Articles
Each year, Humanities Texas presents statewide awards to recognize Texas classroom teachers who have made exemplary contributions in teaching, curriculum development, and extracurricular programming. We are pleased to feature our final two 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award winners and their award presentations. Each recipient received $5,000, with an additional $1,000 for their schools to support further excellence in the instruction of the humanities.
Melina Recio, McAllen High School, McAllen
On April 3, 2025, Humanities Texas Board Member Walter Díaz presented Melina Recio with the Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award during a presentation at McAllen High School.
Recio, who is in her thirteenth year of teaching, currently instructs reading language arts, serves on the Leadership McAllen board, and actively leads advocacy efforts for multiple groups seeking to improve classroom working conditions, including the Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board and the Texas Education Agency Teacher Vacancy Taskforce.
In the classroom, Recio blends real world issues with literary analysis, empowering her students to engage critically with the world around them. A particularly inspiring project, sparked by a classroom reading of Malcom Gladwell's Outliers, had students research candidates running for their local school board elections and write persuasive essays, engage in mock debates, and even volunteer for local campaigns. Her innovative teaching approaches, which inspire her students to engage more deeply with democratic processes, have led her to receive multiple recognitions on local and national levels.
When describing her own teaching philosophy and view on the importance of an education in the humanities, Recio said, "Reading and writing are the means through which we learn about ourselves and the world around us, the method through which we learn new concepts and ideas, and the way we communicate with others effectively and create meaningful change."
"Melina Recio is that rare combination of a skilled, highly effective teacher who also chooses to lead in a multitude of public spaces, which influence her work as a teacher," said Jonathan Stevens, senior managing director at Teach for America. "As a Teach Plus fellow, she has learned how to get access to different spaces to give testimony and provide insight into how policies impact teachers. As one of the original two teachers on the governor's Teacher Vacancy Task Force, she helped lead a subcommittee that contributed to producing part of the formal report that guided educational policy discussions in the subsequent legislative session."
Lindsay Johnston, Imagine International Academy of North Texas, McKinney
On May 2, 2025, Humanities Texas Board Member Thomas DiPiero, presented Lindsay Johnston with the James F. Veninga Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award during a presentation at the Alcuin School.
Johnston, a world geography teacher for the last seventeen years, is well known amongst her colleagues and students for her ability to incorporate current events in a manner that not only engages students but also leads to their own advocacy and participation in issues across the world. Her Kosovo Campaign is cited as one her most significant accomplishments in service learning. The first Kosovo Campaign dinner took place on campus in May 2018—raising $5,000 and receiving a matching grant from the HALO Trust—to complete a $10,000 de-mining project. The project has continued over the years, raising money and awareness and creating global connections for her students.
When speaking about her inspiration to become a teacher, Johnston said, "My mom, who passed away from cancer a few years ago, significantly influenced my career. She taught me the importance of inspiring others through my work in the classroom and how to use that gift to the best of my ability."
"It is critical that we collectively recognize those teachers who are actively preparing young people for an increasingly globalized world," said Elisha Upton, central administration officer and regional director of Imagine Schools. "Mrs. Johnston's students can articulately analyze the causes and effects of current conflicts across multiple perspectives. These skills are imparted by the efforts of committed teachers who care deeply and take creative risks in their pedagogy. Mrs. Johnston is one of these teachers."