Mandy Whitlock, Fine Arts Department Coordinator and theatre teacher at Brandeis High School, has been named a 2009-10 winner of the ExCEL Award, sponsored by
KENS-TV and the
San Antonio Federal Credit Union.
Whitlock and her students were surprised in her classroom - the Blackbox Theatre - Tuesday by KENS anchor Deborah Knapp and representatives from SACU bearing a golden apple and a $1,000 check.
The ExCEL award recognizes outstanding teachers in the San Antonio area.
"This means so much to me," Whitlock told her students after the surprise. "I love you all so much and it is so wonderful to teach you every day. I thank you, because this kind of stuff is the icing on the cake that I get to eat every day."
Whitlock, who has been an educator for the past 12 years, opened
Brandeis High School last year and took her students all the way to 5A regionals in the UIL One Act Play category. It was the first time a theatre program in Northside went all the way to regionals in its first year of existence.
In March, Whitlock was named a districtwide Educator of the Year for 2009.
"She cares about the students inside and outside the classroom," Brandeis Principal Geri Berger said. "She puts her heart and soul into teaching."
In addition to her work in education, Whitlock also has acted and directed professionally in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. She also wrote, produced and acted in several Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre productions in the Houston area. She has taught several acting and auditioning workshops throughout the state at festivals and conferences and has directed more than 50 full-length theatre and musical theatre productions throughout her career with actors of all ages.
"She isn't just a theatre teacher; she is a talented actress and a talented director," said Charles Daniels, a senior at Brandeis. "She brings so much more to the classroom as a professional. Theatre really is her passion and her life."
A profile of Whitlock will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday on KENS-TV and also will be posted at www.kens5.com and www.sacu.com.
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