FACTS Teacher Innovation Award Winners 2022
The FACTS Teacher Innovation Awards was created to recognize exceptional educators creating lasting educational impact through grassroots innovation in their schools. We want to shine a light on the creative teachers making a difference through bold initiatives, commitment to their students, and support of FACTS’ mission to make educational dreams possible through service and technology.
2022-2023 Winners
Carina Brossy
Arborbrook Christian Academy (North Carolina)
WINNING SUBMISSION:
Nature Studies: A Timeless Approach to Life-Giving Education
Over her 20-year career in education, Carina has helped students understand the lenses through which they see the world, leading international exchange trips and teaching middle school French and Spanish. Guided by her love of international travel and the outdoors, she studied ecology, organic gardening, and gastronomy and brought these skills to her current role teaching K-8 Nature Studies. Carina teaches students organic gardening, wilderness skills, and appreciation for nature – as well as hands-on cooking skills with a global perspective.
Nick Johnson
Worthington Christian Academy (Ohio)
WINNING SUBMISSION:
Warrior Cafe: Going Beyond the Classroom
A non-traditional teacher, Nick found his passion for education after a shoulder injury put an end to his professional baseball career. Using his real-world experience in retail, insurance, and the medical device industries, Nick has taught courses including Sports Marketing & Management, Accounting, Personal Finance, and more, all focused on helping students develop professional skills they can use in their future careers. As part of his Small Business Management course, Nick guides students in managing Warrior Café, a student-driven coffee shop, setting sales goals, handling marketing, and seeing what it takes to run a real-life business.
Matthew Jones
Corpus Christi Catholic (Florida)
WINNING SUBMISSION:
Uke Can Play
While Matthew has always had a passion for music and still plays the occasional gig, he feels like teaching is his true calling. As a music teacher with the Diocese of St. Petersburg, he inspires a love of music in his students with lessons grounded in practical application, where students learn internal rhythm, chord theory, and ensemble playing. Many of his students have gone on to accomplish remarkable things with the guitar and ukulele skills learned in Matthew’s classes.
Nina Rozes
Roycemore School (Illinois)
WINNING SUBMISSION:
Crafting a Digital History: 3D Printing Ancient Artifacts from Imagined Civilizations and Curating a Virtual Reality Museum
As a PK-12 educator and teaching coach, Nina has helped schools throughout Chicago and Indianapolis infuse technology and project-based learning into their curriculums. In addition to teaching courses like Visual Arts, Design Thinking, and Graphic Design over the course of her career, Nina has empowered both teachers and students to employ real-world applications of theory and think critically. Her award-winning submission project involved 3D printing and creating a virtual reality museum of ancient artifacts.
Peter Tlusty
St. Mary Catholic School (Virginia)
WINNING SUBMISSION:
Cubes in Space with Martian Greenhouse 3.0
A childhood love of space led Peter to his current role teaching technology and engineering design to PK-8 students. As a Civil Air Patrol educator, American Rocketry Challenge mentor, and NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, Peter brings hands-on STEM applications into his lessons, helping students to design, build, and test rockets, rovers, satellites, and more. In addition to teaching students about all things aeronautics, Peter’s students were even able to send their experiment into space through the Cubes in Space program – establishing a love of the cosmos in a whole new generation.