Kevin Ford

2014 Pinellas County Teacher of the Year

2014 Outstanding Educator of the Year - Kevin Ford

 

Kevin Ford, band director and founder of the Leadership Conservatory for the Arts at Tarpon Springs High School, was recognized as Pinellas County Schools 2014 Outstanding Educator of the Year and was honored as the 2015 Florida Department of Education – Macy's Teacher of the Year.

 
A 20-year veteran of Pinellas County Schools, Ford is credited with envisioning and founding the nationally recognized Leadership Conservatory for the Arts, which integrates curriculum in academics, instrumental music, technology, and leadership skills.

 
Ford has garnered numerous local, state and national accolades throughout his career. He was a finalist in the district's Outstanding Educator of the Year recognition program in 1998, was named the Tarpon Springs Community Teacher of the Year in 1996 and 1997, and was the Tarpon Springs High School Teacher of the Year in 1997. By proclamation, the city of Tarpon Springs declared Sept. 22, 2012 as Kevin Ford Day for his contributions to the school and the youth of the city.

 
In 2009, Ford was one of only seven educators selected to serve on the Music Educators National Conference Blue Ribbon Panel in Washington, D.C. That same year, under Mr. Ford's leadership, the Tarpon Springs High School Marching Band was honored with the prestigious John Philip Sousa Sudler Shield Award, an international award recognizing "marching bands of world class excellence." In 2010, he was the recipient of the Music Educators National Conference's Music Educators Excellence Award.

 
Ford was an honorary director for the 2005 and 2008 Bands of America Tournament of Roses Honor Band. He also served as the artistic designer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 FIFA World Cup soccer games in South Korea.

 
Under Mr. Ford's direction, the Tarpon Springs Marching Band is a six-time Bands of America AA and AAA Division National Champion and a 25-time Bands of America Florida and Atlanta Regional Champions. In November, Mr. Ford's marching band performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. During his tenure, his bands and ensembles have also been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, the Lincoln Center and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

 
Ford holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education, and is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, the Florida Bandmasters Association and Phi Kappa Psi Honor Society.

 

Other Outstanding Educator of the Year finalists were:

  • Sarah Borchardt, a fifth-grade gifted, ESOL and inclusion teacher at Starkey Elementary School
  • Susan Carney, a Kindergarten teacher at Ozona Elementary School
  • Melissa Colgan, a Supported Varying Exceptionalities (SVE) teacher at Largo Middle School
  • Diana Harper, a fourth-grade teacher at Dunedin Elementary School
  • Tracey Raecek, an Algebra teacher at Osceola Fundamental High School
  • Monica Taylor, a media specialist at Woodlawn Elementary School
  • Gisela Torres, a Spanish teacher for the International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High School
  • Robert Sinibaldi, an Physical Education teacher for students with special needs at Walsingham Elementary School

 

 

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