Inglemoor High French teacher Jennifer Hallenbeck was chosen by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) to receive the 2012 AATF Dorothy S. Ludwig Excellence in Teaching Award at the Secondary School level. Hallenbeck will be honored at the AATF conference awards banquet on July 7 in Chicago, Ill.

Nominated by her colleagues in the state’s language teachers association, Hallenbeck is proud to be the second teacher in a row from Washington to receive the national award.

“This reflects the fact that we have strong teachers in the region who are well supported in their endeavors to open international doors to young people,” said Hallenbeck. “In my years in the classroom, I have seen profound changes in young people who explore cultures other than their own.”

Hallenbeck has taught French for more than 27 years, the last 14 at Inglemoor in the International Baccalaureate program.

“We have a very active school language club and we are tied to the community through our French language immersion camp put on jointly with other local schools, our participation in local Francophone activities, sponsorship of a village empowerment program in Senegal and exchanges with our sister school in Dijon, France,” she added.

The AATF chooses four annual awards for outstanding teachers at the elementary, middle, high-school and post-secondary levels. The awards recognize teachers who have demonstrated excellence and commitment in the teaching of the French language and French and Francophone cultures and literature.