The D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Teacher of the Month for February is Steve Falconi. Mr. Falconi has been teaching for two years and while he also student taught at D’Evelyn, this is his first official year on the job. He is the sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is currently teaching Literature and Composition to freshmen and Classical Literature and College Composition to seniors. Mr. Falconi was recognized for his Instructional Excellence, Dedication, and Leadership. All three of these traits were captured by a parent who wrote, “Mr. Falconi has had an amazing and positive impact on my son. Whatever his teaching style is, he has reached him like no other teacher has been able to do, ever. My son is excited about doing the homework for his class and mentioned that what he has taught him makes him feel more confident in his writing and elated that he could apply this to other classes. My son wants Mr. Falconi to be proud of him and his work and dedication is proof of it. Mr. Falconi teaches in a way that is respectful to the students.” Mr. Falconi’s ability to connect the literature to his students’ lives, allows for tremendous academic and personal growth. Another parent explained, “Any interest in English has been a struggle for my son. Mr. Falconi has made his classroom engaging, interesting and fun. This is the first time in three tears I’ve seen my son’s grade hold solid and he has shown an interest in reading.” Please join me in congratulating Mr. Falconi on this well-deserved honor. We are fortunate to have Mr. Falconi working as a teacher at D’Evelyn. Congratulations to Janet Shibly, the winner of the January Teacher of the Month award. Mrs. Shibly has been teaching for 35 years and has been at D’Evelyn since the school’s inception in 1994. She has been leading our vocal music department ever since, teaching Jr. High Choir, Women’s Choir, Mixed Choir, and Concert Choir. Mrs. Shibly was recognized in all five of the award categories: Instructional Excellence, Peer Support, Community Service, Dedication, and Leadership. This month we made a push to get students more involved in the nomination process and many of them selected Mrs. Shibly. The most consistent compliment was around her welcoming and warm personality. One student wrote, “I love waking up in the morning and going to 1st period just because I get to sing and see Mrs. Shibly’s never ending smile.” Another student commented, “I always look forward to coming to choir because it has always been the highlight of my day. Mrs. Shibly always has a bright smile on her face for her kids no matter what and lights up the room with her eccentric personality.” Her ability to connect with students and make them feel comfortable, enables them to take risks that are often required in the educational setting of singing music. In addition to supporting students, Mrs. Shibly is also a trusted and valued co-worker. A colleague wrote, “Janet is the best teammate one could ask for. She is so supportive of me as a colleague. I am inspired by Janet's love for the students at D'Evelyn. She gives her best every single day and it is apparent that the school, students, community loves her.” In terms of her instructional excellence and dedication to her craft and her students, a teenager said, “When I heard that Mrs. Shibly is retiring this year, I was pretty upset because I know that no one will be able to meet her level of enthusiasm and love for music as much as she does. Not only does Mrs. Shibly teach us how to sing music beautifully, but she also sits us down and tells us funny stories from her beginning days as a teacher or teaches us some sort of life lesson once in a while.” The students have spoken. Mrs. Shibly is a positive influence that will be greatly missed and impossible to replace when she retires at the end of the school year. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Shibly for this very well-deserved honor and thanking her for her years of service to our kids and the D’Evelyn community. The D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Teacher of the Month for December is Ms. Jennifer Ford. While Ms. Ford has been teaching for five years, this is her first year at D’Evelyn. She is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade Language Arts and has gotten involved in the school community by serving on the D’Evelyn Dash Committee, being an assistant coach for the Jr. High Cross Country Team, and sponsoring the Calligraphy Club. Ms. Ford was recognized for all five of the “Teacher of the Month” categories: Instructional Excellence, Peer Support, Community Service, Dedication, and Leadership. Focusing on her instructional excellence and dedication to her students, one nomination explains: “Ms. Ford has been a wonderful addition to D’Evelyn this year! My daughter came home the first day of 7th grade and immediately said Ms. Ford was her favorite teacher. As a parent, I appreciate how Ms. Ford gave us a homework assignment: to send her an email describing our child. She opened lines of communication and showed that she truly cares about her students by wanting to learn more about them. Ms. Ford is a skilled instructor. She helps students understand and enjoy a variety of (often challenging!) literature. Additionally, she leads the Calligraphy Club, a group my daughter enjoys very much. My daughter desperately wants to have Ms. Ford again next year for 8th grade English. I think that’s a sign of a GREAT teacher!” Another nomination mentioned Ms. Ford’s exceptional work in and out of the classroom by writing, “Jennifer has made big waves in a short amount of time developing extremely positive relationships with students and enhancing student learning in English. Not only does she exhibit the characteristics of a strong and rigorous teacher, she creates a positive and warm atmosphere for kids to feel comfortable in her classroom while also being a fun personality at events like Trick-or-Treat Street. Additionally, her calligraphy club is a favorite among students which many look forward to all week.” Lastly, a co-worker recognized Ms. Ford in the peer support and leadership categories saying, “Jennifer has quickly moved from new teacher to driving force at D'Evelyn. She has helped breathe new life into the junior high writing curriculum and started the oh-so-popular calligraphy club. Every student is welcomed into Jennifer's warm classroom environment, and the teachers in her CDT regularly comment on how contagious her enthusiasm is. