OnPoint Recognizes Three Local Teachers with its 2022 Prize for Excellence in Education Educators of the Year Award

Each winner will have their mortgage or rent paid for one year and receive $2,500 for their school.

PORTLAND, Ore., May 31, 2022—OnPoint Community Credit Union has announced the three winners of its 2022 OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education Educator of the Year awards:

• Jennifer Krebs, a kindergarten teacher at Marcola Elementary School;
• Emmanuel Aquino, an 8th grade English – Spanish immersion teacher at Beaumont Middle School;
• And Jesse Bolt, a 9-12th grade English, reading intervention and braille teacher at the Washington State School for the Blind.

The three Educators of the Year will have their mortgage or rent paid for one full year and receive $2,500 for each of their schools. In addition, the three runners-up will receive $5,000 for themselves and $1,500 for each of their schools.

“Education has the power to change the trajectory of a student’s life, equipping them with knowledge and skills to create a better future for themselves and generations to come,” said Rob Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer, OnPoint Community Credit Union. “This year’s Educators of the Year embody this idea. Their dedication has made an enduring difference in the lives of their students and school communities. We are honored to recognize their many accomplishments and look forward to their continued impact.”

Since the OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education began in 2010, OnPoint has awarded more than $650,000 in prizes to 313 local educators and schools. This year’s contest awarded $88,510 to deserving public and private K-12 teachers and schools.

2022 Educators of the Year
The three winners of the 2022 OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education Educator of the Year awards are:

K-5 Educator of the Year – Jennifer Krebs
Kindergarten, Marcola Elementary School, Marcola School District 79J, Marcola, Ore.

Jennifer Krebs’ unique curriculum and passion for ensuring students are ready for their next step in education propelled half her Kindergarteners to a first-grade reading level in the first five months of school. Krebs’ secret to success is creating individualized lesson plans rather than teaching the entire class at once. Her approach was so successful that Marcola School District’s Superintendent asked her to assist in developing a preschool program for their elementary school. She also teaches financial literacy to her students, recognizing the importance of engaging children at a young age about money management. In addition, Krebs serves as a teacher mentor and supervisor to new teachers.

6-8 Educator of the Year – Emmanuel Aquino
8th grade English – Spanish immersion, Beaumont Middle School, Portland Public Schools, Portland, Ore.

Emmanuel Aquino is a bilingual educator who stands out for his efforts to help Spanish-speaking students and their families feel welcome and seen. Aquino teaches 8th-grade language arts and social studies in Spanish and English, with roughly half of his students being English language learners. He creates a unique curriculum, translating his lessons and researching Common Core Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency Standards to ensure students receive lessons that improve their critical thinking and language skills. Part of his success in the classroom comes back to his goal of making his curriculum relevant to his students. He proactively answers the common question, “Why do I need to know this?”. Aquino also invests in each student, both inside and outside of his classroom. For example, s many families struggled with food shortages during the pandemic, Aquino delivered boxes of groceries to students who didn’t have transportation.

9-12 Educator of the Year – Jesse Bolt
9-12th grade English, reading intervention and braille, Washington State School for the Blind, Vancouver, Wash.

Jesse Bolt is an English teacher who specializes in braille and self-advocacy skills, and is a local leader and advocate for students who have multiple exceptionalities. Bolt demonstrates a profound sensitivity to the needs of their students at the Washington State School for the Blind. They designed original learning modules for their class, including poetry writing, literary analysis and podcast production. Bolt’s impact is felt beyond their classroom’s walls. They led the implementation of a school-wide reading intervention program for struggling braille and print readers. Bolt also helped students establish the first Gender Sexuality Alliance club and is a member of the school’s first Equity and Inclusion committee. On a national level, they work with test writers to create a more accessible language proficiency assessment for English Learners with cognitive disabilities, including those who are blind or have low vision.

2022 Educator of the Year Runners-up
OnPoint will also award a $5,000 cash prize to each of the following 2022 runners-up and make a $1,500 donation to their schools for resources and supplies.

K-5 Runner-up – Carissa Shrout
K-5 music, Quatama Elementary School, Hillsboro School District 1J, Hillsboro, Ore.

6-8 Runner-up – Carrie Scaife
8th grade language arts, Cedar Ridge Middle School, Oregon Trail School District, Sandy, Ore.

9-12 Runner-up – Jason Galbraith
9-12th grade computer science, Sunset High School, Beaverton School District, Beaverton, Ore.

Five Schools Receive Community Builder Awards
In addition to the Educator of the Year awards, the 2022 OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education also awarded schools across the region with one $5,000 and four $2,000 Community Builder grants for special projects that enrich their communities. Click here to read about this year’s winners, which OnPoint announced on May 10, 2022.

A Growing Commitment to Excellence in Education
The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education is just one element of the credit union’s 90-year commitment to quality education in the region. Founded in 1932 by 16 schoolteachers, OnPoint continues its commitment to students and teachers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Click here to learn more about what OnPoint is doing to ensure students have access to quality education across the community.

ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION
OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving over 480,000 members and with assets of $9.4 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union’s membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, 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.

###