CHICAGO (January 30, 2005) – The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools has named 14 elementary and secondary school teachers as the “2005 Heart of the School” Award winners. The awards recognize outstanding, unique and innovative accomplishments of individual teachers at Archdiocese of Chicago schools. Two awards are presented in each of seven categories. Following is information about each of the winners.

2005 HEART OF THE SCHOOL AWARDS

• The Arts: These teachers make outstanding contributions to instilling a love of the arts among students. They may be teacher of art, music, drama or other art form, or they may be teachers of other disciplines who integrate the study and appreciation of the arts within the classroom.

  Kevin Carroll , the band director and music teacher at Saint Patrick High School in Chicago; and
  Pamela J. Quimby , who teaches art and is the Fine Arts Chair at Immaculate Heart of Mary High School in Westchester, IL, will receive this award.

A product of an all-male Chicago Catholic high school, Kevin Carroll knew from the beginning four years ago that his decision to work at Saint Patrick High School would be the right choice.

“I am blessed to have had opportunities to study and to contribute to the education of others,” said Carroll. “I have performed with professional ensembles and musical artists throughout the country, earned a master’s degree, pursued a doctoral degree and have become a published editor and producer; however it has only been through the full support of Saint Patrick’s administration that I have been able to establish and develop a jazz program this is thriving and creating tomorrow’s music performers, educators and audience.”

Carroll, who attended the Essentially Ellington Bank Directors Academy in Aspen, CO sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center, regularly attends the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and participates in Illinois Music Educators Association activities that help him broaden his knowledge of jazz pedagogy and history.

Being able to integrate his faith and education at Saint Patrick has given Carroll the focus to strive to make this philosophy apparent to his students on a daily basis, in and out of rehearsals. He schedules performances in a variety of ways including concerts for parents, friends and the community, at adjudicated festivals and athletic events in support of the school teams. Professional performance experiences are scheduled to demonstrate real-world expectations to his aspiring musicians while giving them an opportunity to represent their school in a positive way.

With the band program doubled in size since starting with Saint Patrick four years ago, Carroll is especially proud of his students appearance last September when the Honors Jazz Band represented their school, parishes and community as the first high school band ever to perform at the Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park.

Deciding to become a teacher while living in New York City and studying for her Master’s in Painting degree at Pratt Institute, Pamela J. Quimby moved back to the Midwest and found herself waiting for the “call” from Immaculate Heart of Mary High School where this all girl’s Catholic school’s mission fit perfectly with her own career dreams.

“Everything in my life is connected by my love of doing, teaching, continued learning of, and experiencing art,” said Quimby.

A member of the National Art Education Association, she has reshaped the IHM chapter of the National Art Honor Society so that her students provide service and promote art throughout the school and the community. Artwork by students is displayed in every public area of the school, especially during the spring art show, including the hallways, the main office, bulletin boards, and the library. Quimby’s students also have displayed their work at Triton College.

The variety of art projects conducted by her students include painted murals, the design and painting of sets for school plays and musicals, as well as face painting during Homecoming and Spirit week. One of Quimby’s most significant contributions to the arts at IHM was a six-month art projects that involved forty students in painting fifty-eight reproductions from art history on a very large wall outside the art room.

Quimby, who is now in her third year teaching at Immaculate Heart of Mary High School and an active artist, holds her Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and is a cum laude graduate of Ohio University with Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in both Painting and Art History.

School Specialties, Inc., a distributor of educational supplies, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Arts Awards .

• Catholic School Identity and Mission: These classroom teachers display best practices in religious education through the design and implementation of effective catechetical approaches in the curriculum and model a commitment to promoting peace and justice.

  Elena Chermak, the director of religious education at St. John Fisher School in Chicago, and
  Catherine L. Green , a fourth grade teacher at St. Gilbert School in Grayslake, IL will receive this award.

Elena Chermak knew from the age of twelve that she wanted to make sense of the mysteries of God and the world. As a senior in college, her academic advisor encouraged her to do graduate study in theology. When she asked how she could ever learn as much as a priest, her advisor explained that the church was changing, new opportunities for women and lay people were coming, and that if she truly loved theology she would find meaningful work. After graduating from the University of Chicago divinity school, Chermak found all of her advisor’s predictions came true from the first day she taught theology at Elizabeth Seton High School. Since that first day 23 years ago, Chermak has experienced “excitement and a deep satisfaction for the ways I could pass on the very best information to inspire, enlighten and encourage my students to live fulfilled, purposeful lives.” She has also worked her entire career, that includes 21 years at St. John Fisher Schools, by encouraging her students to make a meaningful contribution to society as dedicated Catholic Christians, following the life-giving teaching of Jesus Christ as expressed and lived within the context of the teachings of the Catholic church.

