Our very own Melisa Thurman  is our 2023 Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC) Teacher award recipient. Melisa teaches seventh grade English at Colonial Heights Middle School and has used technology to create a fun and thriving learning environment for students. This award recognizes a classroom teacher who advances learning through the integration of technology into the curriculum.

Melisa has led the Intervention and Enrichment initiative in the middle school by creating a digital choice board that allows students to exercise autonomy in their learning. These choice boards are used building-wide to disseminate I/E assignments to teachers to target students' learning needs. 

Additionally, Melisa has created and implemented a concept called the “First 30” that is used amongst the 7th grade English team. “First 30” focuses on using snapshots in Mastery Connect to get data on student retention from previously taught concepts. These snapshots are then used to guide reteaching during the first 30 minutes of each class. During this time, students review concepts and teachers reteach topics that have potential for growth.