Professional Development

Brooks Lacey Peters - Cummings, GA
As a high school student, Brooks Lacey Peters mentored young students with disabilities in her local elementary school. It was at that time she determined that she wanted to be a Special Educator. After graduating from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, Ms. Peters returned to the same program as teacher of students with autism.

Ms. Peters now teaches in a Special Needs Kindergarten at Barnwell Elementary School in Fulton County Schools located in Alpharetta, GA. This is a self-contained classroom for special needs students who are ready to participate in the general education curriculum with modifications or accommodations.

Ms. Peters describes her approach as a whole child approach. She is known for her ability to develop creative and innovative lessons that incorporate movement, manipulation of objects, visual supports and verbal instruction, while providing the necessary repetition that her students require to learn. Communication and social skills instruction, as well as academics are integrated into activities throughout the day.

Ms. Peters is a valued member of her school’s Leadership Team and provides ongoing support to her special education and general education colleagues through staff development programs and collaborative efforts.

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Jena Bolt - Enid, Oklahoma
Jena Bolt loved playing teacher as a child and says she knew then that she wanted to become a teacher. It was through the advocacy for her own child, born with a terminal, congenital condition that Ms. Bolt developed the passion for special education that guides her commitment to serving children with special needs. She pursued a bachelor’s degree Elementary Education from Oklahoma University, later adding many certifications and endorsements in special education.

Ms. Bolt teaches in an Autism/Other Health Impaired classroom for students from first through sixth grade for Glenwood Elementary School in Enid, Oklahoma. The seven students who comprise this class have a variety of medical diagnoses, but all share a common thread of deficits in the areas of behavior, social skills and communication. Ms. Bolt oversees six full time paraprofessionals who help these students navigate the academic and social pressures of the school day.

Ms. Bolt works to develop each student’s program with consideration for the specific needs and unique family dynamics that each student brings. She credits the support of the administration, the flexibility of the teaching staff, the assistance of the paraprofessional staff and her longevity at Glenwood as factors that contribute to the success of the students.

Ms. Bolt is a strong advocate for children with special needs in her community and sees community involvement as a critical issue in special education. She is part of a local organization, 4Rkids, that helps disseminate information, network with families and raise monies for special education grants. She has also secured grant monies to provide an Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome resource library for teachers and parents.

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Laura Lebow - University Place, WA
As a child of seven, Laura Lebow was inspired to be involved children with special needs as she watched a physical therapist working with one of her two sisters born with disabilities. She worked as a Teacher’s Aide in special education classrooms during her high school years, including modifying a physical education program for two boys with physical disabilities.

Ms. Lebow is a Special Programs teacher for Drum Intermediate School, University Place School District in University Place, Washington, where she teaches 5th, 6th and 7th grade students. Her nine students have cognitive and social disabilities and require specially designed instruction in academic areas, as well as adaptive and social skills.

Ms. Lebow plans to complete her Master’s Degree from University of Washington in June of 2005. As part of her course work, she has become an informed consumer of research and is conducting action research in her classroom based on best practices for teaching money skills.

The Special Programs classroom Ms. Lebow teaches, incorporates many projects and monthly community based instructional opportunities. Functional academics are applied to those generalized settings, as well as practical application of social skills. Her classroom is described as a positive, encouraging place while she expects the best from her students, both behaviorally and academically. Ms. Lebow’s use of ongoing assessment drives her instructional decisions and makes it possible for her to adjust and modify teaching based on each student’s individual needs.

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Simona Othart - Rhoten Bakersfield, CA

Simona Othart Rhoten teaches preschoolers with a wide range of disabilities at Claude W. Richardson Child Development Center, Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office in Bakersfield, California. The curriculum in her classroom emphasizes development in cognitive and adaptive behavior, language, fine and gross motor skills, socialization and play.

Ms. Othart Rhoten received her Master’s Degree in Education from California Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, California. Ms. Othart Rhoten recognizes that children learn from a multifaceted approach to learning and combines systematic, research-based instruction based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Othart Rhoten serves as a mentor and support for her colleagues. She often assists other teachers and is referred to by her administration as the “campus resident expert in behavior”. She has presented at in-service trainings on autism methodologies such as Applied Behavior Analysis and Structured Teaching. Ms. Othart Rhoten was selected by her peers for Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Othart Roten’s child-focused approach recognizes that parents are critical partners in the education of the child. She puts a high priority on collaborating with families, as well as all supporting staff.

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Star Smith - Lawrenceville, GA
Four students with multiple handicaps and medical issues in Kanoheda Elementary School, Lawrence, Georgia benefit from Star Smith being their preschool teacher. Ms. Smith says these students are her heroes because although they are young and have so many obstacles in front of them, they never stop trying. Her impact is increased by teaming with the cross categorical classroom teacher and her additional 8 students.

Ms. Smith sees the families of her students as being a vital part of the program and works to provide ongoing two-way communication. Ms. Smith takes a multi-sensory approach to learning and incorporates activities with movement, touch, taste, sight and hearing. Her classroom days are filled with hands-on learning. She incorporates voice output devices and assistive technology to meet language and motor needs.

Ms. Smith received her Administration Certification, as well as her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Specialist of Education degrees from the University of South Alabama, in Mobile, Alabama. She received National Board Certification in 2004.

Outside of the school day, Ms. Smith is still dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with special needs. She is a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence, and has raised two puppies to be lifelong companions and service dogs.

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Gloria Genzman - Orlando, FL
Gloria Genzman is a special education teacher in the preschool program at Deerwood Elementary School, in Orlando, Florida. She serves the needs of nine self-contained, preschool aged children with varying exceptionalities. All of the children are considered to be medically fragile.

Ms. Genzman believes that by providing a child-focused preschool classroom and implementing a carefully planned and highly structured program utilizing behavior analysis techniques, the potential to have a positive impact on a child’s development is great. Formerly the Chairman of Early Childhood Education and a college level instructor, Ms. Genzman found her real joy was in teaching special needs students and finds instruction of young children particularly fulfilling.

Families are included as partners with professionals, using a variety of methods including home-based instruction, observations, conferences and other means of two-way communication. Parents of her students understand that they will work together in the best interest of their child. Ms. Genzman brings a personal perspective to the importance of the parents’ role, as she too advocated for her own child who died of a congenital heart defect.

Ms. Genzman received her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. She has completed the Behavior Analyst Certification Program, Department of Children and Families, from the State of Florida. Ms. Genzman is a life long learner and a National Board Certified Teacher.