Chermak teaches her students to put their faith into action with projects including a drive to help supply their parish service men and women in Iraq with basic necessities such as foot powder, toothpaste, baby wipes, plus the funds to mail these supplies, as well as raising $4,000 to build a playground in Haiti.

Chermak, who holds a Master of Arts from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Duquesne University, believes “to the tips of my toes that what I am doing is the most important work possible. I teach children about the power of God in their lives and their role as beloved sons and daughters of God.”

Catherine L. Green has been entrenched in Catholic traditions, education and faith development her entire life. Even while teaching in the public schools early in her career, Green taught Religious Education classes and provided music for First Communion, Confirmation as well as Sunday Masses and holiday services.

Green considers one of her greatest accomplishments the development of a reconciliation retreat for the 4 th grade class. “It has been a source of great joy and faith development for everyone involved, even parents,” said Green. “There has been a renewed value and dedication for the sacrament of reconciliation and the whole idea of forgiveness.”

Student and colleague faith development has been affected by many of Green’s ideas. She has developed and facilitated student reconciliation retreat days as well as teacher and parish days of reflections. She was the Lake County Pre-Cana coordinator and facilitator for three years and was instrumental in fostering Rosary in October and the May World Mission Rosary resulting in Rosary projects being part of the curriculum for many teachers.

Green is also a crusader for the environment and conservation, educating her students about recycling, reusing, and reducing our national resources. She credits St. Francis as our first ecologist and received an Illinois DCCA Recycle Grant for $3,210 to expand the recycling efforts at St. Gilbert. Her field trips include visits to the local recycling center and garbage dump so her students see first hand what happens to their waste.

Benziger Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, a publishing company, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Catholic School Identity & Mission Awards .

• Innovation and Creativity: these teachers have exhibited the best of educational practice by initiating and implementing new learning methods in their classroom. The winners contribute to educational excellence in curriculum development, student performance and professional development.

  Chris Payne , a seventh and eighth grade social studies, literature and religion teacher at St. Joseph School in Wilmette, IL, and
  Marilyn Ann Skowron , who teaches sophomore through senior English at Guerin College Preparatory High School in River Grove, IL, will receive this award

When people ask Chris Payne why he chooses to work in a Catholic school for less money than he would make in a public school, his answer is always, “I wouldn’t work in any other kind of school! I love that I am able to pray with my students each day.” Payne believes that learning is a priority in the Catholic schools as well as respect, responsibility and leadership.

Payne believes that everyday offers a new opportunity for teachers to try new methods. He also believes that students learn in different ways and has prepared his students for high school by incorporating different methods of teaching. He has used the teaching of note taking skills, rubrics for writing research papers and book reports as well as class discussion. Payne also uses many “hands on” teaching methods including group work activities, skits, simulations of events, ‘hot seat’ activities that use a character from literature, as well as question and answer activities involving students. He also has had students write poems or songs to describe an event from history, use a computer program to learn about life in the Middle Ages, and incorporate story telling in religion class.

Payne receives a lot of positive feedback from his former students and their parents. He believes the curriculum he has used has repeatedly shown results. Former students tell stories in high school and college that they remember from his junior high classes. One graduate recalled that she was the only one in her class who could explain about the Jain religion having studied ancient India in Mr. Payne’s 6 th grade social studies class.

When asked about how he believes his innovations contributed to the long-term success of his students, Payne replied, “I have seen so many of my students go to top high schools and colleges and succeed. Obviously, I can’t take all the credit for how they do but I can definitely see results. I have seen many of my students grow into fine adults who will be great leaders of our country. I like to think I’m part of that future.”

Marilyn Ann Skowron was drawn to work in Catholic schools for the past 31 years because of love, mercy and justice. Her own love of learning in Catholic schools from elementary through graduate schools gave her the insight to see the deep concern for others found in Catholic schools. “I’ve witnesses many spontaneous acts of mercy in Catholic schools that could never be dreamed of in a public school – at least not without a lot of agencies and red tape,” remarked Skowron. “I’ve seen teachers and students provide clothes and food for homeless students, never caring about the cost but only caring that the students were clothed and fed.”

Skowron believes her greatest accomplishment was attaining her master’s degree in reading. While teaching at St. Edward School, her principal noticed that she had a natural affinity for reaching students who would now be called “at-risk”. After graduating from Loyola University’s Masters in Reading Program, Skowron taught at Holy Cross High School where she focused on working with young men who needed help in attaining the necessary skills for college.

