Catharine Taylor and Cynthia Hirt, R.N. Selected As Teacher of the Year, and Staff Person of the Year Award Recipients! N Wednesday, August O31, 2016, Mr
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 Catharine Taylor and Cynthia Hirt, R.N. Selected as Teacher of the Year, and Staff Person of the Year Award Recipients! n Wednesday, August O31, 2016, Mr. Matt Reilly, Superintendent of Schools an- nounced to the faculty and staff at the first general session of the new school year the winners of the 2016 Teacher of the Year Award and Staff Person of the Year Award. Congratulations to Mrs. Catharine Taylor, the 2016 Teacher of the Year, and to Mrs. Cynthia Hirt, R.N. the 2016 Staff Person of the Year Award recipi- ent. Both award winners submit- ted to the Blue and Gold Newslet- ter answers to several interview questions. Please enjoy their comments below. Catharine Taylor, Teacher of the Year 2016 Photo credit to Beth Ann Kempf Catharine Taylor – 2016 Teacher of the Year High School Graduation: Skaneateles Central High School College Attended Undergraduate: Rochester Institute of Technology Major(s): Criminal Justice College Attended Graduate/Masters: Le Moyne College Major(s): Teaching of Science, Masters New York State Teacher Certification(s): Cortland State University, Permanent Teaching Certificate Why did you choose a career in education? While I have always held educators in the highest of honors, it is my children, Sarah and Pierce who inspired my journey in elemen- tary education. Their curiosity, empathy and constant wonder, motivated me to reach out to a bigger population to inspire. INSIDE THIS ISSUE TEACHER, STAFF PERSON OF THE YEAR .................................................... PAGES 1 - 4 DISTRICT NEWS ................................................................... PAGES 4 - 6 HIGH SCHOOL NEWS ............................................................... PAGE 7 MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS .............................................................. PAGE 8 BURTON STREET NEWS ............................................................... PAGE 9 LAKER SPORTS NEWS ................................................................ PAGES 9 & 10 SPECIAL OLYMPICS .................................................................. PAGE 11 SCHOOL CONTACTS ................................................................. PAGE 12 2 Teacher & Staff Person of the Year Did you work elsewhere before being hired as an employee at Cazenovia? My first position in teaching was in Spokane, Washington, where I taught disadvantaged high school students job ready skills. I learned so much about struggles, perseverance and courage from these amazing students. When did you start teaching/working at Cazenovia? I started teaching in Cazenovia around the same time that Cindy Hirt, Staff Person of the year, started her tenure. I am so pleased and proud to receive our district’s awards with such an amazing person, colleague and friend! I taught kindergarten when our district had a half day program. I was able to be a part of the half-day, extended day and eventu- ally our full day kindergarten program, before teaching first graders. Please describe five moments as a teacher that you will never forget? Why? 1. I will never forget the pictures parents send me of their child’s first day of kindergarten, as their child graduates from our high school. I will never forget the letters and notes from students and parents too. 2. I will never forget when previous students spend the day in my first grade classroom, as college students. Having been previ- ous kindergartners or first graders in my classroom many years ago, they still remember the love and joy that learning brings. 3. I will never forget when a previous student of mine said she was going to college to be a teacher. She said was inspired by all of her teachers from the Cazenovia Central School District! 4. I will never forget all of the amazing people I get to work with everyday, because it takes us all working together to be suc- cessful in teaching our students! 5. I will never forget the wondrous moments when I first saw the videos that Sarah and Pierce made for me to help celebrate my spe- cial day this past August 31st. I view these videos frequently, as they make me feel that I have accomplished so much as their mom. To be an educator in the Cazenovia Central School District is to me likened to winning the lottery of life! What would you hope your teaching legacy might be? I hope that my love for children and my desire to make learning fun is always obvious. I hope that my students always believe in themselves and know how much I believe in them. I hope that my teaching legacy will be: Wonder, Love and Kindness! Cindy Hirt, R.N. – Staff Person of the Year High School Graduation: Cazenovia Central School, 