Everyone in our community is working incredibly hard to make the best of online learning. We are thankful for everyone's efforts! We owe a special thanks and congratulations to this month's Teachers of the Month, Mrs. Newcomb and Mrs. Bender! Please join us in congratulating these exceptional teachers for their extraordinary efforts recognized by the entire D'Evelyn community. Here are comments from their students: Sarah Newcomb:
Megan Bender:
In the midst of the shadows, uncertainty, challenges, and frustrations of recent events we have seen phenomenal efforts of our entire community to make the monumental shift to online learning. In response to these nothing less than heroic efforts to ensure students are still learning from home, we decided to award TWO teachers with the April Teacher of the Month. Please join us in congratulating Kristen Monzel and Darren Ray for being the 2020 April Teachers of the Month! Below are some of the comments nominating these exceptional teachers: Kristen Monzel
Darren Ray
In the midst of the shadows, uncertainty, challenges, and frustrations of recent events we have seen phenomenal efforts of our entire community to make the monumental shift to online learning. In response to these nothing less than heroic efforts to ensure students are still learning from home, we decided to award TWO teachers with the April Teacher of the Month. Please join us in congratulating Kristen Monzel and Darren Ray for being the 2020 April Teachers of the Month! Below are some of the comments nominating these exceptional teachers: Kristen Monzel
He shaved half his beard and recently adopted a brand new stylish monastic tonsure look to help support Wish Week… Congratulations to Pierre Habel for being the February Teacher of the Month! We are grateful for everything Pierre does for our community in addition to his excellence as a World Languages teacher. Keep up the great work Pierre! Below are some of the nominations we received for Pierre:
Congratulations to the November Teacher of the Month, Jennifer Ford! Jennifer was recognized by staff, students, and parents for her exceptional work both as a teacher a dedicated member of the community. Along with her exceptional instructional skills, Jennifer contributes a significant amount of time and energy to school events such as Trick-or-Treat Street, National Honor Society, Junior High Cross Country, and multiple other clubs. Great work Jennifer! Remember, you can nominate teachers for Teacher of the Month at any time HERE. Brooke Zitricki is the October Teacher of the Month! Congratulations to Brooke for being awarded Teacher of the Month in her first semester as a Science teacher at D’Evelyn! This is quite the accomplishment and a demonstration of how lucky we are to have Brooke on our team. Please congratulate Brooke when you have a chance for her dedication and success described in part below:
Congratulations Brooke! Remember, you can nominate someone for teacher of the month at any time by clicking HERE. Congratulations to this year’s September Teacher of the Month, Kiki LeBlanc! Kiki is one of the original D’Evelyn teacher’s having been an integral member of our community since the school opened 26 years ago. She plays a key role in school leadership serving as the Math Department Chair and demonstrates her instructional excellence as an Algebra/Geometry 1 and Geometry teacher. Some comments we received recognizing Kiki as teacher of the month include: Kiki has redefined the words "helpful colleague" in my time at D'Evelyn. She is selfless and always willing to be there for others. She has helped run the Sunshine Club, been department manager, and always cooks more than the rest of the math department combined when we provide breakfast to the staff :) She is a very important cog in D'Evelyn.
Please join us in congratulating Kiki LeBlanc for being the 2019 September Teacher of the Month! Incredible teachers inspire others to learn and reach their full potential. At D’Evelyn we are extraordinarily fortunate to have teachers who inspire our community on a regular basis. Every month we collect nominations from students, parents, other faculty members, and many others in the community to recognize one teacher to be the Teacher of the Month. These teachers demonstrate excellence in Instruction, Peer Support, Community Service, Dedication and Leadership as demonstrated below with some of the comments submitted to honor them. This semester we are honored to recognize the following individuals for receiving this award. Thank you to all our teachers and especially those earning Teacher of the Month this semester! March Teacher of the Month: Rush Daly (High School Social Studies) Mr. Daly does an excellent job of engaging his students in the learning of the day. He understands that while we are a teacher led/whole-group instruction school, that the best way to do that is to encourage students to get involved in his lectures. He has a variety of ways in which he checks for understandings and his students are often asking challenging questions which he is eager to take and have other students attempt to answer. With his department, he is always trying to understand the deeper reasons why we do the things the way we do at D'Evelyn, and he isn't afraid to challenge the status quo if he doesn't think it is good for kids. He goes above and beyond the regular teaching duties by attending sporting events to show support and make connections with his students. In summary, Rush is a teacher that lifts students up, and makes them feel more confident.
February Teacher of the Month: Becky Paschke (Instrumental Music)
Becky has been so supportive of me as the new Vocal Music teacher. She has guided me through numerous new-teacher pitfalls, has come into Concert Choir during her planning to lend an ear, and asked me to listen to the marching band to offer them some musical insight. The amount of work she and her team have put into the marching band season is extraordinary. She is ALWAYS at school, working hard, and smiling even harder!