Among the innovative methods Skowron uses in her classes is a mock trial. She has used the trial to discuss the morality of Tarzan in Tarzan of the Apes, who had killed several cannibals just for their weapons. Students take the various character roles and have to reflect the characters’ personalities when they take the stand. A former student who is now a district attorney, credits his experiences as a prosecuting attorney in one of Skowron’s trials as the reason he became interested in law. Another method that she has used as a culminating activity is having her students create and produce a magazine that could have been read by a character in a novel that they have been reading. One of the most interesting was the magazine called Monster Hunters Weekly produced for Van Helsing in Dracula. Students had to learn about the fads and products that existed at the time as well as how to write a variety of copy, to layout a magazine and to determine pricing. Skowron has also assigned cooperative groups to summarize a novel in a PowerPoint photo essay accompanied by music.

Skowron, a member of the National Council of the Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, the Association for Curriculum and Development, and the Teachers & Writers Collaborative, has also taught Methods of Teaching English at Dominican University.

Catapult Learning, a provider of educational services to schools, families and industries is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Innovation and Creativity Awards .

• Leadership: these classroom teachers have exhibited exceptional dedication in the classroom, school and community by providing leadership in one or more of the following areas; student activities, parent/school organizations, school administration, or state or national professional teacher organizations.

  Karen L. Booth , a social studies teacher and Director of Admissions for Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago, and
  Christopher E. Perez , who is the freshman physical sciences teacher at Saint Patrick High School in Chicago, will both receive this award.

When asked to describe her personal feelings and beliefs about working in a Catholic school, Karen L. Booth replied emphatically, “I love working at a Catholic school!” She went on to say, “I believe that a student receives so much more than mere book learning – they are grounded in values.” Booth believes a Catholic school is so much more than just an institution of learning, she believes it is a special place that emphasizes the value of learning as well as building a sense of community.

As a Catholic school educator, Booth fees a responsibility to promote these values in her classroom. Class discussions revolve around looking at issues from different perspectives and learning to respect differences of opinion. She emphasizes critical thinking skills and has said, “Although it may not be important in twenty years whether or not a student remembers who won the election of 1876 or what the difference is between various styles of architecture, it is important that they are able to think for themselves and make good decision.”

One example of this type of critical thinking is clearly realized through a lesson Booth designed for the study of the Vietnam War that helps her students understand the feelings and the moral dilemma associated with the draft. The class begins with an assignment not connected to the draft that is so demanding that the students feel an immediate sense of panic. Because of the enormity of the assignment, she explains that she will not be able to correct so many assignments at one time, so she assigns different due dates chosen by lottery using students’ birthdays. She also provides opportunities for students to plead their cases, like a deferment, and to discuss their options including not doing the assignment. After the students learn that there is no assignment, the class discusses the connections to the draft and the emotional state that draftees may have experienced.

When one of her students informs Booth that they want to become a teacher, she not only takes pride in the work she has done, she recalls how important her own Catholic teachers were in her life and takes great satisfaction in knowing she may have instilled some of those same values in her students.

Christopher Perez believes that he has five personal accomplishments for which he is proud: graduating as the valedictorian from Saint Patrick High School, earning his Bachelor of Arts with Honors and being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Loyola University Chicago, earning his Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Loyola, serving as the Assistant Principal at Our Lady of Lourdes School, and having the honor of being asked to return to teach at Saint Patrick High School.

Perez believes that he exhibits his philosophy and motivation to the students, parents and administration through his teaching and his involvement in extracurricular activities including his involvement with the professional development program for the teachers of the feeder elementary schools for Saint Patrick. This program helps provide the teachers with lessons and equipment in physical science that they can use in their classrooms.

The team leader for the Phoenix Program Summer School, Perez is also the faculty moderator for the robotics program in which students design and build a robot for competition and is one of his school’s two Freshmen Moderators, who initiated sending postcards to every member of the freshman class on his birthday. “I have been pleasantly surprised to see how many students and parents take the time to thank me for the postcard when they receive them,” said Perez. “An action as simple as acknowledging one’s birthday can have a big impact on a student’s day.”

CDW-G, a direct provider of computing solutions to educational institutions and government agencies, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Leadership Awards .

• Rising Star: These teachers, who have taught for less than five years, contribute to the success of the school by exhibiting vigor, enthusiasm and excellence in the classroom. They are involved in extra-curricular activities, exhibiting innovative and engaging strategies both in the classroom and out, and enthusiastically accept added responsibility.

  Jennifer Ramirez , a fourth grade teacher at Our Lady of Loretto School in Homewood, IL, and
  James Schuster , who teaches AP European and world history as well as Honors world history at Carmel High School in Mundelein, IL, will both receive this award.

