RSU #34 Awesome Staff Awards August 2015 Vicki Bergeron is the consummate teacher. Vicki exemplifies excellence in the classroom. One doesn’t have to be in our community long to know that if a student is lucky enough to land in Vicki’s classroom, he/she is in for a year packed with learning and love. Vicki teaches with much love, a healthy amount of humor, high expectations, holding students accountable, differentiating to meet the needs of all learners, all the while focusing on kindness and community. Vicki has even mastered the art of harnessing the energy of boundless little boys and girls! Vicki’s dedication and passion are a true gift to education in our community. Brenda Dahlbergh, secretary for the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment office and for the Certification Support System Team, is an awesome staff member who does a ton of behind-­‐the-­‐scenes work to help many programs thrive in RSU #34. In addition to being a welcoming face to students and families in the main office at Old Town Elementary School, Brenda manages a host of student and staff information for online learning accounts, professional development, employee certification, grants, and learning data. Brenda, thanks for being awesome! If you are looking for a dedicated educator who is responsive to student needs, look no further than Jennifer Dalessandro. As a literacy teacher providing direct support to struggling students and their teachers, Jen is a valuable asset at Viola Rand Elementary School. Also the school’s data coordinator, Jen expertly coordinates assessments during the year and helps teachers translate data into student strengths and needs in the classroom. Last year, Jen not only served struggling readers and writers in her role as a literacy teacher, she also hit the ground running teaching mathematics to a group of diverse and enthusiastic third graders. Using intuition, best practices, and data, she quickly got a pulse on students’ skills and identified what they needed to make progress. Not only are her students meeting standards, they are also gaining self-­‐confidence and taking more risks! Outside of the classroom, Jen is an active member on literacy and RTI committees, where she helps develop and refine both school and district-­‐wide efforts. Ginny Everett is a professional, supportive member of the OTES staff. She is a great source of support for her 1st grade team, always giving suggestions for the team and their effort to improve instruction. Ginny is friendly, outgoing, and kind to all. Her consistent demeanor with students, parents, and staff make her a trustworthy individual. Ginny goes above and beyond for our school, especially when helping to organize and coordinate our school’s annual Fun Run. Ginny is an outstanding person to work with each and every day! (continued on next page) Page 1 of 2 Craig Hanson joined the LMS 8th grade team four years ago. His creativity, dedication, and passion have made an impact well beyond the 8th grade. He serves on numerous committees for our school and district, willingly shares his extensive knowledge of technology, and has been a pioneer in the implementation of Next Generation science standards. He works diligently to ensure the curriculum is accessible, relevant, and challenging to all students. Craig was essential in the planning of the first overnight 8th grade class trip. His connections and organization were the foundation for a powerful experience for our students. Some may be surprised to know that Craig is a budding home renovation expert. His many projects have caused laughs and admiration from his team. In addition to his house projects, Craig trains for road cycling races. We fear we may lose him to the Tour de France one day, but for now, the roads around our communities are his French Alps. The 8th grade team is stronger, more creative, and certainly more fun because of Craig’s presence. Michelle Reesman epitomizes the OTES School Motto – “Work Hard and Be Kind.” Michelle has taught Kindergarten and Third Grade and has been an excellent teacher at both levels. She always goes above and beyond to provide the best school experience for her students. Michelle differentiates for her students. Michelle is loving and kind with students, parents, and staff. She is an extremely hard worker; there is no challenge she can’t meet. She has a “can do” attitude. This spring she created an entire school movie as a goodbye tribute to our former assistant principal. The excellent video was worthy of an award, just as Michelle is very worthy of an awesome staff award. Lori Townsend is a very hard working teacher. She is always looking for ways to improve her instruction and keeps up-­‐to-­‐date on the newest, appropriate literature for her students. She spends her own money buying books that she feels students will enjoy and donates many of these books to the LMS library. Her time investment often extends through holidays and weekends. Not only does she work hard, but her students do as well. This part year they have spent many hours researching and improving their writing skills. She is the teacher you would want to challenge your own children and grandchildren. Page 2 of 2