2021-2022 IMMS Teachers of the Year

21-22 IMMS Teachers of the Year
Posted on 05/27/2022
This is the image for the news article titled 21-22 IMMS Teachers of the Year

Irma Marsh Middle School is excited to announce two Teachers of the Year. Teachers of the Year are nominated and selected by their campus peers and announced at the campus awards ceremony held in May. Congratulations to Amber Hollis & Gavin Watson. Find out more about the 2021-2022 Teachers of the Year in the bios below.

Gavin Watson

Irma Marsh Middle School

Gavin Watson, the eighth grade CTE Principles of Information Technology and Principles of Audio Visual teacher, has been recognized as one of two 2022 Irma Marsh Middle School Teachers of the Year. A graduate of Liberty University with a bachelor's degree in Speech Communication, who later earned his master’s degree at Dallas Theological Seminary, Watson became a programmer and web developer before entering the world of education. 

Watson is always thinking of ways to show the process of creating a real-world project for his students. From creating storyboards to shooting B roll, Watson involves his students in every step of the audio visual process. “Anytime I can get a student or students involved, it is a win, and it helps foster a culture of ‘We Got This’ in our little classroom,” he says. 

Watson considers himself a profoundly introspective person, never static or satisfied, who is always trying to better himself. “I grew up in an environment where my parents were not proponents of education; also, I found myself in a time when those students with learning disabilities and who acted out were deemed failures, and I responded as such.” 

Amber Hollis 

Irma Marsh Middle School

Eighth grade math and Algebra I teacher, Amber Hollis, has been recognized as one of two 2022 Irma Marsh Middle School Teachers of the Year. Since the second grade, Hollis has wanted to teach people and share her passion with her students. Hollis graduated from Angelo State university with a bachelor’s degree in math and a minor in education. 

“When I first started teaching, it was extremely rough. I wanted to quit because I did not have the support as a new teacher from the administration,” Hollis recalled. Before giving up on a lifelong dream, she decided to give another school district a try for one more year, so she made the decision to switch to Castleberry ISD. “Now being in my third year at Castleberry, I have rediscovered my passion and work in a school that I can call home.” 

Hollis views mathematics as a never-ending puzzle. She strives to share this passion with her students everyday by creating an environment that celebrates mathematics at Irma Marsh. From Mathematician’s Street puzzles in the hallway to Math Mondays, she creates opportunities for students to fall in love with mathematics. On the first day of Math Mondays, students and staff were encouraged to wear animal prints to signify that math appears everywhere including in nature, art, and architecture. Another Math Monday celebrated Multiplicity Day, where everyone dressed as twins, triplets, quadruplets, or as many “twins” you could find. The assistant principals, counselors, and even other teachers joined in the celebrations and dressed alike. 

“I want to involve the entire math department in my endeavor to create a school culture that celebrates mathematics. My desire for my students and community is to create a school culture that empowers students to have a positive mindset toward mathematics.”