The St. Thomas-St. John Chapter of the V.I. Modern Foreign Language Association and St. Thomas-St. John District Foreign Language Program are announcing the selection of Sherry Marcia Hodge as Foreign Language Teacher of the Year.
Hodge, a Spanish teacher at Charlotte Amalie High School, is the fifth recipient of the coveted award, which recognizes excellence in the field of foreign language education. Hodge has been teaching for 10 years, starting out as a public school teacher in her native Anguilla. She has been teaching Spanish in the territory since 2008.
At CAHS, Hodge has built up a number of professional accomplishments, including sponsoring the school’s Spanish Club and organizing the International and Unveiled Gems dinner functions as fundraisers for the students. She is currently spearheading a two-week educational class trip to Spain and Portugal, and pushes her students each year to participate in the Foreign Language Cultural Showcase. Under her direction, the students have created a number of winning entries and produced theme posters for the event, which is scheduled this year for April 14.
While speaking about her passion for teaching, Hodge said she believes that “language and culture are undeniably interconnected, as they both improve students’ cognitive, linguistic and communicative skills as well as their intellectual capacity.”
Her first language is English, but she also speaks Spanish and French. Hodge has said that her own experiences in learning multiple languages help her identify with some of the issues her students face throughout the year.
“Ms. Hodge is a great role model for her learners, one who can truthfully attest to the fact that learning and mastering another language is possible,” Myrna van Beverhoudt, foreign languages coordinator for the St. Thomas-St. John District, said recently. “We truly congratulate her on this well deserved award.”
A V.I. Board of Education Certified Spanish and French Secondary Educator, Hodge earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the West Indies, where she majored in Spanish and minored in French. Hodge continues to sharpen her skills through participation in various district sponsored workshops and in-service sessions, along with international immersion programs. She is currently working on her master’s degree, where her focus is on the teaching of English as a second language.
Hodge was nominated and unanimously approved as Foreign Language Teacher of the Year by V.I. Modern Foreign Language Association (VIMFLA) board members and district judges. She will be officially presented with the award during a dinner ceremony scheduled for May 19.
She is an active VIMFLA member and has served as secretary of the prestigious organization. As VIMFLA’s Foreign Language Teacher of the Year, she will represent the territory at the Southern Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (SCOLT’s) competition in April 2013. If successful at the regional level, Hodge will compete in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL’s) National Teacher of the Year competition in November 2013.
She will receive a commemoratory plaque, gifts, and a floral arrangement courtesy of the Foreign Language Program and VIMFLA. In addition, she will receive a gift bag courtesy of the St. Thomas-St. John District. VIMFLA will also provide up to $1,000 of her travel expenses to SCOLT.
For more information on the Foreign Language Teacher program, contact Myrna V. van Beverhoudt, VIMFLA’s resident agent and the district’s foreign languages coordinator, at myrnavanbvi@yahoo.com, mvanbeverhoudt@sttj.k12.vi or at 775-2250 ext. 8540.