1976 College Attended Undergraduate: Morrisville State College, 1991-1994 Major: Nursing Why did you choose a career in nursing? I have always enjoyed working with people. Each career I have had has been in the field of community action or health. I also have enjoyed working with youth, so school nursing has been a perfect fit for me. What activities (sports, clubs, jobs, etc.) were you involved in as a high school student and college student? I was quite involved in Madison County 4-H. First as a member, going on to be involved in Cindy Hirt, Staff Person of the Year 2016 their teen council and teen activities. Later, as Photo credit to Beth Ann Kempf an adult, I worked for Madison County Cooperative Extension in their 4-H division. Did your family or another person impact your decision to become a nurse? I belong to a family with a long history of community service. It was a natural fit for me. 3 Teacher & Staff Person of the Year Where was your first nursing position? Did you work elsewhere before being hired as an employee at Cazenovia? My first nursing job was as a med/surg nurse at Chenango Memorial, Norwich, NY I have done work in Extended Living facilities and Respite facilities in Madison County. I currently do baking and cake decorating out of my home. When did you start working at Cazenovia? December 20, 1994 Have you always been in nursing or did you start out doing something else? I started out in retail sales, then I worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension. Once my children started school, I decided to go back to school myself and got my nursing degree. When you started working at Cazenovia, who were some of the teachers that also started around the same time you did? Actually Catharine Taylor, this year’s Teacher of the Year, started about the same time as I did. We have grown as colleagues and friends. It was an honor to receive this award with my friend Catharine. Tammy Slocum and I were new at Burton Street and rode to work together, and fell into a life long friendship. Now, when I look around, the teachers look very young to me! Please describe some moments as a school nurse that you will never forget? Why? My first year was a challenge. School nursing is very different than medical nursing. Once I became familiar with rules and regs. and started to get my feet under me, it became much easier. Early in my school-nursing career I had a very challenging student who had emotional issues. She would land in my office when out of control. One day a young man was resting when she was sent out of class to the nurse. He was witness to some pretty out of control behavior from this little girl. No matter what I said or did, I could not calm her and keep her from running from the room. The little boy turned to me and said,” Mrs. Hirt, I know how you can keep her on the cot.” I was ready for any wisdom I could get, so I asked what he thought I should do. His one word solution was “duct tape!” After 21 years as the Burton Street School Nurse, I am now getting the children of former students. Having former students come in and say “I am glad you are still here for my children” is a real compliment. What have been the biggest changes in the profession during your career? So many more components of my job are now done on a computer. Communication to a teacher or classroom can be done through e-mail. I enjoy the computer aspect and I have always enjoyed record keeping. What would you hope your nursing legacy might be? That I was a soft place for students to come and be cared for. Please describe your family. Fred and I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren, with another one on the way in February. Recently, our son Kyle and his wife Lisa and their two daughters, Abby and Maggie, came back to the family farm. Lisa is a 4th grade teacher in the DeRuyter school district. Abby is a first grader in Mrs. Webb’s class at Burton Street. Our son Andrew, wife Nichole and son Hudson live in the Alex Bay area and have a sheep farm. Andrew works for a large dairy farm in the North Country, Nichole is a teacher in the Indian River school district. Our daughter Mallory and husband Kyle live in Honeoye, NY. Mallory works for Community Bank and Kyle is a forester. They are ex- pecting their first child in February. I am proud of all of them and enjoy spending time with family and friends. If you never became a school nurse, what career might you have had? Why? Something in the field of nursing or health and human services. Outside of nursing, what are your other interests/hobbies? Cake decorating, gardening, walking, biking, travel, grandchildren and family Anything else you would like to add? I feel honored and blessed to work in a school district like Cazenovia. My colleagues and friends work hard to offer a first class education to our children in Cazenovia.