Cristo Rey teacher awarded Catholic Educator of the Year

OKLAHOMA CITY – Katie Trivitt Beam, a teacher at Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School, was named the 2021 recipient of the Archbishop Paul S. Coakley Educator or the Year Award. Beam is a math teacher.

Along with Beam, finalists for the award were Rebecca Lane, the director of inclusion and student achievement at Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School in Oklahoma City, and Sue Hawkins, a long-time teacher at Saint Philip Neri Catholic School in Midwest City, who currently teaches middle school language arts and social studies.

The Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma presents the award each year to honor Catholic educators in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The winner receives $500, and their school receives $5,000. The other finalists each receive $250.

Beam teaches math grades 9-12. She has been at Cristo Rey for three years and after teaching at Memphis Catholic Middle and High School in Memphis, Tenn. She is a graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Oklahoma City. In addition to teaching, Beam leads an advisory group that encourages building healthy relationships. She has co-chaired Cristo Rey OKC School Mission and Identity committee, started the tennis team, and is leading a pilgrimage to Saint Martin de Porres shrine.

Lane has been teaching at The Mount for 10 years after spending 16 years at Mustang High School. Lane and her three children are all graduates of The Mount. From her nomination entry, “She felt that God led her back because of his plan for her, to help students flourish in a loving, caring and nurturing environment. She has served as freshman class sponsor and assistant soccer coach.

Hawkins has taught at Saint Philip Neri Catholic School in Midwest City for 22 years after teaching for 30 years in Yukon public schools. From her nomination entry, “Her calm demeanor is a blessing amongst the faculty.” Hawkins works to make readers out of students who otherwise might never pick up a book. Hawkins’ students have participated in national essay contests for the past 20 years, and in the Future City Engineering Contest. Two Philip Neri students have won the national Future City essay contest.


Photo: Jim Beckman, executive director of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis, Lara Schuler, director of Catholic education, Sue Hawkins, Katie Trivitt Beam, Rebecca Lane and Peter de Keratry, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma, at the Fall Education Institute in Oklahoma City.  Photo Fran Kozakowski/Sooner Catholic.