Harrington teacher receives scholarship

HARRINGTON - A secondary English teacher here was one of just 70 teachers nationwide to receive the Fulbright Scholarship as part of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program.

Maria Preston, who just began her eighth year teaching seventh through 12th graders English/Language Arts here and lives in Spokane, learned she received the award in early July.

"I feel very honored," Preston said. "It took a while to hear back, so by the end of June I thought I wasn't going to get it. When I heard in July (I did) I was pretty ecstatic."

As part of the yearlong scholarship aimed as a professional learning opportunity to "develop skills and prepare students for a competitive global economy," Preston will complete three various programs and tasks.

First, she will take an online class this fall beginning in late September learning how to "connect students to the world outside the classroom." Then, next winter, she flies to Washington, D.C. for a two-day symposium aimed at in-person professional development.

Finally, Preston will travel abroad for two to three weeks in late spring/early summer to immerse herself in another country's culture.

The scholarship covers all travel and tuition costs.

"I heard about it when it came up in my Facebook feed, actually," Preston said. "I did some investigating and applied in February...it was kind of like a job application, with some written essays."

Preston doesn't learn her global destination until this winter, she said.

"It's very exciting," she said.