In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we gathered teacher feature nominations sent in by colleagues and parents from school locations throughout Granite School District.
These spotlights were shared throughout the month of May over on Granite’s Facebook page, and we’ve gathered them all together in this post. Our thanks to everyone who submitted remarks.
Tricia Fention – LMETS, Cyprus High School
“She has been incredible. She is sharp, attentive, responsive, proactive, very easy to work with, and possesses a long list of other amazing qualities.“
Kim Best – 3rd Grade, Gearld Wright Elementary
“At the beginning of the school year Mrs. Best said, ‘This year is the only 3rd-grade year my students will ever have. I want it to be positive!‘”
Rachel Larkin – Social Studies, Matheson Jr. High
“Every class she does something to make sure learning is fun! She coaches the Cross Country Team, she had fun courses she put together for the team and provided opportunities for them to work with and get excited about the high school experiences!”
Cathleen Carter – Teacher Coordinator, Granite Peaks
“She is one of the hardest working and most capable people I’ve had the privilege of working with. Cathleen goes above and beyond in her work with our adult students. Not only is she a fantastic teacher, she also coordinated the day-to-day operations for our Granger High, Hunter High, and Granite Peaks Learning Centers. In addition to all she does for Granite, she is the President-Elect of the Adult Education Association of Utah (AEAUT), influencing adult educators across the state.“
Karli Gillette – 4th Grade, Calvin Smith Elementary
“She has been going above and beyond to support both her face-to-face and distance learners.”
Angela Gagliardi-Campos – Dance, Cottonwood High School
“She has been going ABOVE and BEYOND to keep her students safe, but engaged, in classes.“
Jean Chang – 2/3 Chinese DLI, Spring Lane Elementary
“She supports her team in positive ways to meet the needs of students. She is also a great mentor for new dual immersion Chinese language teachers at Spring Lane Elementary.”
Carrie Jensen – 1st Grade, Crestview Elementary
“In a time where there is so much negative energy and everything seems to be going wrong, this teacher is extremely positive. She is one that finds the positive in every situation and builds on it. Her students can’t wait to come back to school each day. Carrie cares deeply for each and every one of her students. She took the time to visit distance learners who were struggling with technology at home to get them up and going. She reaches out to her families often just to check in and see how the students are doing. She goes above and beyond.”
Jeanette Fordham – 4th Grade, Woodstock Elementary
“She has been a trailblazer at Woodstock Elementary with figuring out how to teach face-to-face kids and distance learners at the same time. She has a very high attendance rate for all of her students!”
Mindy Layton – ESL Teacher, Woodrow Wilson Elementary
Named one of Utah’s 2021 UEA/doTERRA Excellence in Teaching Award winner.
Julie Wesemann – 3rd Grade, Bacchus Elementary
“Julie is amazing!! She is doing dual modality and rocking it.“
Leslie Niemann – Math, Churchill Jr. High
“Leslie started teaching at Churchill Junior High in 2000. She is an excellent teacher and makes incredible weekly videos!”
Sarah Waddoups – Literacy Coach, Mill Creek Elementary
“She continues to be a ROCKSTAR! She consistently steps up and does what is needed to ensure everyone’s success. On top of this she is ensuring every teacher finds success in teaching reading both online and in person as well as ensuring that each student completes their reading assessments and can find success in reaching their goals! Sarah is totally in it for the students!“
Pamela Tafili – Integrated Science, Jefferson Jr. High
“She serves as the Literacy Committee Chair and Science teacher. She is a huge advocate for building literacy skills.”
Albert Ferrarons Font – Spanish, West Lake STEM Jr. High
Granite School District’s 2021 Teacher of the Year
Shelley Keithley – Kindergarten, William Penn Elementary
“Thank you for your patience, kind words, love encouragement, and support. Thank you for teaching our children through these though times. We appreciate you!”
Wendy Jones – 2nd Grade, Oakwood Elementary
“She leads the 2nd grade team of teachers who have been a model PLC, leaders in distance learning, and fantastic communicators. Wendy is impressive. She’s one of those I rely on to give me counsel and perspective. She can outlast the energizer bunny and like the old Timex watch ad, she takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. Her response to recent pandemic challenges has been inspirational.”
