PENSACOLA — The Blues Angel Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting music education and therapy, has announced recipients of the 2017 Music Educator of the Year awards for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The recipient for Escambia County is Katherine Powell of Ransom Middle School in Cantonment. For Santa Rosa County, the recipient is Adam Koppin of W.H. Rhodes Elementary School in Milton.
These teachers will each receive $1,000 to use in their music programs.
ABOUT KATHERINE POWELL
Powell is the choir director at Ransom Middle School. Throughout the year, she has worked to grow and improve the school’s choir program.
In 2016, Powell was named one of Escambia County School District’s Champions of the Arts for her technology-based curriculum in elementary general music. Additionally, Powell is the assistant director of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus’ elementary and middle school choir.
Of music education, Powell said, "Teachers should want to teach and be willing to put in the incredible amount of work it takes to be a good teacher."
ABOUT ADAM KOPPIN
Koppin transferred to W.H. Rhodes Elementary from a school in Escambia County. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to bring a richer music program to the school.
Most recently, Koppin held a fundraiser to bring a ukulele program to W.H. Rhodes Elementary.
"Some people are leaders because they inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things," Koppin said. "Other people are leaders because they managed to get in front of extraordinary people already doing extraordinary things. I did the second one."
"Both of these music educators deserve our praise for the work they’re doing to continue to bring music education to the students in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties," said Dan Fugate, administrative director of the Blues Angel Music Foundation.
Contact Dan Fugate, dan@bluesangelmusic.com, to recommend a West Florida teacher for Music Educator of the Year, or to recommend a program that could use some help.
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Escambia, Santa Rosa’s music educators of the year recognized