Maria Eugenia Fernández Iglesias, a teacher at Portland’s Lyseth Elementary School, was named Teacher of the Year 2022 by the Ministry of Education, Embassy of Spain. Fernández has taught in the program for three years and has also taught Spanish-language programs in Spain and Utah. Contributed / Portland Schools

Lyseth Spanish educator wins teacher of the year

Maria Eugenia Fernández Iglesias, who teaches second grade in Lyseth Elementary School’s Spanish Immersion program in Portland, has been selected as Teacher of the Year 2022 by the Ministry of Education, Embassy of Spain.

The ministry cited the “Minichefs” project she created for her students, taught in collaboration with the prestigious Manuel Peleteiro School in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, during which students exchanged typical recipes and videos from their countries. The American students shared a recipe for each of the 50 states, while the Spanish students shared one for each autonomous community in their country. Each day, an interactive presentation of a state was made with historical, geographic and demographic information.

The results included the publication of a recipe book in Spanish with QR codes to the videos made by the students for each dish.

“It has been extremely inspiring to see the curiosity in the students’ faces, to value their knowledge, to empathize with their concerns, and a pleasure to lead the way towards playful, open and solid learning,” Fernández said.

Waynflete announces award winners

The board of directors of Waynflete private school in Portland announced the winners of two major annual awards bestowed by the school.

Bonnie Docherty, class of 1990, is the recipient of the 2022 Klingenstein Alumni Award at Waynflete.

Docherty has worked for two decades in international humanitarian law and disarmament, particularly as they relate to civilian protections in armed conflict. She has investigated the effects of war on civilians in Ethiopia, Gaza, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Nepal and Ukraine. Docherty is a lecturer at Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic and she is also a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Established in 2019, the award is named for its first recipient, Patricia Davis Klingenstein, ’47, in recognition of her work as an education advocate, devoted community leader, volunteer and philanthropist.

Katie Glaser Getchell, class of 1988, is the recipient of the 2022 Drake Award. Getchell was a member of the Board of Trustees for six years, serving as chairperson for the Alumni Leadership Council and serving on the Development Committee, the Global Committee, the Second Century Capital Campaign Leadership Committee and the Annual Fund Committee, where she volunteered as a leadership donor solicitor. She was recently appointed trustee emerita.

The award was created in 1976, when Emerson and Ping Drake received a special honor for their service to Waynflete.