Kitti Wheeler spent the last four years building the DECA and marketing programs at Clover Park High School (CPHS) from the ground up. This year, she was recognized for her efforts.
Wheeler received the 2018 Washington Association of Marketing Educators (WAME) Teacher of the Year award at the organization’s annual meeting Oct. 29. She was nominated for the honor by Lakes High School marketing teacher Randy Wilson.
“I’m pleased that, at this point in my career, I’m not just putting in my time,” Wheeler said. “I’m still building and creating opportunities for kids, and I’m still excited, motivated and passionate about what I do.”
Wheeler has worked in the district for nearly 30 years. In addition to supporting students every day in her classroom, Wheeler has cultivated a passion for assisting other educators. She recently co-authored a workbook entitled Disrupt You! Student Workbook and Journal with digital media innovator Jay Samit.
The workbook contains collections of lessons and activities she created while teaching at the
district’s Alterative for Individuals High School. Wheeler also authored a teacher’s guide to help
instructors use the workbook in their class and the goal is to get it into every high school marketing class in the country.
Wilson nominated Wheeler in large part because of the impact she has had on him as a teacher.
“She helps motivate me to be a better teacher and when we share curriculum ideas or I give her
a curriculum idea I call it getting ‘Kitti-fed’ – she makes it better,” Wilson said. “She has an amazing
those strengths they bring to the classroom and work ethic, and she has a great deal of passion for
both our general and underserved populations.”
This article originally was published in the December issue of Inside Schools.