District honors its teachers of the year at meeting

The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools Board of Education honored the district’s Teacher of the Year award winners at a Thursday, Jan. 13 meeting.

One teacher from every elementary school, middle school, and high school is honored as the teacher of the year in their school.

This year’s recipients for the elementary schools are Jon Bison from Commerce; Jennifer Vackaro from Dublin; Laura Locke from Glengary; Kelly Lindsay from Mary Helen Guest; Barbara Oatley from Hickory Woods; Charlene Harris-Freeman from Keith; Leann Tisdall from Loon Lake; Lisa Brewer from Maple; Sarah Merenuk from Meadowbrook; Karen Fleming from Oakley Park; Debbie Conti-Newman from Pleasant Lake; April Homer from Twin Beach; Ellen McDonald from Walled Lake; and Theresa Scussel from Wixom elementary school.

Middle school teacher of the year recipients are Jennifer LaCross from Sarah Banks; Mary Jo McLellan from James Geisler; Angela Gross from Clifford Smart; and Ryan Ossenmacher from Walnut Creek middle school.

At the high schools, the recipients were Amandar McCartney from Walled Lake Central; Mark Grattan from Walled Lake Northern; and Elani Anastos from Walled Lake Western.

In addition, Kelly Lindsay, Jennifer LaCross, and Amanda McCartney were named the District Teachers of the Year for 2010-11.

Lindsay, a fifth-grade teacher at Mary Helen Guest Elementary School, said in her nomination essay, “I teach to learn from my students. On a daily basis, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to learn the greatest lessons which my students teach me — patience, acceptance, humor, kindness, commitment, perseverance, tolerance, compassion, and gentleness.”

LaCross, a math/science teacher at Sarah Banks Middle School, wrote in her nomination essay, “Teaching allows me to work with hearts and minds. Giving students the opportunities to become creative, literate, empowered and strong in their beliefs will allow them to continue to positively impact our world.”

McCartney of Walled Lake Central wrote, “The thrill of catching that glimmer of understanding is far worth the many hours of planning, collaboration, and professional development that has led me to the current educational path that my students and I are on.”

All three of these teachers will be nominated by the district for the Oakland County Teacher of the Year award.