Three C&I alumni honored with 2024 CEHD Distinguished Alumni Awards
Three alumni from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) were honored at the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, hosted by the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) on November 14. This award recognizes CEHD graduates who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and excellence in their careers and communities. Awardees are selected by the alumni relations staff in collaboration with the Dean.
Congratulations to the C&I recipients Ann Mickelson Hebble, Brandon Locke, and JoAnne Farley, as well as all the other 2024 Distinguished Alumni.
Here’s more about the C&I 2024 CEHD Distinguished Alumni Award recipients:
Brandon Locke and Dean Michael Rodriguez
Brandon Locke
Brandon Locke has been given the ceremonial name “Language Warrior” by an Alaskan Indigenous community because of his work in language preservation. He was already a strong teacher and leader with a background in French when he earned his masters here in multilingual education, and went on to many years as a classroom teacher and administrator in his home state of Alaska. Today, he is Director of World Languages and Immersion Programs for the Anchorage School District. Under his leadership, the depth and breadth of offerings have increased and include 8 elementary and 5 middle and high school immersion programs. One of his most celebrated accomplishments has been the creation of the district’s Yup'ik elementary immersion program. This is the first urban Yup'ik program in the United States and has been important for rebuilding relationships with the many Alaskan native families in Anchorage. Brandon’s dissertation, which he will defend in just a few weeks, focuses on the program and indigenous language revitalization efforts. He also has a 25 year long connection with Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, currently serving as Dean of Teacher Seminars and Director of StarTalk Programs.
Ann Mickelson Hebble and Dean Michael Rodriguez
Ann Mickelson Hebble
Ann Mickelson Hebble is a long-time Saint Paul Public School teacher who has given her professional talents to middle-schoolers, particularly refugee-background students. She has leveraged her second languages and cultures master’s degree and ESL license to successfully collaborate with content teachers, a rare achievement. Ann is described as generative, dynamic, funny, smart, punk, irreverent, and deeply appreciated by colleagues and students. Her accomplishments include starting English Language Learner programs at two middle schools, starting a language academy for students new to the United States, organizing intake and resources for immigrant/refugee parents, and founding a Gender-Sexualty Alliance. She has hosted CEHD student teachers, collaborated on research with Curriculum and Instruction professors, and is always willing to allow an endless stream of visitors into her classroom to see how the magic happens.
JoAnne Farley and Dean Michael Rodriguez
JoAnne Farley
JoAnne Farley pursued a bachelor's degree in elementary education with minors in French and Spanish after working as a flight attendant for two years. At CEHD, she learned the pedagogies that she used in her 30 years in the Edina Public Schools. One of the highlights of her career was co-founding the Continuous Progress program in Edina, a progressive multi-age model with a focus on cooperative learning. She developed the program in partnership with Professors Roger Johnson and David Johnson, and one of their students. The Continuous Progress approach was controversial at the time, but when JoAnne took a sabbatical to visit schools across the United States, she found it was a model for other alternative programs and it is still thriving today. She also spent three years teaching Chippewa Indians in Bayfield, Wisconsin while living on Madeline Island. Her daily commute included a ferry in the summer and a wind sled in the winter. JoAnne says she has found “people to be a wonderful education,” and tried to incorporate new experiences like this into her career.