Crooms' Bradford Barsalou Named Seminole County 2011 Teacher of the Year

The good news for Crooms faculty just keeps on comin'! Last year Dr. Connie Collins was named the Principle of the Year for Seminole County and this year History and American Government teacher Bradford Barsalou was named Seminole County's 2011 Teacher of the Year.

On the evening of April 1, 2010, at the annual Teacher of the Year recognition program, Bradford Barsalou was named the Seminole County 2011 Teacher of the Year, to serve during the 2010-2011 school year. Mr. Barsalou, now in his 8th year of teaching, is a Social Studies teacher at Crooms Academy of Information Technology in Sanford, Florida. The students he teaches throughout the day take such courses as Advanced Placement (AP) US Government & Politics, AP World History, Economics Honors, World History, and Leadership Skills. (read more)

Mr. Barsalou came to Seminole County after working for several years as a teacher in Osceola County. He is a graduate of Valencia Community College in Orlando and Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and History. In addition, in the fall of 1999, he completed a research project, participated in an internship on Capitol Hill, and attained a semester of coursework in Constitutional Law and Supreme Court studies.

His principal, Dr. Connie Collins, noted: "Mr. Barsalou is a whirlwind of energy with an impressive presentation style as he ‘makes history come alive’ in his classroom. He has a warm rapport with his students, an extraordinary sense of humor, and a work ethic that is unrivalled." He never lowers the bar, but provides the scaffolding for success in his class." In addition to his hours in the classroom, this Teacher of the Year also provides service to the Crooms community in a variety of ways, for example – Sophomore Class sponsor, co-sponsor of the Student Government Association at Crooms, and coach of the powder-puff football team during Spirit Week.