Marian Greenblatt Winner Awarded National Teacher of the Year by President Bush
(April 26, 2006 Washington, D.C.)
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Kimberly Oliver, one of the three winners of the Marian Greenblatt Excellence in Education Award in 2005, was honored today by President George W. Bush and his wife Laura in a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

President Bush praised Ms. Oliver for her extraordinary work in raising the level of achievement of Broad Acres (Silver Spring, MD) Elementary School kindergarten students. Ninety percent of the students at Broad Acres, a Title 1 school, are eligible for free or reduced cost meals and live in homes where English is not the native language. The President specifically noted the improvements in math and reading scores at the school.

He went on to say, “Society has a deep obligation to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations; we believe every child can learn. He praised the bi-partisan effort that led to passage of the No Child Left Behind Act early in his first administration: "I worked with members of both political parties…; it’s possible here in Washington to occasionally do that."

Maryland State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick was especially proud of Ms. Oliver's performance, pointing out, "Many people don't realize that parts of Montgomery County have very low-income families with special needs. Kim was able to teach these children at a high level, showing that it can be done." Mrs. Grasmick is well known for pressing schools in all parts of Maryland to aim higher.

At the ceremony were more than 50 state and territorial Teachers of the Year, their state superintendents, Secretary of the Department of Education Margaret Spellings, and many educators from around the country. Education Secretary Spellings was especially proud that the Greenblatt award was named after a former employee of her department: "It's a wonderful effort to honor teachers, and I am so happy that one of the Greenblatt winners is today's honoree." During her tenure at the department, Marian had directed the Presidential Academic Fitness Award program, President Reagan's counterpart to the Athletic Fitness Award, which recognizes students' academic excellence in the public schools.

Dr. Marshal Greenblatt noted, “During my wife’s eight-year tenure on the County School Board, she worked vigorously to improve conditions for teachers with the goal of improving the performance of all students. These conditions included smaller classes, sufficient textbooks, reduced administrative workload, and mandatory homework. Marian wanted to help all teachers and recognize the truly excellent ones. Kim Oliver is just that kind of Master Teacher, one who helps the children to excel and helps other teachers as well.”

In 2005, Kimberly was picked as one of that year’s three Greenblatt Award Winners by a committee including Marshal Greenblatt, president of the Marian Greenblatt Education Fund; Marian and Marshal's three grown sons, Drew, Robert, and Mark; Susan Feldhuhn, a teacher and long-time Greenblatt family friend; and local businessman William Schlossenberg.

From these winners, Kimberly Oliver was chosen by a committee of local educators as the Montgomery County Teacher of the Year in April 2005. She went on to be named Maryland Teacher of the Year. On Monday, April 24, 2006, she was chosen National Teacher of the Year by a 14-person committee assembled by the Council of Chief State School Officers, sponsored by Scholastic Inc. and the ING Foundation.

Four winners named for Marian Greenblatt Excellence in Teaching Awards
(March 2, 2006 Potomac, MD)

The Marian Greenblatt Education Fund announced its four winners for 2006: Mr. Robert Dahlin, music teacher at Ridgeview Middle School in Gaithersburg, Ms. Catherine Ulicny, biology teacher at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Ms. Karen Wendel, math teacher at Brookhaven Elementary School in Rockville, and first-year teacher Ms. Allison Divens of Resnik Elementary School in Gaithersburg.