WILLIS W. REESE III
Azalea Middle School
Pinellas County Schools
A nudge from a coworker at the Health Department prompted Willis Reese III to embark on a journey that led him to the classroom. Teaching became more than just a profession—it became his calling.
One of the lessons that Reese teaches during the Aerospace Engineering portion of his magnet class helps all students see and find themselves being achievers in the area of Aerospace Technology. He has built a large 3D timeline across the back wall of his classroom and instructs students to find someone with commonalities to themselves somewhere in the history of aerospace technology. This helps every student see themselves in a career path in Aerospace Engineering or some facet of Aviation.
According to the person who nominated Reese, “Willis has worked hard to elevate and strengthen the engineering program at Azalea Middle School. … Willis embodies MSA’s five pillars—he recruits for program diversity; is innovative in his engineering classroom and with infusing the theme to co-curricular activities; provides leadership for the program, school, and students; increases student engagement for academic excellence, and creates a vast community of theme-related parent and industry partnerships.
Raise the level of performance consistent throughout school districts nationwide and creates a platform from which all magnet schools can flourish. Magnet Schools of America’s national certification process is designed to recognize the hard work of the best magnet schools in the nation and to help them as they grow.