January Teacher of the Month: Kristine Sweney She has made my starting time at D'Evelyn so much easier. In many ways her class is my favorite because it is not boring, she is so kind, and English is my favorite subject. My stress has been overwhelming and she has greatly helped with stopping some of it. She seems like she enjoys her job and she seem really dedicated to her student’s wellbeing and her class. She is a very kind teacher as well as being very educated in her subject. This is why I vote her Teacher of the month, she deserves recognition for how wonderful she and her class are.
Congratulations to all our Teachers of the Month! If you would like to submit nominations for Teacher of the Month, please do so by visiting the D’Evelyn homepage (www.develynjags.org) and clicking on the Teacher of the Month icon. By Mr. Dan Wille Please join us in congratulating the December 2018 Teacher of the Month, Devon Lawrence! Devon always brings a positive attitude to the school and is an excellent Art Teacher. She’s been consistently recognized for her instructional excellence providing top-notch learning opportunities for all her students as she is always willing to offer individualized support to each and every one of her students. One student noted how she is “always encouraging every student to perform efficiently and successfully” while another highlighted her positive personality saying, “Mrs. Lawrence always brings happiness while thoroughly challenging us to be better.” Thank you, Devon, for everything you do for our students and all the wonderful attributes you bring to our community. Please join me in congratulating the November 2018 Teacher of the Month, Will White! This is Will’s first year at D’Evelyn and he has already made a tremendous impact helping kids and developing lasting relationships with his students. One nomination stated, “I have seen Mr. White be a positive influence around the school and especially with the kids in his classes. I attended the high school choir concert, and it was clear to see his energy coming through in his kids’ performances. The first song had him leading by example as he played the bongos and was happy to be moving with the beat. Keep up the great work Mr. White.” While another colleague specifically highlighted his dedication to helping kids on all fronts whether as a concert choir student or, more importantly, as a young adult in need of positive adult role models. Thank you, Will, for all your great work! We are very happy to have you as part of the D’Evelyn family. Congratulations to this October’s Teacher of the Month, Cindy Cannon! Cindy is in her fourth year as a math teacher at D’Evelyn and consistently makes our school a better place for students to learn. Her dedication to kids is seen daily as she always makes herself available not only to her students, but all kids at D’Evelyn. She is commended for being “an outstanding educator that brings energy and life to a difficult subject. She has improved math instruction since the moment she arrived and is always looking for ways to help students more.” In addition, Cindy is described by her students as “having a beautiful soul” with a great personality who is fantastic to be around. The love she has for students and the love students have for her is apparent. Please join us in congratulating Cindy on being tremendously valued by her peers and students. Congratulations, Cindy and keep up the great work! Please join me in congratulating the September 2018 Teacher of the Month, Brennan Gause! Brennan is in his 10th year as an educator and started at D’Evelyn in 2017 teaching Junior High Social Studies. His positive impact has been strongly felt throughout the community and we are thankful for all his efforts. Brennan was recognized by many students and peers for his efforts to maximize student learning while creating a positive environment in his classroom. He’s described as making learning clear, easy, supportive and fun. In addition, he is “always willing to go out of his way to help students and be excited to teach.” His students describe him as “very good at explaining the lesson and getting work done quickly and efficiently.” We are lucky to have so many outstanding members in our community, like Brennan, to make this a great place to teach and work! Please congratulate Brennan for the hard work and dedication he’s demonstrated during his brief but meaningful time at D’Evelyn. Congrats, Brennan! Keep up the great work and thank you for all that you do to help our kids grow. By Josh Griffin, Principal Please join me in welcoming new members of the D’Evelyn faculty/staff. We are pleased to add this talented, experienced, and passionate group of teachers and administrators to our D’Evelyn community. Sheryl Beaton, Chemistry & AP Chemistry - Mrs. Beaton will teach Chemistry and AP Chemistry this year at D’Evelyn. She joins our faculty from Red Rocks Community College, where she taught Chemistry for 12 years, in addition to her previous work as a Science teacher at Douglas County High School and Skyview High School.
