Galveston ISD is proud to announce May’s E3 Employee of the Month, Maggie Queen, magnet coordinator at Burnet Elementary STREAM Magnet.
Queen came to Galveston ISD to “teach by the beach” in 2018 as an Algebra I teacher and CLF and has been in her current role of magnet coordinator at Burnet for two school years. Prior to working for the district, she taught secondary math in Pasadena ISD for five years.
“I love the opportunity to be a positive presence in our students’ lives,” says Queen. “Whatever role we’re in – teaching them about Algebra, how to grow tomatoes, or how to treat each other with kindness, every person in education has the opportunity to make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of students. Best part of the day is high fives and fist bumps from the kids, whether they are 5 or 18!”
Queen’s position as a magnet coordinator entails a wide variety of things related to the district’s APEX3 magnet grant. She explains that on any given day, she might be working on writing cross-curricular unit plans, increasing parent and community engagement, working with teachers and community organizations to develop and implement theme-based partnerships and initiatives like the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) writing framework, or creating and sustaining elements of the Growing Grove outdoor classroom.
“It’s such a fun job because everything I do has a direct impact on our Burnet students’ learning experiences, even if a lot of the work is behind the scenes,” explains Queen. “The project I’m most excited about at Burnet is our K-STREAM Media Arts Club that we’ve established through a partnership with Mr. Dudas and the Ball High Media Arts community. I can’t wait to see this project continue to expand and to see our students’ excitement and growth as a result.”
Queen is originally from Michigan but has lived in Texas since 2013 and in Galveston since 2016. She and her husband are both from places near water, so they both felt the pull to live near the Gulf. Outside of work Queen likes to read and spend time traveling and exploring the island with her husband Bob and her two dogs, Harley and Pepper.
Below are descriptions of why Queen’s nominators chose her for E3 Employee of the Month:
“Maggie goes beyond her duties to support all staff and students at Burnet. She has been amazing creating STREAM Magnet opportunities for our students and staff, like developing and organizing The Growing Grove (garden) to make sure that students have hands-on and interactive experiences in the garden. Likewise, her positive attitude enhances our climate and culture, which makes teachers feel supported and cared for.”
“This person goes above the expectations of the district. She really has an impact on the students she is with.”
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