Photo submitted Dunkirk school district administrators pose with some of the homeroom teachers from the Board of Education.
The Dunkirk school board granted tenure to 12 educators at its meeting this month, and administrators said a few kind words about each of them.
School 3 teacher Sarah Crane is “confident in her abilities. Kids love it, families love it,” said school principal Kisun Peters.
School 5 Principal David Boyda spoke about teachers Carmen Andrews and Jaimee Gustafson, and speech therapist Nicole Piazza.
Boyda said Andrews is “a Dunkirk success story”, graduated from the school district and began her career there as a teacher’s aide. “She is always looking for the best practices for her profession,” he said. “Her desire to continue to teach herself is evident.”
Gustafson, in his second stint with the district, has a “positive attitude…she is one of the most positive people you can meet and that permeates everything she does.”
Piazza, which was published in a specialized journal in speech therapy, is “student-centered” and “very professional” Boyda said.
Danielle Russell, Director of Special Education, spoke about School 7’s special education teachers, Heidi Bates and Julie Brueckl. They’re both “appreciated employees” she says. Both were unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting because they had to be home with sick children, she said.
Middle School Principal Kim Texter spoke about four of her school’s newly tenured teachers, Meghan Bible, Ashley DeJohn, Kelsey Gawronski and Amanda Kulig.
Texter called DeJohn, who is also a SUNY Fredonia professor, a “innovator” and “risk taker.” Bible transferred from the fifth to the third grade of teaching and thus offers a unique perspective. She is “an asset for this district”, says Texter.
Gawronski, another Dunkirk school district alumnus, recently received praise from a fellow teacher. “She’s like, ‘I would like my own kid in Kelsey’s class,’“said Texter. As for Kulig, also a graduate of Dunkirk, she is “a breath of fresh air. She radiates. She is so happy to be with her children and our school.
Finally, High School Principal Rebecca Farwell paid tribute to ESL teachers Inez Gonzalez and Judy Ippolito.
Farwell said she knew Gonzalez was special when she went to attend one of his classes. “She is like a mother to them, but in a very professional and positive way,” said Farwell.
Ippolito has a unique ability to connect with students, the principal continued. “She knows them well and is excellent at putting them at ease,” said Farwell.
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