Megan Bender, Spanish - Mrs. Bender will teach Spanish 1 and 2. Mrs. Bender brings five years of Spanish teaching experience to D’Evelyn, most recently at Rocky Heights Middle School in Douglas County Schools and Hawthorne High School in North Carolina. Chris Boswell, Junior High Geography & U.S. History - Mr. Boswell will teach junior high social studies beginning next year. Mr. Boswell has worked at Hamilton Middle School in Denver Public Schools for the past two years, and prior to that worked as a middle school and high school teacher at Perspectives Leadership Academy in Chicago, IL. Rush Daly, High School Social Studies - Mr. Daly joined the D’Evelyn faculty from McLain Community High School in Lakewood. Prior to teaching at McLain, Mr. Daly taught at Everitt Middle School in Wheat Ridge. He will teach 9th grade Eastern Civilizations and 12th grade Government and Economics. Donna Li, French - Due to increasing demand for French classes at D’Evelyn, Mrs. Li joins the D’Evelyn faculty and will teach two sections of French 1. Prior to joining the D’Evelyn faculty, Mrs. Li taught French at Oberon Junior High School and Alameda High School. Kristine Sweney, English 8, Literature & Composition - Mrs. Sweney was hired to continue in her role as English teacher in grades 8 and 9. Mrs. Sweney began teaching at D’Evelyn on a temporary assignment in January 2018, and will continue in this role in the 2018-2019 school year. William White, Vocal Music - Mr. White has been hired to teach junior and senior high vocal music. Prior to joining the D’Evelyn faculty, Mr. White taught at Fairview Elementary in Denver Public Schools, and has extensive experience working with both vocal and instrumental music groups of all ages, from elementary school through collegiate levels. Administration: Dan Wille has joined the administrative team for the 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, he will be teaching two sections of 7th grade Geography. Mr. Wille taught at D’Evelyn for three years and, as a member of the D’Evelyn Class of 2005, is the first D’Evelyn graduate to fill an administrative role in the school. Tim Schmeckpeper joined the administration after five years as an AP at Chaparral High School in Douglas County Public Schools. Prior to working at Chaparral, Mr. Schmeckpeper (or Mr. Schmeck, as he is commonly known) served as a teacher, dean, and administrator at Mullen High School for 34 years. The 2018-2019 school year marks Mr. Schmeckpeper’s 40th year working in education. The D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Teacher of the Month for April is Brian Haller. Mr. Haller has been teaching for 26 years and has spent 22 of those years here at D’Evelyn. He is currently teaching American and British Literature and Composition to sophomores and juniors respectively, and Advanced Placement English Literature & Composition to seniors. Mr. Haller is being recognized for instructional excellence, peer support, and dedication. Writing about Mr. Haller instructional excellence and dedication, a parent explains, “Mr. Haller works diligently to help students develop their writing potential and to promote critical thinking in his classes. My children have greatly benefitted from his writing instruction and still credit him with their ability to communicate clearly and eloquently in written form. During classes, Mr. Haller doesn't let students off the hook without answering thoroughly and supporting their opinions with evidence from the text. He keeps all students accountable to participate, checks for understanding and provides immediate feedback. Mr. Haller always goes the extra mile to use humor and makes connections to things students are interested in to keep students engaged in rigorous learning throughout his classes.” Another nomination states, “Mr. Haller is a model teacher. He has encyclopedic knowledge of English content and a sincere commitment to maintaining high expectations for all students. Mr. Haller is well-known for the thorough, thoughtful feedback he provides his students in their writing. He provides his students with clear instruction and guidance, and supports them in their growth as writers and English scholars. I am grateful for Mr. Haller's presence in the lives of D'Evelyn students.” In addition to being a great asset for our students, Mr. Haller is valued by his peers for his supportive nature. “Mr. Haller thoughtfully processes questions posed by staff members and gives answers that are insightful and improve the quality of teaching, and the school community in general,” wrote one staff member. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Haller on this well-deserved honor. We are fortunate to have Mr. Haller working as a teacher at D’Evelyn. Congratulations to Sandra Smith, the winner of the March Teacher of the Month award. Mrs. Smith has been teaching for 13 years, and is finishing her fifth year here at D’Evelyn. She is currently teaching Algebra/Geometry 2 and Algebra 3 / Trig Advanced classes, and is the teacher sponsor for the math honor society “Mu Alpha Theta”. Mrs. Smith was recognized in three of the five award categories: Instructional Excellence, Dedication, and Leadership. One student noted Mrs. Smith instructional excellence and dedication to her students writing, “I've had Mrs. Smith as my math teacher for two years now and am continually impressed with her ability to make all of her students understand difficult math concepts. She often has new and interesting ways to teach her lessons and is always willing to help a struggling student out. She offers help before school and during seventh hour, which is very helpful for us. Mrs. Smith often asks her students what their plans are for the weekend or how our sporting events are going. She even came to a swim meet which was really nice because we do not usually have a ton of support from the students or staff at our meets!” Mrs. Smith does the small things that make big differences in the D’Evelyn’s day-to-day operations and in the lives of our students. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Smith on being the March “Teacher of the Month”. |
Teacher of the MonthEach month, the D’Evelyn administration will recognize a winner of the Teacher of the Month Award. The award recipients will be chosen based upon nominations from students, parents, and members of the D’Evelyn faculty and staff. Teachers may be nominated and subsequently recognized for Instructional Excellence, Peer Support, Community Service, Dedication, or Leadership. Archives
April 2022
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