KIWANIS CLUB OF BENSALEM
EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
CHRISTIAN HEINE
Teacher at Cornwells Elementary School, Bensalem Township School District.
Students in Mr. Heine’s class are valued as individuals. Mr. Heine goes to great lengths to ensure that all of his students maximize their potential. He educates the whole child by facilitating their moral, social and emotional development in addition to providing for his student academically. He differentiates instruction for individual students’ learning styles, and he invests a long of energy into helping his students overcome adversity. He is known for his abilities to reach behaviorally challenging students and to help them channel their energies into positive choices.
He has been awarded the Teacher of the Year award for Bensalem Township School District.
2007 Semi-finalist for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year award.
Helped to facilitate the professional development of countless colleagues within his 34 years of teaching. He has been an active member and has served in leadership capacities on several building and district level committees.
Lead Science teacher for Cornwells Elementary; regularly attends meetings and trainings with the district’s science coordinator.
Co-chairperson of the Cornwells Elementary science fair that involves nearly 40 percent of the student body. He has been a member of the Bensalem School District Science and Mathematics committees.
Helped to coach his colleagues so they can understand and implement new curriculum materials effectively within their own classrooms.
Investing his time and expertise into the staff development of other professionals outside of his school and district.
He has been a member of the Pennsylvania and National Science Teachers Associations (PSTA and NSTA) and has served in leadership roles within those organizations.
Member of the advisory committees for NSTA Reports professional publication, and he is a manuscript reviewer for NSTA’s Science and Children Magazine. Mr. Heine has served as a presenter and volunteer at NSTA annual conventions.
Attends and presents at the Pennsylvania and National Science Teachers Association conventions.
Earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the mid 1970’s; however, he continues his professional development through taking college level classes. Mr. Heine continues to seek out opportunities to make himself a better educator. He is a reflective practitioner who likes to continuously stretch himself and change for the better. He proves this through his ongoing committee work in Bensalem and his participation in staff development opportunities through professional organizations.
Chairperson for the Cornwells Elementary School Georgiana Committee, established in the memory of Georgiana Antonupolous, a former Cornwells student, who passed away from cancer in 2000. The Georgiana Committee organized community service projects and fund-raising efforts to raise over $30,000 for the Ronald McDonald House at St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia.
Stock Market Game – Mr. Heine has had his fifth grade students participate in the Stock Market Game for fifteen years. His students have earned a top ten ranking in ten of the fifteen years. Mr. Heine and his father, Mr. Christian Heine, Sr., coached the children in how to use the stock market for investing, and helped the students to learn skills and find value in finance planning.
Recognized at the Union League of Philadelphia as a Distinguished Educator in Financial Education.
Awarded the ING Direct Planet Orange Financial Literacy Award in 2006.