The Mississippi Power Education Foundation has chosen three teachers in southeast Mississippi for its annual Alan R. Barton Excellence in Teaching Awards.

This year’s recipients are Billy Walker of Gautier High School, AnnClaire Bennett of Oak Grove Lower Elementary School, and Julie Ferrell of Purvis Elementary School.

Billy Walker, who has been teaching high school science since well before Pascagoula High School split into Gautier High and Pascagoula High, now teaches chemistry and other upper level sciences at Gautier High School. He won Teacher of the Year awards in 1993 and 2004. One of Walker’s most outstanding achievements is his “Wetlands Workshop” every October. He spends all year organizing this event, coordinating programs, meals and transportation to bring every sixth grader in the Pascagoula System to Gautier High School, where they spend the day with naturalists, artists, businessmen and high school students. In 2004, Walker extended an invitation to two local private schools, inviting their sixth graders to join the more than 600 students already involved. Walker received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

AnnClaire Bennett, or Mrs. AC as her students call her, is said to have been “born teaching.” Last year she won the Oak Grove Lower Elementary Teacher of the Year award as well as the Sam’s Teacher of the Year. To ensure that her students continue the learning process over the summer months, she created the Bennett’s Blues Brain Blaster, a summer educational enhancement program that includes activities and strategies for keeping students in touch with class material over their summer break. Bennett also created a “Studio for Young Artists” during the 2001-2002 school year by turning one of the school’s mobile classrooms into an art studio. The project, which allows the school’s 1,300 students a place to experience the creative world of art, was funded by grants and support from area businesses. Bennett holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Julie Ferrell taught in the Lumberton Public School System for 19 years before moving to Purvis Elementary, where she’s been inspiring students since 2003. She was Purvis Elementary’s Teacher of the Month in October of 2004. Ferrell teaches a fourth grade Reading and Language Arts class. With events like the “Biscuit Bash,” Ferrell shows students the appeal of enhanced writing by using food to compare the effects of figurative language, higher vocabulary and complex sentences. Ferrell received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in gifted education from William Carey College.

Each recipient of the Alan R. Barton Excellence in Teaching Award receives $750 and a plaque, and $1750 that can be used for professional development or for classroom supplies and equipment at their respective schools. The recipients will be honored at an awards banquet in the spring.

Barton, for whom the award is named, was president of Mississippi Power Company from 1980 to 1989. The award was established in 1990 to commemorate his life and his dedication and contribution to the field of education. As president of Mississippi Power, he established the Mississippi Power Education Foundation in 1984.

Since that time, the Mississippi Power Education Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in grants for education in Mississippi.

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