OnPoint Community Credit Union Honors Outstanding Educators and Schools

OnPoint announces Educator of the Year finalists, Circle of Excellence and Community Builders award winners

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May 12, 2020, 12:04 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., May 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As the education community navigates the COVID-19 crisis, OnPoint Community Credit Union is recognizing teachers who go above and beyond to support families, students and peers. OnPoint today announced the four finalists for the 2020 Prize for Excellence in Education Educator of the Year. The contest, which runs from February 18 to May 27, awards two remarkable teachers by paying their mortgages for one year and donating $2,500 to each of their schools.

"The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the vital role teachers play in the daily lives of children," said Rob Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer, OnPoint Community Credit Union. "The nomination process inspires OnPoint every year, but this year was particularly moving as we heard stories of teachers distributing meal boxes to students, offering regular remote storytime, and simply being a support system for families as they navigate COVID-19."

In total, the OnPoint Prize will award up to $100,000 to deserving public and private K-12 teachers and schools in 2020. The annual contest, which began in 2010, celebrates local educators who work to inspire enthusiasm and creativity in the classroom while making an impact on students, families and surrounding communities. As we prepare to conclude our 11^th year of the campaign, OnPoint will have awarded more than $470,000 in prizes to 285 local educators and schools.

Details about the 2020 Prize for Excellence in Education finalists and winners are listed below.

Educator of the Year Finalists
Two winners (one K–8 and one 9–12) will be announced on May 27, 2020. They will have their mortgages paid for one full year and receive $2,500 for each of their schools from OnPoint. The remaining two finalists (one K–8 and one 9–12) will each receive $5,000 for themselves and $1,500 for their schools.

K-8 Finalists

Carol Biskupic Knight, 4th Grade
Sato Elementary, Beaverton School District, Beaverton, OR
Alison Herron, Kindergarten
Marysville Elementary, Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR

9-12 Finalists

Kerryn Henderson, AP Biology/AVID 10
Parkrose High School, Parkrose School District, Portland, OR
Matt Sten, Modern World History and Government/Economics
Cleveland High School, Portland Public School, Portland, OR

Learn how last year's Educator of the Year winners, Tori Sharpe and Francesca Aultman, were impacted by the award.

Circle of Excellence
Six additional teachers have been named to the Circle of Excellence. These educators will each receive a $1,500 cash prize and $1,000 donation to their school.

Alfonso Garcia Arriola, 7th & 8th Grade Science
ACCESS Academy, Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR
Jesse Gardner, Career and College Exploration and Hip-Hop Literature
Madison High School, Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR
Janelle Jackson, Alternative Education
Dayton High School, Dayton School District #8, Dayton, OR
Hillary Marshall, Library Media Specialist
Washougal High School, Washougal School District, Washougal, WA
Pauline Pham, Special Education and English
Springfield High School, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, OR
Erika Pollock, 1st Grade
Lake Grove Elementary, Lake Oswego School District, Lake Oswego, OR

Community Builders
In addition to the Educators of the Year and Circle of Excellence awards, four schools are being honored with the Community Builder award and will receive $2,000 for a special project of their choice.

Atkinson Elementary's Gardening and Cultural Cooking Project, which will provide K-5th grade classes with two garden work parties each year in the school's community garden.
Clear Creek Middle School's The Tomorrow Bus, which is a mobile STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) classroom that encourages K-8th grade students to create, collaborate, and innovate using hands-on learning materials.
Sandy High School's Pioneer Digital Media Broadcasting program, which is a live multi-camera broadcast that covers sports, news and events from the Sandy High School campus.
Sifton Elementary's After School Club, which is a free program for families designed to provide extra academic support and extracurricular activities.

In addition, Grout Elementary, which was selected by community votes, will receive $5,000 for their Grounds Improvement Project, which will repair the Grout Elementary track and field in southeast Portland. Click here to learn about the impact the Community Builder award had on one of last year's winner, Mollala High School.

OnPoint was founded in 1932 by 16 school teachers and in addition to its annual Prize for Excellence in Education campaign, OnPoint continues its founders' mission today by supporting local education through:

Helping De La Salle North Catholic High School students gain valuable real-life work experience.
Collecting school supplies and cash donations at branch locations for Schoolhouse Supplies.
Supporting Babies With Books, which provides books to families in Randall Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit so they can bond with their babies and help with early literacy.
Supporting Oregon Humane Society's Humane Education Program, which brings OHS educators into public and private school to teach concepts of respect, responbibility and compassion for animals.

OnPoint also partners with Financial Beginnings, Junior Achievement, and Portland Workforce Alliance to provide financial literacy and workforce development education. A partnership with financial wellness company iGrad has provides members with personalized financial wellness education through our new online Enrich platform. In 2019, OnPoint employees used 485 paid volunteer hours for financial education efforts, impacting 3,500 students.

ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION
OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving more than 395,000 members and with assets of $6.5 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union's membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 13 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Columbia, Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Lane, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Washington and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. More information is available at www.onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932.