Susan Allen, alumna of Lampeter-Strasburg High School and current Hempfield School District instructional technology specialist, was recently named Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the PA Association for Educational Communications and Technology (PAECT).

PAECT is the local affiliate of ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, and has over 3,000 members statewide. The organization recognizes educators through a variety of awards, and in order to be recognized, an individual must be nominated and then two principals must echo the nomination with letters of recommendation. At the organization's annual banquet, Allen received the PAECT Outstanding Teacher of the Year award, which recognizes one teacher who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education and/or in advocating for education technology policy at the local, state, regional, national, and/or international levels.

"I am thrilled to receive the PAECT Outstanding Teacher of the Year award," said Allen. "I want to thank PAECT and those who nominated and supported my nomination for this recognition. I am fortunate to be able to work with colleagues who are innovative, creative, and collaborative as we support teaching and learning in the Hempfield School District. I am privileged to work with Hempfield staff and students integrating best practices in the classroom." Allen acknowledged the Hempfield Education Foundation for its continued support.

After graduating from Lampeter-Strasburg, Allen attended Millersville University to earn a bachelor's degree in life and earth science and then went to Lebanon Valley College where she received a Master of Science Education. After student-teaching in Manheim Township School District, Allen worked as a long-term life science substitute teacher at Conestoga Valley School District. She came to Hempfield School District in August 1991 and taught life science at Centerville and Landisville middle schools for 16 years. It wasn't until August 2007 that she moved to the high school as a Classrooms for the Future coach, which was a state grant through Gov. Ed Rendell's administration to promote the use of technology and 21st-century skills in education focused on the high school level.

Allen's father was a technology education teacher who taught print shop, so he had some of the first computers that did typesetting. Having that exposure to the printing process sparked Allen's interest in technology. She noted that her background in science complements her current position as an instructional technology specialist because she does a lot of the same troubleshooting and problem solving as a scientist does. According to Allen, when she came to the high school, Jim Albright, who is currently retired, influenced her and provided her with resources. She acknowledged the Hempfield Education Foundation for its continued support.

"A lot of times when I'm at a conference, the presenter will say that the smartest person is the room, meaning that the people that are in the room are the people that you pull knowledge from," commented Allen. "The staff and the students at Hempfield make up my room, so they're the people that I'm constantly learning from and collaborating with. My teachers and staff that I work with are my students as much as my students are my students."

To learn more about PAECT, visit http://www.paect.org.