Highcrest Elementary School
Teacher of the Year 2009-2010
Mrs. Cynthia Wahl
Forty-two years of teaching stands on its own merit. Cindy Wahl has shown the dedication, caring and the optimism it takes to successfully guide her second graders through a journey filled with excitement and enthusiasm for all they will learn. Cindy is a master in her curriculum and is always looking forward to new practices, methodologies and programs that will help her students accomplish their goals. She has willingly served on many school and district committees. Every fall, she is ready to provide programs and assistance for every child in her class.
Cindy Wahl began her teaching career at Mitchell School in 1968. In 1979 she then went on to teach at Hanmer School where she was instrumental in obtaining Safety Zone signs for the school. She spent 20 years teaching at Hanmer before joining the Highcrest Staff in 1999.
Cindy is positive and finds humor in most situations. This upbeat attitude helps all of us rethink how we interpret and deal with daily occurrences. For example, she helped many of us complete our paperwork for our license renewals. She rarely says no and that is why she is the go-to person if you need advice about a student, switch a duty or special or just to lend a sympathetic ear.
Cindy is full of energy and always brainstorms activities that bring our school together as a community. A few of the events we look forward to as a school are, creating valentines for vets, celebrating earth day with the decorating 500 bags from a local grocery store that Cindy picks up, pausing for poetry in our hallways and reminding us of our grade’s turn for Writers’ Circle. She has spearheaded many activities that encourage students to be better writers and readers such as writing buddies and writing mentors for sixth graders. We have witnessed many teary-eyed mothers leaving her infamous Mother’s Day breakfasts.
Cindy will always be young at heart; picture her at 90 wearing the cutest, trendiest outfit, carrying the “in” bag of the season, as she delivers huge bouquets of flowers to brighten all of our days.
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Support Staff Award Mrs. Susan Fusco It is an honor for the Highcrest School community to recognize Mrs. Sue Fusco as the recipient of the Superintendent’s Support Staff Award. Mrs. Fusco has been a member of the Highcrest Community since 1994 and prior to that, she worked in other schools in the district since 1970. She does an exceptional job managing the Highcrest Cafeteria and has embraced the new technology that has become a part of her job. In addition, the kitchen is always decorated for the seasons, making it a welcoming place for students and staff alike. Everyone who knows her appreciates her wonderful sense of humor and we can think of no one more deserving of this recognition and our gratitude than Mrs. Sue Fusco. |
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Parent Recognition Award Mrs. Debra Murphy Over the past eight years, Deb Murphy, has played a key role in our PTO by volunteering for many positions including positions that have continually required greater amounts of responsibility and personal time, where she is currently serving as second year PTO co-president. She has always volunteered to help where ever she could and when an event did not have a chairperson she stepped up to chair the event rather than not have it at all. She is a leader who is open and honest, encouraging all to participate and makes new parents feel welcome. Besides making the best peanut brittle, Deb is a champion of children’s programs and extension activities to compliment the curriculum. Her calm demeanor and “can do” attitude make her the perfect recipient for the Parent Recognition Award. |
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Highcrest Student Award for Excellence Andrew Sanzaro Andrew Sanzaro is a polite and helpful young man with an extremely positive outlook on all academic tasks. He is the first child to volunteer to help in the classroom and is a superb role model for the other students. Andrew has taken on a leadership role within our Responsive classroom morning meetings and is a joy to have in the classroom. His greatest memory was scoring a 77 in an 18 hole golf tournament. His future goals are to graduate from Princeton and become a professional football player or golfer. |
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Highcrest Student Award for Excellence Emma Detrick Emma Detrick is quietly positive in her approach to all aspects of learning. She is a strong student, always completing her work on time and with quality. Emma is always kind and helpful to her peers and exhibits strength of character. She can be counted on to volunteer for classroom activities and does her part to make the classroom community work as a whole. Emma plays many sports and is a record holder for the physical fitness test for curl-ups. She is a volunteer student lector at church and someday hopes to be a first grade teacher. |