Shelly Donahue/ViewCashman Middle School English teacher Rob Dell stands in the school?s gymnasium. Dell recently was named the 2006-07 New Teacher of the Year. The award is given to first-year educators, and the recipient is chosen by a panel of Clark County School District administrators and personnel from UNLV, Sierra Nevada College and Nevada State College.
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The Clark County School District Board of School Trustees recognized Cashman Middle School English teacher Rob Dell as one of the 2006-07 New Teachers of the Year. Dell is the only middle school teacher to have received the honor this year.
The award is given to first-year educators, and the recipient is chosen by a panel of CCSD administrators and personnel from UNLV, Sierra Nevada College and Nevada State College.
"I had to convince him (Dell) to do the application, and then he was like a little kid, asking if we had heard anything," said Cashman Principal Misti Taton. "I think that's one of the neat things about good teachers, is they don't know how good they are."
Dell, who is originally from Columbus, Ohio, moved to Las Vegas two years ago because of the need for teachers in the city.
"I thought that crime and a lot of negative things are happening to low-income families, and I thought the only way to affect change was by teaching," Dell said.
The 29-year-old graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in English and plans to complete his master's degree in education during the next school year.
"He's learning right along with the kids. What he doesn't know, he goes out and looks for answers," Taton said. "He does a phenomenal job and always puts the kids first."
During Dell's first year he created a rap song to encourage students to study and pay attention to upcoming CRT (criterion-referenced) tests, which he performed during morning video announcements for the entire school to see.
"He made a total fool of himself; he'll do anything for the kids," Taton said. "He is very able to tie relevant things to the lessons."
Dell said some of Cashman's sixth-graders walked around saying parts of the rap to him up until the end of the school year, which made him proud. He also said he was pleased at how hard his students tried on tests this year and at how much work they put into class projects.
"By the end of the year, it was really shocking how many told me they want to be a teacher now," Dell said.
"He is absolutely awesome with the kids," Taton added.
Dell and his wife, Abby, have a 6-year-old daughter Chloe. Although he has a long journey ahead of him, this Cashman Middle School teacher is happy to be right where he is, enjoying his classes, one year at a time.
"It's really neat to be at the beginning," he said.
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