Mueller teacher receives Kase Excellence Award

From left: Jim Cain, Klein ISD superintendent; Dee Dee Murphy; Walter Kase; and Sharon Firestone at the 2012 Walter Kase Award Luncheon.

Mueller Elementary teacher Devota "Dee Dee" Murphy recently received the 2012 Walter Kase Teacher Excellence Award.

The award was presented by the Anti-Defamation League as a tribute to Holocaust survivor Walter Kase to acknowledge exceptional Houston-area educators who promote respect for diversity and reject prejudice in their schools.

Murphy has joined five other outstanding teachers as a recipient of the award, including Stephanie Collier, Lorraine Pratt, Yolanda Garcia, Karen Kulhanek-Rochin and Judy Linville.

One of the ways Murphy worked to eliminate prejudice in the classroom was by organizing a weeklong initiative called "Be an Up-Stander, Not a Bystander" for Klein ISD's anti-bullying campaign.

Murphy also oversees a character education program. She selected five positive core values and asked students to post examples of them on a giant board outside her office. Murphy then tracks the progress of the students as they work to achieve these values.

Mueller Elementary principal Sharon Firestone said in a press release, "It was so exciting to hear that she was chosen for this award because I know her efforts have made a difference, especially with the students, on our campus. The programs she has put in place, the inspiration she has given all of us, and her relentless dedication to this initiative is unlike any other."