LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (May 3, 2022) – To mark National Teacher Appreciation Day today, Disney Imagination Campus is revealing the 50 inspiring teachers from across the nation who will be the guests of honor for a magical celebration of America’s education heroes at Walt Disney World Resort in late May. The 50 teachers event coincides with the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, which launched “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” in October 2021 to mark the resort’s 50th year.
When they arrive at Walt Disney World Resort during Memorial Day Weekend, the 50 elementary, middle and high school teachers will be treated to special entertainment experiences in the parks, a celebratory parade at Magic Kingdom Park and inspiring sessions led by Disney leaders, Disney Imagineers and a Broadway performer.
“Teachers are among our country’s greatest resources, and their educational artistry and dexterity were never more evident than during the pandemic,” said Javier Moreno, a senior vice president at Disney Destinations. “These 50 teachers, along with thousands of other educators around the country, deserve to be celebrated for their continued efforts to inspire our nation’s children through the imagination-powered learning philosophy that is at the core of our Disney Imagination Campus.”
The 50 teachers, who come from 32 different states, were selected from more than 5,800 written applications that centered on the creativity and imagination they each demonstrate in their classrooms on a regular basis. Many of the selected teachers incorporate various types of classroom transformations into their curriculum, creating vibrant and imaginative worlds that spark the minds of students. And all of them have positively impacted the lives of their students and, in some cases, changed the trajectory of their futures.
For instance, a California teacher’s classroom transformations have included an escape room and a New Year’s Eve ball-drop event. A teacher in Indiana has transformed her classroom into an interactive version of the Titanic. And an Arizona teacher is reaching her students who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds by creating a classroom competition in which students pitch mock business ideas to school administrators and fellow students.
“These teachers and so many others are really next-level educators,” said Charles Thomas, Director, Disney Imagination Campus. “They are supercharging the imaginations of young minds every day in ways that are driving their career ambitions in directions that they probably never thought were possible.”
Disney Imagination Campus offers educational experiences for visiting student groups at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida as well as Disneyland Resort in California. The collection of interactive workshops, performances and special events involve a variety of subjects, including performing arts, science, technology, arts, humanities, leadership and innovation. These programs are specially created to harness beloved Disney franchises, Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment in ways that inspire the next generation of creative thinkers.
In creating the curriculum, Disney incorporated industry trends and collaborated with a cross section of teachers, plus drew on its extensive experience in youth education, which ultimately led to a hands-on approach to learning and an imagination-powered curriculum that emphasizes key performance criteria as well as the critical skills students need to succeed in today’s world, such as leadership, confidence, creative problem-solving and teamwork.
The Disney Imagination Campus curriculum also leverages a new collaboration with learning & engagement platform Kahoot! to make interactive quizzes available to teachers for select Disney Imagination Campus experiences. Kahoot!, which has engaged seven billion non-unique participants since 2013, empowers learners of all ages to learn through play with its live games, study tools and millions of ready-to-use kahoots, courses and other resources.
###
For more information about Disney Imagination Campus and “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” visit WDWNews.com.
About Disney Imagination Campus
Disney Imagination Campus provides a reimagined line of educational experiences for visiting student groups that harness beloved Disney franchises and includes a collection of interactive workshops, performances and special events centered around a variety of subjects that include performing arts, science & technology, arts & humanities, and leadership & innovation. The uniquely Disney curriculum takes place at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California and offers a hands-on approach to learning based on industry trends to supercharge the imaginations of students and inspire their career ambitions.
###
Alabama
Allison Lowe – Jackson, AL
Stacey Turner – Albertville, AL
Arizona
Angelica Abbey-Chandler, AZ
Arkansas
James Stallings – Springdale, AR
California
Lauren Hall – Venice, CA
Nathan Haston – Big Bear City, CA
Caitlin Knapp – Elk Grove, CA
Carlanda Miller – Fresno, CA
Rachel Posteraro– Cypress, CA
Colorado
Timothy Pullano– Arvada, CO
Connecticut
David Viesto– Norwalk, CT
Delaware
Kelly Scholl – Newark, DE
Florida
Aurora Dominguez – Hollywood, FL
Stacey Foskey –Oveido, FL
Hawaii
Scott Kazarian– Honolulu, HI
Illinois
Katrina Barge – Chicago, IL
Joshua Burick– West Chicago, IL
Indiana
Matthew Newkirk – Lafayette, IN
Susan Thompson – Crown Point, IN
Louisiana
Beatric Aex-New Iberia, LA
Texas
Summer Brauer- Santa Fe, TX
Arielle Lewin-Lewisville, TX
Bailey Robert-Bryan, TX
Shannon Ryan-Heartland, TX
Edgar Lopez-Sanchez-Houston, TX
Georgia
Kathleen Argall – Mableton, GA
Brittany Blackmon – Waco, GA
Quandrell Claybrooks– East Point, GA
Maryland
Alisa Janiski–Pylesville, MD
Michigan
Michael Massucci– Royal Oak, MI
Minnesota
Caroline Little – Saint Paul, MN
Mississippi
Ryan Melton – Grenada, MS
Jordan West – Ocean Springs, MS
Missouri
Dale Hoggatt– Carl Junction, MO
Montana
Karry Woodard – Billings, MT
Nevada
Kristina Lee – Fallon, NV
New Jersey
Paul Tomasheski– Stanhope, NJ
New York
Lauren Glaser – Sound Beach, NY
Luis Ingels– Brooklyn, NY
North Carolina
Kathryn Eisel– Belmont, NC
Doris Matal– Raleigh, NC
North Dakota
Barbara Hill – Langdon, ND
Ohio
Emily Knight – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Oklahoma
Coquestia Ladd – Oklahoma City, OK
Pennsylvania
Amy Extein– Warren, PA
Nathan Pfeiffer – Pittsburgh, PA
Tennessee
Timothy Moore – Memphis, TN
Utah
Braxton Thornley–South Jordan, UT
Virginia
Kathryn Zangara– Leesburg, VA
Washington
Bryan Johnson – Tacoma, WA