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Ford on being the December “Teacher of the Month”. The D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Teacher of the Month for November is Mr. Ghislain Sabre. Mr. Sabre has been teaching for twelve years, and is currently in his fifth year at D’Evelyn. He teaches all six of our French classes which range from French I through AP French. In addition to his role as an instructor, Mr. Sabre also works with students as the French Club sponsor and Student Council co-sponsor. He was recognized for all five of the “Teacher of the Month” categories: Instructional Excellence, Peer Support, Community Service, Dedication, and Leadership. One nominator explained how Mr. Sabre encompasses all these traits saying, “He has been a great teacher and support to his students and my son since he began attending D’Evelyn last year. He not only provides an excellent academic curriculum but, also, makes learning fun. He proves that there is more to teach the students in a classroom than just what is in the textbook. He interweaves life lessons and funny moments into his core lessons. The kids respect him and appreciate the respect he shows them in return. Mr. Sabre is always actively involved in a majority of the extracurricular school activities and school functions working directly with the students. He is more than an excellent French teacher. He is an excellent role model and support figure for the D’Evelyn students, which in my book makes him Teacher of the Year!” Please join me in congratulating Mr. Sabre on this well-deserved honor. We are fortunate to have Mr. Sabre working as a teacher at D’Evelyn. By Greg Kottcamp, Assistant Principal A couple years ago D’Evelyn started the “Teacher of the Month” award as a way of recognizing teachers for their efforts. We have included the write-up for each award winner in the Jag Tracks, but we are now going to add the link to the nomination form to try and make the process more accessible for parents and students. Remember the reason you are nominating the teacher(s) doesn’t have to be for some incredible feat; nominations can be for teachers that take the time to do the small things. The five categories that teachers can be recognized in are:
Before the end of the month, the D’Evelyn administrative team will review nominations and choose a monthly winner. While there is only one “Teacher of the Month” award winner, the best part about this award is that all nominated teachers will receive a certificate that includes the kind words of recognitions you have written. As Blaise Pascal wrote, “Kind words don’t cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” Please take the time to nominate a teacher for the “November Teacher of the Month” award by November 17th, at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wKRmOXFLyTuqY4uOBE90YX64C6U5R6Lev4Wb3AxfC6Q/edit By Greg Kottcamp, Assistant Principal Congratulations to Olivia Schott, the winner of the October Teacher of the Month award. Ms. Schott is a veteran D’Evelyn teacher who currently teaches Spanish 1, Spanish 4, and Advanced Placement Spanish. Ms. Schott was recognized for her Instructional Excellence - consistently offering excellent instruction to students. One nominator shared, “I recently sat in one of Olivia's classes and learned a lot. So much, in fact, that I wish I had her as a teacher every day! Her students were highly engaged and knew exactly what to do all the time, the pace of class was perfect, and the instruction was simultaneously clear and challenging. Some really cool instructional practices, like a "descancito" or "little break" really seemed to re-energize the students even though it was totally academic and had them reviewing vocab from as early as Spanish 2 in an AP course - talk about great scaffolding for success! I hear nothing but great things about Olivia from my peers and students alike, and I think that she exemplifies the attitude of bringing your best to work all of the time and always giving students the best experience possible while they learn.” In addition to being excellent in the classroom, Ms. Schott has also done a wonderful job with coordinating and facilitating the National Spanish Honor Society and serving as Department Manager for the Foreign Languages department. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Schott for this very well-deserved honor! By Greg Kottcamp, Assistant Principal The D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Teacher of the Month for September is Ms. Devon Lawrence. While Ms. Lawrence has been teaching for fourteen years, she is currently in her fourth year at D’Evelyn and teaches Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Photography, as well as Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Painting and Advanced Placement Studio Art. Her peers nominated Ms. Lawrence for her dedication to students and instructional excellence saying, “Ms. Lawrence is an outstanding teacher, who cares deeply about her students and making sure they have a great experience in whatever class she is teaching. She has such a calm demeanor and her students are engaged each class period. She works extremely hard to stay on top of current trends in Art and continuously challenges her students to give their best effort in the projects assigned.” She was also recognized for her leadership as the Elective Department Manager and as a Sources of Strength sponsor. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Lawrence on this well-deserved honor. By Josh Griffin, Interim Principal The D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Teacher of the Month for May is Mr. Matthew Fischer. Mr. Fischer has taught at D’Evelyn for three years and currently teaches Spanish 1 and Spanish 3. Mr. Fischer was nominated by his peers who recognized him for an array of strengths as a teacher and colleague. He brings infectious enthusiasm to his classroom and builds the excitement of his students with his engagement of them. On a daily basis, Mr. Fischer shows his commitment to and passion for his students - ensuring that they are learning while building positive, lasting relationships with his students. He always uses well-structured lessons to lead his class in learning Spanish. Mr. Fischer is also revered as a colleague - he is an active leader in his curricular teams and often provides heartfelt support to his fellow teachers. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Fischer on this well-deserved honor. We are fortunate to have Mr. Fischer working as a teacher at D’Evelyn. |
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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