The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences has announced three teacher merit finalists for the esteemed national Teacher of the Year Award which included Parkland High School Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Bethany Pepe.

This recognition celebrates their outstanding contributions to education and their dedication to advancing the field of Family and Consumer Sciences, according to the press release.

Pepe won for her nomination and program titled “Threads of Diversity: Celebrating Cultures Through Ugly Sweaters.”

This national recognition celebrates Pepe’s outstanding contributions to Parkland High School’s FCS program.

FCS represents many areas, including human development, personal and family finance, housing and interior design, food science, nutrition, and wellness, textiles and apparel, and consumer issues.

Her unique project included the following goals:

·Students demonstrate fashion construction technique, and upcycling skills to celebrate something of significance to themselves or their culture via a self-created fashion.

·Students demonstrate respect for the uniqueness of each others’ culture, interests, and design through classroom discussion and review of each other’s projects.

·Students demonstrate effective budgeting practices to plan and coordinate their end of unit “Ugly” Celebration with a cost of no more than $30.

This unit has now been taught at Parkland High School for the past three years, and has grown to include the Parkland community through her partnership with the Parkland Community Library and PHS Preschool.

This year Community Involvement Sweaters were colored at the South Whitehall Township Tree and Bridge Lighting Ceremony as one of the activities with the Parkland Community Library, and Parkland Child Development Club.

The AAFCS Teacher of the Year Award, is sponsored by Goodheart-Willcox Publisher, and was established in 1974 to recognize exemplary teachers who utilize cutting-edge methods, techniques and activities to provide stimulus and visibility to family and consumer sciences in elementary and secondary education.

The Teacher of the Year award and the Merit Finalist recognition highlight the invaluable contributions of educators who inspire and empower students to succeed in Family and Consumer Sciences.

AAFCS commend Mia Battistone, Ashley Beth Phipps and Bethany Pepe for their outstanding achievements and for their tireless dedication to shaping the future of education.

The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences is the only professional association for Family and Consumer Sciences students and professionals from multiple practice settings and content areas.

For more than 100 years, AAFCS has provided leadership and support to professionals whose work assists individuals, families, and communities in making informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life.

AAFCS members are located worldwide, with the largest concentration in the United States.

To learn more about the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, go to aafcs.org.