THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page A-7
Montgomery County Selects Three Favorite Teachers Some 150,000 Ballots Cast in The Gazette My Favorite Teacher Program By Karen Finucan Clarkson | Special to the Gazette
“I have been blessed in my life to have had several outstanding teachers that took a real interest in my personal development, and it was just enough to make me want to push myself harder and set goals that have allowed me to lead a successful community-focused organization like MidAtlantic Federal Credit Union,” said Rick Wieczorek, the company’s president and CEO. While Wieczorek’s teachers took a variety of approaches in the classroom and were fervent about different subjects, “the one thing they had in common was an unwavering passion about their students and an ability to inspire a young person to look within and unlock his potential, then turn it into a desire to grow and make a difference in his world,” he said. That recognition, of how teachers change lives, is one of the reasons MAFCU has been The Gazette’s My Favorite Teacher platinum sponsor for the past three years. Wieczorek’s comments came during a December 2 awards
ecognizing our local teachers and giving them the attention they deserve” is important to MidAtlantic Federal Credit Union, according to Marc Wilensky, vice president of
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An apple for the winners of The Gazette’s 2013 My Favorite Teacher program. From left to right: Bobbie Russell, Damascus High School; Ashley Tauber, Earle B. Wood Middle School; Deborah Lee, Beall Elementary School.
ceremony at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, where students, family, friends, school administrators, and sponsors from the local business community gathered to honor the winning teachers. The contest – also held in Prince George’s County – began in September when The Gazette asked students to nominate their favorite teachers. The newspaper selected finalists at the elementary-, middle- and high-school levels based on the most compelling student essays, and then opened up the voting to the public to select the winners. Ultimately, the contest drew some 500 nominations in the two counties and garnered more than 150,000 online votes. Montgomery County selected Deborah Janet Lee, a kindergarten teacher at Beall Elementary School in Rockville; Ashley Tauber, director of bands and orchestras at Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville; and Roberta “Bobbie” Russell, a professional restaurant management teacher at Damascus High School. Russell, the top vote-
marketing. That is why, for the third consecutive year, MidAtlantic FCU is the My Favorite Teacher platinum sponsor. “As a community chartered credit union, we believe in giving back to our community and what better way to give back than through education? Every day our employees educate the people of Montgomery County about financial issues. Financial
getter in both counties, is the first teacher to repeat as a winner in the six-year history of the contest. Several other sponsors, in addition to Wieczorek, were on hand to present the awards, including Suparna Shah, director of LearningRx, the elementary school sponsor; and Bill Lauck, director of communications at Barrie School in Silver Spring, the high school sponsor. The teachers were presented with the My Favorite Teacher signature award, a stunning glass apple mounted on an inscribed base. They were surprised to receive generous gifts – including presents from sponsors and a check from The Gazette – totaling $500. Each nominating student received a $50 gift card as well. During the ceremony, students read the essays they had submitted online nominating the winning teachers. Their words resonated with the sponsors, educators and parents alike. For additional details about The Gazette My Favorite Teacher contest go to www.gazette.net.
literacy is a very important component of who we are.” For more than 40 years, tens of thousands of Montgomery County families, individuals and businesses have made Mid-Atlantic FCU their financial institution of choice for borrowing, saving and checking. If you live, work, worship, attend school, or volunteer in Montgomery County, you are eligible to join Mid-Atlantic FCU. Wilensky was awed by the number of students that “took the time to write on behalf of their educators. We always
hear how kids today are involved in so many activities and how they have no free time. So the fact that these kids took some of that valuable time to write to us about a teacher that had an impact on their life is impressive.” Also impressive is Mid-Atlantic FCU’s commitment to the community it serves. “From our CEO down, everyone throughout the organization believes in giving back to the community, a commitment I have never seen anywhere else….The culture is really contagious.”