Pequot Lakes names three as teacher of the year candidates
PEQUOT LAKES -- The Pequot Lakes Education Association has named its candidates for the Pequot Lakes School District's 2000 Teacher of the Year. This year's candidates are kindergarten teacher Jackie Duoos, high school vocal music instructor Karen Jacobson, and elementary music teacher Chris Nick.
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Jackie Duoos, who grew up in a family of seven children in Powers, N.D., has taught kindergarten since 1980. She has also taught Learning Readiness and Early Childhood Family Education classes for a number of years and has taught Children's Chapel at St. Alice Catholic Church.
Duoos has been a member of the science study group, whole language study group, faculty council and the Early Childhood Family Education Advisory Board in recent years at Pequot Lakes Schools. She is now serving on the K-6 Site Team and is a member of the district's Long Range Planning Committee. Duoos works collaboratively with her grade level team on a weekly basis.
KAREN JACOBSON
Vocal music teacher
Duoos received her bachelor's degree in child development/family relations from North Dakota State University and also earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Moorhead State University. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in education from Southwest State University.
She enjoys drama, music, sewing, crafts, flower gardening and reading.
Karen Jacobson is a vocal music instructor at Pequot Lakes High School. She directs the high school concert choir, women's choir, girl's sextet, triple trio and barbershop ensembles, dynamics, boy's barber shop and B-Sharps ensembles, and mixed ensembles including madrigal;. barber shop, pop group, select choir, Reflections, and gives vocal lessons. She also directs the middle level boy's chorus, middle level girl's chorus, fifth- through eighth-grade general music, middle level pop group and the fifth and sixth grade choir.
CHRIS NICK
Elementary music teacher
Jacobson has served on the Pequot Lakes School middle level task force, block scheduling task force, comprehensive arts planning program and the faculty curriculum committee. She is a member of the Minnesota Music Educators Association, American Choral Director's Association, Sub-Section Adjudicator for the Minnesota State High School League, Five Wing Arts Vocal Mentor and Arts Review Panelist and a member of the area choral directors group. She also served as camp program director at the Solid Rock Bible Camp in Cushing during the summers of 1981-96.
Jacobson, who grew up on a dairy farm in a family of musicians and music lovers, received her bachelor's degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in May 1989, majoring in vocal music education (K-12) and general music education (K-12). In addition to her duties as choir director, she has served as vocal theater director for the Pequot Lakes Community Theater productions of Fiddler On The Roof, 1989; Music Man, 1990; Anything Goes, 1991; and Into The Woods, 1997. She has also performed on stage as a vocalist in Spotlight On Elegance, Toys For Tots and as a guest soloist for different area organizations. Jacobson also had a part as an actress in the Pequot Lakes Community Theater production of Steel Magnolias. In her spare time she serves as a private voice instructor. Honors include Women's All-State Choir Section Leader and she was nominated for Minnesota Music Educators Association Region VA & VI Representative.
Chris Nick teachers music for kindergarten through fourth grade students. Her past experiences include teaching music for grades K-8 and high school band and choir. She has served as the Pequot Lakes Education Association Secretary and PLEA newsletter editor.
Nick has been a member of the Comprehensive Arts Planning Program (CAPP), South Central MN Orff Chapter, American Orff-Schulwerk Association, Region V Arts Council, faculty council, and Friends of the Arts. Nick has also served as one of the worship leaders at Crosslake Evangelical Free church, a Sunday school and Bible school teacher and a Rainbow group facilitator.
A graduate of Princeton High School in Princeton, she received her bachelor's degree in music education at Concordia College in Moorhead. She lists her major accomplishments as "being a mother, finishing two marathons, attending the Artists Educators Institute, and receiving the Arion Award."
The Teacher of the Year program is associated with the Education Minnesota program, the oldest and most prestigious program in Minnesota that recognizes excellence in teaching. It honors successful teachers throughout the state while choosing one teacher to serve as an advocate for education. The program is open to prekindergarten through 12th grade teachers in public, private and parochial schools.