May 25, 2019
During the 54th Commencement Exercises, the three highest faculty awards were presented by Head of School, Mr. Aaron Schubach. The three recipients honored represent a collective 25 years of service to the school. Each are being honored with a major award for the first time in their careers at CSS.
Sarah H. Elizabeth Hoiles Outstanding Faculty Award
Sarah Hoiles graduated from CSS in the class of 1994 and in July 1997 the school and the Hoiles family established an annual faculty award in her honor.
Please welcome Reagan Sanchez, to the podium. Reagan, an 8th grade graduate of CSS, is Sarah Hoiles’s niece. Reagan will describe the award created in honor of her aunt.
Reagan: The Sarah Hoiles Outstanding Faculty Award is given to the individual who provides exemplary service to the CSS community, has been here three or more years, demonstrates commitment above and beyond the standard job requirements, demonstrates enthusiasm for teaching, learning, and helping others, and serves as a role model for all faculty and students at The Colorado Springs School.
Aaron: This educator has been described by her peers as incredibly professional, proactive, and passionate about learning, about her work, and about her co-workers, but most importantly, about honoring the dignity and effort of every learner at CSS.
Academically well rounded, she has a math degree but she loves literature and spreading the love of reading. She has an educational background in gifted and talented programs but she empathizes with every student no matter her or his learning style or speed. As a teacher, she has implemented an amazing reading program and propelled students forward with Battle of the Books for our 4th and 5th graders. She has also taught 7th-grade math, Wellness in the Upper School, and supported our Middle School Get It Together class.
Organized, she is equally comfortable with data as she is with people. She makes complicated information and ideas easily consumable by the faculty. In her role as Testing Coordinator - she does not stop working until the job has been completed. One of her peers noted that she doesn’t know the definition of half-done.
As our Learning Specialist, she is readily available to students in each division, and she is a thoughtful and logical advocate for student accommodations and clear academic standards. Her excellent communication skills help her work seamlessly with students, parents, and educators, and to provide clarity and support for all.
The 2019 recipient of the Sarah Hoiles Outstanding Faculty Award is Lisa Hughes.
Edward E. Ford Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award
This award is given to a faculty member who has taught at CSS for a minimum of five years, epitomizes the CSS’s concept of teaching, is committed to the growth and learning of students both in and out of the classroom, is an example to other teachers and has devoted a significant portion of their time to classroom studies.
The 2019 recipient of the Edward E. Ford Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award joined the CSS faculty 15 years ago. A master classroom teacher, her innovative lessons engage her students’ heads, hearts, and hands. Her teaching skills are especially apparent in the growth that occurs in her students’ writing. Her enthusiasm for learning and teaching has created a culture in which students are willing to take risks. Following the ideas of educational theorist Carol Dweck, the mantra in her class is the simple but powerful word, yet. When students say they cannot do it, she adds the word, yet.
Her peers describe her as someone who models our mission each and every day. Her work with students is extraordinarily skillful and deeply rooted in the RULER program. Calmly, she takes the time to validate each child and helps them make meaningful connections to each other and to their own feelings.
Highly organized, and experienced, this teacher’s institutional knowledge helps The Children’s School division plan ahead throughout the year. Recently, her leadership in the field of service learning helped the Children’s’ School improve the quality of their service learning both in the classroom and with community partners.
In the words of her one of her peers, “she wants to give her students the very best of herself so that each one of them can make the most of their experience at CSS.”
The 2019 recipient of Edward E. Ford Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award is Sara Derr.
Mary Flynn Flemke Leadership in Education Award
This award recognizes outstanding individual accomplishment in the education of students and the advancement of the school. The award is given to a faculty member who leads by example, who is fiercely loyal to the school, who exceeds the traditionally high standards of our faculty, who combines the managerial skills to make sure that things get done right with the leadership skills to make sure we do the right things.
This talented faculty member joined the CSS Team five years ago. Young in her career, it is clear that she has the makings of a master teacher; knowledgeable, organized, and creative. Most importantly, this teacher never loses sight of the fact that she is a teacher of students, not of a subject. Her classroom(s) spans three divisions; she works with Children’s School Robotics students, Middle School, and Upper School students. Through her work, her subject, Mathematics, often a fearsome topic, is made practical and accessible for all.
The CSS Middle School engages students outside of the classroom, and this outstanding faculty member is involved with nearly every aspect of that engagement: advising, coaching volleyball and soccer, heading MS Student Council, planning and executing events like Party with Music and the Chilli Cookoff , “lock-ins”, community service, and other field trips. She is one of our most skilled Outdoor Education and Walkabout leaders.
A Mary Flemke Award recipient must have the respect of her colleagues - and this young woman has earned it. She is appreciated by her peers for her positive disposition, her practicality, her sincerity, and her hard work. In the powerful words of her nominator, “we simply could not have a better role model for students or faculty; she is always willing to do what’s necessary to move her students or the school forward”.
The 2019 recipient of the Mary Flynn Flemke Leadership in Education Award is Blisse Beardsley.
