In the Spotlight

• The U.S. National Council for Social Studies recently named Laura Wakefield outstanding middle-level social studies teacher of the year. A former army captain, she serves in the Florida League of Teachers, recently participated in the National Geographic Society’s Project Marco Polo in Europe, and helped four students win top honors in Florida’s history fair and later compete in a national history fair. She teaches Gospel Doctrine in the Kissimmee Ward, Orlando Florida South Stake.

• Church College of Western Samoa principal Gaugau Tavana received the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year award in the Social Context of Education division from the American Education Research Association. His dissertation was on cultural values relating to education in Western Samoa.

• Debra Tisinger of the Moorpark First Ward, Thousand Oaks California Stake, won the 1995 national singles racquetball championship in the women’s 35-plus division. She is a two-time world senior champion, and she and her husband, Kevin, previously won the mixed-thirties national title.