EMPLOYEE, TEACHERS OF MONTH FOR DECEMBER
By DANIEL LILLY Of the School Board
Casey Fletcher
Casey Fletcher of Riversink Elementary School is December Teacher of the Month.
Casey Fletcher of Riversink Elementary School is December Teacher of the Month. Fletcher is currently a fifth grade teacher at Riversink and has previously taught second and first grade students. Fletcher shared “While attending Flagler College, my classroom management teacher was Jackie High, then principal of Riversink Elementary School. During class she always spoke so highly of not only her school, but of all Wakulla County Schools. That year I applied for a position as a paraprofessional and I have been at Riversink ever since.” Fletcher continued, “I love to teach, but I also love to learn- and teaching offers plenty of opportunities for learning. Whether it’s researching a topic related to student interests, exploring new ideas on student engagement, or just trying to figure out what a-new slang words means that I heard from a student, I learn something new daily.”
Principal Catherine Cutchen said the following of Fletcher, “Casey Fletcher is an innovative, creative teacher. She understands how to break down the standards and implement those standards in the most relevant manner possible. She reaches out to other schools to collaborate and ensures her students are getting the best version of her every day. Casey is always upfront but professional. She researches best practices, implements them, and then shares them with her peers. Casey is a teacher coach that provides professional development to her peers. Overall, Casey is EPIC!”
Melissa Martin is December Teacher of the Month. She currently serves all district schools as assistive technology specialist. Martin has taught middle school Science and English/language arts at Wakulla Middle as well as third and fifth grade at Riversink Elementary.
Martin shared “I absolutely love working with teachers and students one-on-one to problem solve. Being a part of the collaboration that occurs when a teacher and I can put our minds together to solve a problem just makes me LOVE my job. When the student is able to provide input and ideas, it makes it all the more amazing. And the cherry on top is seeing the plan implemented and we see success - it doesn’t get any better than that for me! This is the best part of my job!”
Belinda McElroy her supervisor, spoke highly of Martin, “Melissa Martin was a phenomenal classroom teacher. She was innovative, engaging and highly successful. She was involved in Odyssey of the Mind and even participated in the NASA Education Program. When she applied for our RLATS position, I couldn’t believe our luck. She has brought the same drive, excellent work ethic and a positive attitude to the RLATS position. Melissa is a problem solver. She makes herself accessible to teachers and students. She works with them to find the right Assistive Technology and then trains the teachers and students in how to use it to meet the students’ needs. She is a continual learner, but she also takes that extra step and educates her colleagues on whatever she has learned. She has provided trainings for our teachers and paraprofessionals and send out monthly newsletters to keep them up to date on technology tools that are free and available for students through Microsoft 365. Melissa and her husband also coach the WHS Cross Country team. She is a big proponent of physical fitness, and she has even managed to get me started walking a couple of mornings each week at Azalea park. We are very blessed to have Melissa Martin on our Itinerant Team.”
Cindy Pandolfi
Cindy Pandolfi of Shadeville Elementary School is December Employee of the Month.
Cindy Pandolfi of Shadeville Elementary School is December Employee of the Month. Pandolfi has been at Shadeville Elementary School since 1989 as a paraprofessional and then in 2007 became school secretary. She is a graduate of Wakulla High and shared that the position at Shadeville came at the perfect time.
“Every day can be amusing. It’s true, kids say the darndest things. From a Kindergartener saying that her endometriosis was hurting her, to ‘I think I swallowed my tooth, I can’t find it.’ Sometimes they just want to share stories. Some can be very interesting. Every day is an adventure,” says Pandolfi.
Principal Timothy Wheeler shared the following, “Ms. Cindy is one of the hardest working people I know, she is an integral part of Shadeville Elementary School. Not only does she help manage the office, the parents, the teachers, and staff, but she also helps with all the unknown circumstances that may happen throughout a school day. She is one of the BEST. multitaskers I have ever seen. She makes a point to get to know all the students and their families creating a wonderful rapport, and therefore Shadeville Elementary School feels like one large family.
Shadeville Elementary School would not be the same without her.”