Lisa Bell was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Jamin B. Wilson Excellence in Education Award. Four teachers of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School each submitted incredible letters of nomination for Lisa Bell. She deserved this award without question.
Lisa Bell is a phenomenal human being. Her love of books and technology is obvious from her important roles as the school’s Digital Teacher Librarian (DTL) and Technology Coordinator. This dual role requires a tremendous amount of responsibility and dedication, and Lisa does it with pure professionalism. She is a Google-Certified Trainer. Whenever staff or students struggle to find necessary resources or assistance with computers, Lisa and her support staff are readily available to offer advice or solve technical issues. Plus, she is also the Head Girls’ Track and Cross-Country Coach and has held this position for 20+ years, in which she coached practices and meets, planned team dinners and banquets, and pushed students to give their best efforts.
Lisa has been instrumental in building D’Evelyn’s library to support student research for the school’s challenging curriculum. She chooses rich resources for history term paper work for grades 9-12, while seeking teacher input. Every year, she teaches students up-to-date research skills in order to find content-rich databases. She has created a modern research center for a liberal arts school that supports and understands the importance of reading books.
Perhaps most importantly, Lisa saved the school during the Covid pandemic. Switching from in-person to online learning was stressful and chaotic, but Lisa worked tirelessly to ensure both staff and students were prepared and had access to the latest technology, including helping staff to set up Google Classrooms and teaching how to record lessons using the Screencastify tool. While many schools fell behind in their students’ learning, D’Evelyn’s students maintained a high level of engagement and learning. Staff and students had access to online resources, group chats to ask/answer questions, and endless support from Lisa’s wealth of knowledge. She made sure all students had the technology they needed to continue learning from home. Her passion for keeping D’Evelyn students and staff current in the latest technology-based learning tools continues today.
Lisa was also member of D’Evelyn’s Steering Committee for three years. As a member, she put in countless hours reading, studying, listening, and voting on divisive issues. Her contributions and willingness to participate in numerous vital aspects of D’Evelyn, plus her passion for helping and supporting teachers/students/families, being a teacher and a coach, and promoting D’Evelyn’s philosophy are truly inspiring. She says her satisfaction comes from making a positive difference in students’ lives through their educational experience, especially when former students communicate with her to express their gratitude.