The Austin ISD Board of Trustees will recognize four outstanding educators at its regular board meeting tonight for awards received in 2017.

2017 Mel Miller Outstanding Social Studies Teacher Award

The National Social Studies Supervisors Association presented Jessica Jolliffe, administrative supervisor of social studies, with the 2017 Mel Miller Outstanding Social Studies Teacher Award at its annual conference held in San Francisco in November 2017. The award recognizes one person each year who best exemplifies the qualities of leadership expressed by the NSSSA.

Jolliffe leads an AISD team in the development of curriculum, lesson plans, assessments and professional learning to meet the needs of the district's K-12 social studies students and teachers.

2017 CATCH Living Legacy Award

Michele Rusnak, administrative supervisor of health and physical education, and Patricia Werner, health specialist, were awarded the 2017 Coordinated Approach to Child Health Living Legacy Award in November 2017. The Living Legacy Award honors a past CATCH Champion and celebrates the legacy they have left in the tireless effort to making a difference in the health of children, families and their school communities.

CATCH is part of the University of Texas School of Public Health at Austin and the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Rusnak and Werner, who have served the AISD community for 28 and 17 years, respectively, have championed the implementation of CATCH across the district. They have secured grant funding from numerous organizations such as the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Fuel Up to Play 60 and Marathon Kids.

2017 Texas Library Association's Lifetime Achievement Award

The Texas Library Association presented Elizabeth Polk, assistant director of library media services, with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual Texas Library Association Conference in April 2017. The award recognizes one person each year who has had an exemplary career in librarianship and has demonstrated creative leadership and service to the library profession.

Polk is the second-longest serving AISD employee, having served AISD since 1966. She first served as an elementary school librarian before becoming the AISD elementary library coordinator. For nearly 30 years, Polk has led the AISD library program, serving the district’s 116 campus libraries.