Julia Anderson-Holt, a science teacher at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, was named the 2020 Archbishop Paul. S. Coakley Catholic Schools Educator of the Year on Sept 25 during the annual Education Institute held virtually from the Catholic Pastoral Center.
Anderson-Holt has been a science teacher at Bishop McGuinness for 15 years. She is the science department chairperson, the IT coordinator for the football team, KAIROS leader and has helped several young women obtain their Gold Awards for Girl Scouts of America.
Her nomination letter states, “Julia is a passionate educator who possesses a constant thirst for learning and empowers her students to seek a higher level of understanding in all their endeavors.”
Anderson-Holt was instrumental in helping set up the school’s distance learning program this past spring, and she continually looks for opportunities to better her personal, spiritual and professional life. She is a graduate of Rosary Catholic School in Oklahoma City.
Her nominator said, “Since arriving on campus, Julia has improved the level of instruction in the building while helping students and faculty grow academically, professionally and spiritually. I can say without hesitation that Julia is possibly the most gifted educator I have encountered in my 47 years in education.”
The other finalists were Shivaun Adam from All Saints Catholic School in Norman and Sarah Parizek from Saint John Nepomuk Catholic School in Yukon.
Adam has served as a fourth-grade teacher for 23 years. She connects CRS Rice Bowl collections to her math and social studies lessons, and she connects her lessons in the science lab to Catholic social teachings.
Parizek has served in a Catholic elementary school for 26 years, most recently as the theology teacher for PreK-3, PreK-4 and kindergarten. She puts much thought and planning into her lessons and her students act out stories with props, shouting out praises to God, marching through Jericho, fighting the giants, singing his promises, quietly talking to Jesus in their hearts, all while being still enough to hear his soft voice.
The Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma provides the award each year to a Catholic school teacher in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. To learn more about Catholic schools, visit archokc.org/schools.