College of Education and Human Development

Rory Dippold Receives Virginia "Super Teacher" Award

Congratulations to Rory Dippold, who was just named one of eight Super Teachers in Virginia!

Dippold, who this month received a PhD in Education from George Mason University, was recognized for his dedication and commitment to students and for consistently going the extra mile to inspire them. 

The Super Teacher award, now in its eighth year, honors outstanding K-12 public school educators in a selection process that began with 850 nominations from throughout the Commonwealth. The award is presented by the Virginia Lottery, Virginia PTA, and Supply Room Companies.

Dr. Dippold teaches seventh grade at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church. The awards committee noted his tireless work and success in helping students understand that civics is an important part of their lives.

One of his students eloquently described why he and his fellow classmates enjoy learning in Dr. Dippold's class:

"He gives us project-based learning and individual interest-based learning so we get to experience learning what we want to learn in a way that's interesting to learn it, which is a really cool opportunity as a lot of the classes we're in we're just learning from textbooks or just memorizing information. And we could do that for this class, but he allows us to work on projects and find other more interesting ways to explore the curriculum."

 

 

 

Dippold also makes social studies come alive for his students by bringing community members into the classroom. "Rory works with partners who have real-life experience in the curriculum topics," said Marybeth Connelly of Falls Church City Public Schools. "He brings in attorneys to help students prepare mock trials. Elected officials to give advice on class elections. Business owners to provide inside on Business Day. History buffs to help prepare for National History Day. And constitutional experts to give insight into 'We The People.'"

In addition to being an outstanding classroom teacher, Dippold was also honored this year by the American Educational Research Association. He received honorable mention honors from AERA's Teacher as Researcher Award committee for the quality and significance of his dissertation and research.

"I owe a significant portion of my development as a teacher and researcher to George Mason University," said Dippold. "In particular the support of faculty members such as Anastasia Kitsantas and Gary Galluzzo."

The PhD in Education program at George Mason University is one of the largest doctoral programs in the country and is highly regarded for its individualized, interdisciplinary, and experiential approach to research and education.

 

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For additional information:

• CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
• Graduate School of Education: gse.gmu.edu
• PhD in Education: cehd.gmu.edu/phd

About the college:

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the most comprehensive education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a full range of courses, certificates, and degree programs on campus, online, and on site to more than 4,000 students each year. CEHD is fully accredited by NCATE, and all licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education. George Mason University, located just outside of Washington, D.C., is Virginia's largest public research university.

Follow CEHD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MasonCEHD or Twitter at @MasonCEHD.