2013 - Regional Teacher of the Year - Barbara Quintasket

Barb is a 26-year veteran teacher. Currently she teaches 6th – 9th-grade science at Paschal Sherman Indian School. It was a criminology practicum in college that convinced Barb she’d rather be a teacher and use education to keep kids out of jail.



At Paschal Sherman, Barb’s classroom hums with the sound of chirping crickets while fingers swipe across iPad screens. Her curriculum, based on state standards, is a unique blend of Native American language and culture and science menus. There are no traditional textbooks in Barb’s classroom. Instead, students are using the technologies and research materials of today.. The result is a classroom full of confident scientists with the ability to collaborate or work independently to solve problems.



Barb is also committed to building cultural understanding and community between students of varied backgrounds. For the past four years, she has been a leader in the Connections Through Science and Adventure program, which uses hands-on experience and field study to build camaraderie between students from Paschal Sherman and Omak High. In her school and around the community, Barb takes on numerous volunteer commitments. She sits on committees and has provided leadership for fundraising, Title IX and a local preschool. She also takes senior portraits for students who can’t afford them. On the national level, Barb has worked with NASA to design an earth science curriculum from a Native American perspective.



Barb’s principal, Raymond Leaver, praises her rapport with students saying, “She is one of the most nurturing educators that you will meet. Using this quality and her knowledge of Native American culture gives her the ability to motivate the most unmotivated student. I have observed the most at-risk students thrive in her class and they, in turn, treat her with great respect.”