Jessica Flitter, a psychology teacher at West Bend East High School, has been named a winner of the 2015 APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Award by the American Psychological Association's Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools.

"Jessica shares a dedication to teaching in the classroom that is simply awe inspiring," said Mike Hamilton, chair of APA's Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS). "The committee strives to honor greatness in the classroom and Jessica exemplifies that."

Flitter engages students by relating psychology to their own lives. "She had a way of explaining concepts clearly and concisely while providing relatable examples to make the terms applicable to my everyday life," student Kayla Janto said. "My favorite part of psychology with Mrs. Flitter was the demonstration days when we would re-enact some of the interesting studies we learned about in the book." Flitter is not only passionate about teaching, but is a master of the field, having co-authored two editions of a psychology review book "Psychology All Access" and is a reader for the AP psychology exam essay questions. Her impact on student achievement is so profound that her students perform above the national average on the AP psychology exam, with a pass rate of 94.2 percent the past two years, according to West Bend East Assistant Principal David Talma.

"Jessica has a unique ability to make teaching applicable to real life," Hamilton said. "As a teacher, having an impact on your students for life is ultimately what it's all about."

Flitter will receive a framed certificate, an engraved award, $500 and a complimentary TOPSS membership renewal for 2016. Additionally, Worth Publishers donated copies of the Interactive Presentation Slides for Introductory Psychology, Volumes 1 and 2 and the Worth Video Anthology Flash Drive for Introductory Psychology to her.

TOPSS named the award this year for retired psychology teacher Charles T. Blair-Broeker, who taught for 39 years at Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and was awarded an APA Presidential Citation in 2014 for his exemplary teaching of high school psychology.

Through APA's Education Directorate, TOPSS offers teaching materials, professional development, the Psychology Teacher Network quarterly newsletter and programs for high school psychology teachers and students. There are approximately 2,000 APA high school teacher affiliates in APA. Psychology continues to be a popular high school course, with nearly 260,000 students taking the AP psychology exam in 2014.

TOPSS’s mission is to promote the highest standards in the teaching of psychology as a science and discipline; promote professional development and other means for lifelong learning for high school teachers of psychology; facilitate networking among teachers from all teaching levels of psychology; encourage recruitment and retention of students in the field of psychology; enhance the visibility and legitimacy of high school psychology; and recommend the appropriate advocacy, education policy and certification issues that impact the quality or visibility of teaching of high school psychology. Learn more about TOPSS here and on its Facebook page.