tanno, professor of Japanese at the University of Kentucky, Outstanding Japanese teacher;
- Yanhong Zheng, Chinese teacher at Tates Creek Middle School (Fayette County) and professor of Chinese at Asbury University, Outstanding Chinese Teacher.
KWLA also awarded its Outstanding Rising Star Teacher Award to Hailey Hockensmith, a Spanish teacher at Lafayette High School. The award recognizes a teacher with no more than five years of experience (both in the U.S. and/or internationally) who already has made an amazing impact on their students by exhibiting best practices to an uncommonly high degree.
Hockensmith completed her education at the University of Kentucky. In 2020, she earned her bachelor’s in Spanish language and literature, and then in 2022, she earned her master’s degree in teaching world languages. After that, she started working as a Spanish teacher at Larry A. Ryle High School (Boone County), moving in 2023 to Lafayette High School, where she currently teaches Spanish 1 and 2.
Hockensmith is a teacher who already has received praise among her peers for her immersive and engaging Spanish lessons, her culturally rich curriculum, her inclusion of students with diverse learning styles and backgrounds, her dedication to both participating in and leading professional development, and her ability to foster confidence, independence and a true love for Spanish language and cultures among her students.
As one of Hockensmith’s colleagues said, “Whether it’s developing new instructional materials or finding unique ways to address individual learning needs, her commitment is unwavering. This dedication is reflected in the positive feedback we receive from students and their noticeable improvement in language skills.”
Six others also received awards from the KWLA:
- Thad Elmore (Frankfort Independent), Outstanding Administrator.
- Donna Tatum-Johns (French teacher and founder of Teaching with Comprehensible Input Kentucky), Lifetime Achievement.
- Jim Natsis and Patrick Litanga (hosts of the podcast “Recits Francophones au Coeur de L’Amerique.”), Amici Linguarum (Friends of Languages) in education category.
- Casa de la Cultura Kentucky, Amici Linguarum (Friends of Languages) in community category.
- Kyle Cook (University of Louisville), Amici Linguarum (Friends of Languages) in postsecondary student category.
- Emery Arnold (Warren County Public Schools), Amici Linguarum (Friends of Languages) in K-12 student category.
Since 1974, the Kentucky World Language Association has endeavored to support, celebrate and highlight excellence in teaching world languages in Kentucky schools.
Alfonso De Torres Núñez is a Spanish teacher at Bloom Elementary School (Jefferson County) and serves as the awards committee chairperson for the Kentucky World Language Association.
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