County Teacher Wins UAB Award to Honor High School English Instructors

Susan Ronilo Caraway, an English teacher at Clay-Chalkville High School, has been named the first recipient of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) AP Teacher Award. The award will be presented to Caraway at the John J. Haggerty High School Articulation Conference on Friday, May 2, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

April 21, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Susan Ronilo Caraway, an English teacher at Clay-Chalkville High School, has been named the first recipient of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) AP Teacher Award. The award will be presented to Caraway at the John J. Haggerty High School Articulation Conference on Friday, May 2, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

The AP Teacher Awards, established this year, is designed to honor advanced placement English teachers in Jefferson County. The award recognizes teachers who are dedicated to their students and who exhibit a passion for teaching literature and a commitment to developing good writing skills. Award winners are selected by the AP Teacher Award Committee, which is comprised of three UAB English Department faculty members and three members of the UAB English Advisory Committee. The committee consists of people from the Birmingham community.

Caraway will receive a certificate, a $500 cash prize and a $200 gift certificate from The Alabama Booksmith. Caraway has taught advanced placement English for seven of her 25 years as a high school teacher. She teaches 80 advanced placement students in three classes in addition to her composition classes.

Marlee A. E. Neel, a teacher at Hueytown High School, won second place. Neel will receive a certificate and a $200 cash prize. She has been a high school English literature teacher for two years. She teaches ninth-grade English and a 12th-grade honors class.

The AP Teacher Awards will be presented annually. The awards are made possible through donations from the UAB English Advisory Committee.

The John J. Haggerty High School Articulation Conference is the UAB English Department’s longest running educational outreach program. The conference was established by Associate Professor Emeritus John J. Haggerty, Ph.D., to promote communication and one-on-one interaction between UAB English faculty and teachers in the Birmingham city schools. This year, the conference has been expanded to include teachers in all public high schools in Jefferson County.