Submitted photo of Patrick McGhee

Submitted photo of Patrick McGhee

As part of an effort to recognize outstanding teaching, Dallas ISD announced its five finalists for top teacher award, and a teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School is among them.

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Patrick McGee is a high school language arts teacher who credits his success at improving minority participation in AP classes to his willingness to use “any means necessary to get students to understand the academic and practical application of English/language arts, incorporating everything from fine art to comic books, classic cinema to current television.”

Also nominated was Silvia Alonzo, a bilingual reading/language arts teacher at John H. Reagan Elementary School; Dana Clark, a science teacher at Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School; Travis Smith, a high school math teacher at Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College at Mountain View College; and Emily Tang, an English teacher at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School.

The winner will be announced at a special reception and dinner sponsored by Central Market at 6 p.m. this Thursday, April 17, at the Belo Mansion, 2101 Ross Ave., Dallas, Texas. A committee of educators, parents, community partners and others selected the finalists.