On the eve of National Teacher Day, the Cincinnati Board of Education recently recognized eight outstanding teachers in Cincinnati Public Schools -- saying they exemplified the dedication, creativity and commitment to excellence of the district’s 2,400 teachers.

At its meeting on May 7, the school board honored Kathleen Donohoue, a teacher-librarian and technology coordinator at Sayler Park School, for her selection last week by the Western and Southern Financial Group as its 2012 Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award. Donohoue, who secured thousands of dollars in technology grant funding and played an important role in the school’s rise to an Effective rating on the 2010-11 Ohio Report Card , was honored with 20 other CPS finalists at a downtown reception hosted by Western & Southern. The prestigious award includes a check for $10,000.

The school board and Superintendent Mary Ronan also showcased seven other CPS teachers recently named as 2012 Fund for Teachers Fellows for summer travel and research, designed to develop engaging, thought-provoking classroom lessons for their students. More than $30,000 was awarded to Cincinnati educators through the program, locally sponsored by the Strive Partnership.

“Every day, CPS teachers prepare their students for life by connecting them to the real world in ways that fire their imaginations and stimulate their curiosity for greater learning,” Ronan said. ”It’s fitting that we take time to recognize them and their contributions to our students, schools and community.”

CPS teachers named as 2012 fellows include: Rachel Zerkle Deshpande, Oyler School; Allison Miller, Winton Hills Academy; Anne-Catherine Foster, Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies ; Holly Taylor, Clark Montessori High School; Carla Lamb, Clark Montessori High School; Robert Hollifield, Gilbert A. Dater High School; and Andries van der Bent, Hughes STEM High School

For more information about their learning projects and travels, visit the 2012 Strive Partnership Fellows section of the Fund for Teachers Website.