Special Recognition
NLE Teacher of the Year 2010-11 Mrs. Wright--3rd Grade Teacher
We would like to congratulate this year’s North Lakeland Teacher of the year, Mrs. Wright.
Mrs. Wright
always presents herself in a calm manner. This may seem like a basic
level of professional behavior, but her demeanor exudes a complex level
of capability and a clear signal to anyone she works with that she is
open to any and all ideas of her peers. This is so important to building
a collaborative working atmosphere, because it makes her colleagues feel
safe to share problems and ideas with her. She is consistently
respectful to everyone she works with and is so careful to never hurt
the feelings of those around her. She is highly sensitive to the
feelings of students, parents, and other teachers. Thoughtful is a word
many would choose to describe her because she spends time thinking
through what she is going to say and do in regards to educating students
and helping her colleagues do the same. She is a resource to her peers
because she has earned their respect with her consistent
professionalism. It is never wavering.
As the Learning Focused Solutions method of planning has been
implemented at our school, it is without a doubt that our Mrs. Wright’s
units and lessons have become a quite thorough and seamless model for
all teachers. She writes her units with clear language and also with
clear visuals for her team mates. The instructional leadership she shows
through her lessons has had a significant impact on the level of lesson
planning for her team as well as other grade levels. She is often asked
for her input on lesson planning because her units are so rich with
research-based instructional practices and include creativity and result
in mastery. She always hands her team mates the units complete with
models of graphic organizers and foldable note takers. She takes the
guesswork out for anyone who uses her LFS lessons to teach. This results
in rigorous lessons for students and also gives teachers a model to use
when they are writing LFS lessons and units. Her talented contribution
to our school is quiet, yet has a far reaching instructional impact. Her
love of teaching shows in the level of effort she places in learning how
to be a better teacher, every day. She is what many would call a
“natural born teacher”.
We are pleased to have Mrs. Wright at North Lakeland Elementary as our 2011-12 Teacher of the Year.
NLE Non-Instructional Employee of the Year 2010-11 Mr. Basel--Custodian
North
Lakeland Elementary’s School-Related Employee of the Year is William
“David” Basel. He is a person who believes his job is serious business
and job responsibilities are important. For the last three years, I have
had the privilege of working with him, a hard-working, talented and
highly
ethical fellow employee. His is our daytime custodian. His duties
include unlocking gates and classrooms, turning on heaters early on cold
mornings, picking up trash around the campus daily, helping teachers
with projects and needs, helping with campus security, cleaning the
cafeteria, changing the school sign, working in the lawn, and cleaning
up accidents, spills, and anything else that comes along on a regular
basis.
Here is
what other staff members say about our nominee…
"Always available to help with any school based need with a positive attitude. Mr. Basel never seems to get frustrated even when he has several people who need him at once. He takes it all in stride."
"When I discovered that the back door to the science lab would not
close properly and had at times been left unsecure, Mr. Basel responded
immediately, repairing the door, which contributed significantly to
keeping the 3rd wing secure.
"Mr. Basel is always available to ‘encourage’ my students for even their least accomplishment. He loves for them to ‘read’ to him when they learn a new word. Just this week, after he delivered the wipe-off table he personally made for our class, he came in to see the children using and enjoying it. He got right on the floor with them to encourage and praise their writing and spelling practice on it. He certainly deserves to be Polk County’s employee of the year."
"When Mr. Basel sees an awesome student line, he acknowledges them
with a star. He always has a kind word for teachers and students. My
class loves him! The other day he was mowing and when he saw them
coming he stopped the mower. My class said in unison "Thank You, Mr.
Basel!”
"I really think he has a bed here at school. He is always there to
do anything we want him to do for us.
Mr. Basel does everything with a smile and treats you like he has
nothing else to do but help you. Truly, God’s work at its best!
"Mr. Basel is a man of many names.
From my hero to Spiderman, to lawn care personnel to handyman.
He always is the first one to help you whether it’s opening your
door because you forgetting your keys, killing a spider because you are
afraid, reinstalling something that means so much to you, turning on
your heat on those cold mornings, or just inquiring about how you are
feeling on a day that he knew you were down.
He always has a smile on his face
and a cheerful word in his pocket.
"Mr. Basel is very important to our students, their families, and the whole school community. He is responsible, dedicated, and caring. Some ways he contributes to the school atmosphere and students' learning are... Doing his job well and with a positive attitude. Going the extra mile to ensure that students' and staff's needs are met: leaving what he's doing to open doors or cabinets so that we may continue with class instruction; bringing paper or hand soap to a class in need; cleaning or giving maintenance to an AC unit; keeping the school gardens clean, tidy, and safe; fixing book shelves; or installing wall pencil sharpeners."
Thank you for all you do!