Educators honored
Cathy Rider was recently awarded the Edythe Crowe Award for Outstanding Education Support Personnel.
The same day she was honored by the Idaho Education Association, Rider said she got to experience a richer reward – seeing a child move one step closer to being a better reader.
Rider, a Title I paraprofessional at Fernan Elementary, said a fourth-grade student approached her that day and announced she had just passed a test that showed she was reading at grade level. The student had been two grade levels behind.
“She said, ‘I read that hard book and I did it,’ ” Rider said. “That’s what it’s about.”
Rider was recognized Tuesday at a reception at Canfield Middle School along with Paula Conley, Idaho’s 2005 Teacher of the Year, and Nancy Mueller, recipient of the Idaho Education Association’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Conley just returned from Washington, D.C., where she had a chance to meet President George W. Bush and teachers of the year from other states. As Idaho Teacher of the Year, the Canfield Middle School teacher said she plans to focus on increasing mentoring opportunities for new teachers.
Mueller said she tries to involve her students in serving the community. This year, students in her third-grade class at Winton Elementary are making a quilt. The quilt will be raffled to raise money for the new Coeur d’Alene Library.
In December, Mueller will get to travel to Washington, D.C. As Idaho’s award winner, Mueller is also eligible for national recognition. She has been teaching since 1989. Along with Rider and Conley, Mueller started her career in the district at Sorensen Elementary. She has been at Winton since 1994.
Retirees, others recognized
Several teachers and school employees were recognized for their service to the Coeur d’Alene School District on May 3 at the district’s annual employee recognition and retirement dinner.
Retiring classified employees honored include: Sandy Cox, office manager at Skyway Elementary; Dixie Enders, School Plus coordinator; Shirley Asper, Schools Plus; Francis Glasco, bus assistant; William Glasco, bus driver; and Vern Rawlins, custodian at Hayden Meadows.
Teachers retiring this year include: Mike Baum, social studies, Coeur d’Alene High; Diane Bird, math, Coeur d’Alene High; George Sayler, social studies, Coeur d’Alene High; David Fealko, math, Lake City High; Karen Grace, counselor, Canfield Middle School; Ron Kramer, social studies, Canfield Middle School; Donald Jaspers, math, Woodland Middle School; Connie Evans, Title I, Hayden Lake Elementary; Gary Henry, fifth-grade, Dalton Elementary; Ron Keefer, fifth-grade Dalton Elementary; Deanna Thornhill, second-grade; Skyway Elementary; and Barb Sinsley, kindergarten, Borah Elementary.
Judy Chatterton, a special education paraprofessional from Dalton Elementary, was named the Classified Employee of the Year. Chatterton has worked at Dalton Elementary since 1993. Co-workers said Chatterton “inspires her children with her gentle touch, her incredible patience and her loving songs.” She is also a Boy Scout leader and active in her church.
Kathy Jones was selected Elementary Educator of the Year and District Educator of the Year. Jones, a Title I teacher at Skyway Elementary, has worked in the district for 16 years. Jones was lauded for her involvement in organizing a Title I summer school for Skyway and developing a curriculum that is used in all of the district’s elementary Title I programs. She is also active in the community, serving on the board of the Coeur d’Alene Little League.
Melody Melton of Coeur d’Alene High was selected as High School Educator of the Year. Melton has taught in Coeur d’Alene for 15 years and helped develop curriculum for the district’s media classes and helped rewrite curriculum for speech classes. She has volunteered for Ironman and the Coeur d’Alene Triathlon and is involved in the Wishing Star Foundation and a local women’s shelter.
English teacher Jodi Booth was selected as the Middle School Educator of the Year. The Canfield Middle School teacher helps other teachers incorporate technology into their classrooms and has coached volleyball at the school. Outside of school, Booth is a youth minister and volunteers at a local thrift store.
The awards were sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene School District and the Coeur d’Alene Education Association.
Wal-Mart honors Timberlake teacher
Jennifer Emory, a teacher from Timberlake Junior High, has been chosen as Teacher of the Year by the Post Falls Wal-Mart store. Emory, who teaches seventh-grade reading and social studies, was recognized on May 3 in a ceremony at the school. Timberlake was awarded a $1,000 grant, and Emory received an honorary Wal-Mart greeter’s vest and a $50 gift card.
Educated in New York, Emory first taught fourth grade in Florida. She has been teaching in the Lakeland School District for eight years. Her husband is a teacher at Woodland Middle School in Coeur d’Alene, and they have a 2½-year-old child.
Stephanie Wilkerson, a secretary at Timberlake Junior High, started working at the school in the fall, and she said Emory did a good job of making her feel welcome.
“She loves teaching and goes the extra mile for the kids,” Wilkerson said.
‘She makes me smile’
Ginny Whiteside, a first-grade teacher at Bryan Elementary, was chosen as April’s Outstanding School Employee of the Month. She was nominated for the award by Josee Bassett, a student in her class.
Josee said Whiteside is the best teacher she has ever had.
“She is funny and fun and she is nice,” Josee wrote in the winning nomination. “She really cares about us. She makes me smile.”
Whiteside, a 1992 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High, attended North Idaho College and the University of Idaho. She has taught at Bryan for six years.
Connie Fuller, Whiteside’s mother, described her daughter as “energetic, fun-loving, organized and empathetic.”
Fuller said Whiteside put green and red rubber bands on her braces at Christmas “so the kids would enjoy it.”
When Whiteside’s award was announced at a school assembly on Monday, she blew a kiss to Josee as students cheered.
“I just love my job,” Whiteside said.
The Outstanding School Employee of the Month program is sponsored by Numerica Credit Union, Horace Mann Insurance and Parker Toyota. Students in Coeur d’Alene, Lakeland and Post Falls school districts can nominate their favorite school employee through their school office or online at www.numericacu.com.
Prairie View family fun night
Prairie View Elementary’s Parent/Teacher Organization is sponsoring a family fun night Friday and is inviting the community to participate. Games, crafts and a raffle are planned and there will be “lots of goodies to eat.” The Fun at the Fair event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the school, 2478 Poleline Ave.