The Mississippi Power Education Foundation has named three southeast Mississippi teachers to receive its annual Alan R. Barton Excellence in Teaching Awards. The recipients will be honored at an awards banquet May 2nd, during National Teacher Appreciation Week.

This year’s recipients are Lucretia Carpenter of Petal High School, Deborah Holt of Long Beach Middle School and Stanley Thompson of George County Middle School.

Carpenter teaches chemistry and biology for grades 10-12. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Science Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and National Board Certification in 1998. She was chosen a North Forrest High School STAR Teacher in 1999, 2001 and 2003 and Forrest County Teacher of the Year in 1997. She holds AA certification in chemistry and biological sciences and is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, Mississippi Science Teachers Association and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Holt, an Intellectually Gifted/sixth grade teacher, earned a Bachelor of Science and master’s degrees in elementary education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She completed an additional master’s degree in gifted K-12 at William Carey College. She is AA certified in elementary education and gifted K-12 and earned National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist. She is a member of the Mississippi Association of Gifted Children, the National Association of Gifted Children and co-chairman of the Gulf Coast Teachers of the Gifted. She received the Hancock Bank Leo Seal Educators Award in 2000 and the Freedom’s Foundation Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education in 2005.

Thompson is an eighth grade English teacher who earned a bachelor’s degree in international business and a master’s degree in professional writing from the University of Memphis. He is AA certified in language arts and social studies and a member of the Mississippi Professional Educators Association. He received a grant from the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund in 2005 and was named Teacher of the Year – George County Middle School in 2004.

Recipients of the Alan R. Barton Excellence in Teaching Award receive a personal check for $3,000 and a plaque. Additional awards of $2,000 can be used for professional development or for classroom supplies and equipment at their respective schools.

Barton, for whom the award is named, was president of Mississippi Power from 1980 to 1989. The award was established in 1990 to commemorate his dedication and contributions to the field of education. Since 1984, when Barton helped establish the Mississippi Power Education Foundation, the company has supported excellence in education throughout its service area by awarding more than $3 million in grants and awards to teachers, schools, school systems and educational projects.

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