Jennifer Ramirez believes in the words of Mohandas Gandhi, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” She has always felt a sense of peace, belonging and closeness to God throughout the halls of a Catholic school, and believes it is her calling to teach. “The comfort and genuine concern I felt from my Catholic teachers is still with me today,” remarked Ramirez. “Now as I walk through the halls of Our Lady of Loretto as a teacher, I see students who need someone to believe in them and a desire to know the love of God. Everyday I make it a priority to be a positive role model morally, spiritually and scholarly.

Ramirez finds great comfort in being able to share her love for God in her classroom. “Children need to feel safe and know that people do care about them and love them,” said Ramirez. “Knowing that they can turn to God in times of need and celebration will help strengthen their bond with God as they grow. It is my responsibility to help students discover the beauty of God’s Kingdom and live as active stewards in His creation.”

Ramirez believes her greatest accomplishment is how she teaches and reaches her students, citing a science lesson she designed called Our Journey Through Space. Beginning with a boarding pass and a personalized folder containing the students’ mission, she incorporates real-life scenarios, hands-on activities, games, journal writing and cooperative learning.

During her first year of teaching, Ramirez volunteered to be the After-School Homework Club teacher and during her now second year she is the moderator of the new school newspaper and is participating her local school intervention team for Evaluation Referrals. This Heart of the School Award winner tells us “I want to make a difference in the lives of children and grow with the impact they make on my life.”

Three years ago James Schuster was a businessman who wanted to teach. Today he is a teacher who has had a lot of experience in business. This major change in lifestyle is one of his major accomplishments. After earning an M.B.A. from Northwestern University and owning his own successful business for 25 years, Schuster came to realize that he felt he had a contribution to make in his community, particularity with young people. After also serving on his local school board, being active with both the Boy and Girl Scouts, and having given shelter to 25 foster children, he sold his business, went back to school for his MAT, student taught, and then started his new career at Carmel High School.

Schuster believes that the Catholic school system, with its emphasis on community and personal affirmation, proves an unusually good fit with his personal sense of integrity. “Carmel gave me a formidable course load, including multiple classes taught at the advanced placement level,” said Schuster. “This required me to not only instantly master the art of teaching, if, indeed, that can ever be done, but also to master the immense amount of material needed to teach various AP level classes.”

His classroom activities engage students in a variety of ways. He has conducted trials of Martin Luther and Adolph Hitler, staged debates between John Locke and Thomas Hobbes as well as between Adam Smith and Karl Marx, compared the effectiveness of using civil disobedience to using terror, studied trade routes and compared them to incidence of the Plague, and renegotiated the Versailles Treaty. A year-long research project into a subject of the student’s choosing called Museum Exhibit, has Schuster’s students compiling research that compares multiple societies across several time periods from the post-classical era to today. His students have told him that, despite initial trepidation, this project convinced them that history could actually be interesting and fun.

Schuster takes tremendous pride and satisfaction in successfully transitioning from a business career to the teaching profession, but says the greatest reward in this life journey comes on a daily basis, manifested by the fact that he now wakes up in the morning and looks forward to going to work. He also knows it is important to help his students experience success and feel personally valuable, to build self-esteem, and achieve personal growth. His desire and ability to give that affirmation lies at the heart of his teaching. “I care intensely about my kids – and I do, indeed, call them and think of them as ‘my kids.’ I give them the love and respect they are entitled to as individuals, just as the Catholic school system tries to do,” said Schuster.

Lifetouch National School Studios, a school photography service, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Rising Star Awards .

• Technology: these individuals have made outstanding contributions in integrating technology in education by affecting one or more of the following; curriculum, student learning or interest, assessment, or the learning environment.

  Laura Ferrell , an eight grade teacher and technology coordinator at St. Barbara School in Chicago, and
  Susan Lamparter , who is the technology director for St. Joseph High School in Westchester, IL, will both receive this award.

As a product of Chicago Catholic schools, Laura Ferrell learned many of the basic values and morals that have shaped her life. She believes that the Catholic schools she attended provided her with two educations: first, a rigorous academic education, and second, an education in faith and life. She chose to teach in a Catholic school because of the emphasis Catholic schools place on creating good citizens, good students and good Catholics.

One of Ferrell’s greatest accomplishments to the school community revolves around her dedication to improve community outreach. Believing that it takes a village to raise a child and that a supportive school community is the backbone of any family, she established adult and senior education classes at her school to fortify support for their technological goals. Farrell is also involved with the Illinois Professional Learners Partnership, an outreach program sponsored in part by Loyola University Chicago that utilizes an online collaborative community to create a network of encouragement for teachers across the Chicagoland area.

Ferrell incorporates technology into as many aspects of student learning as possible, including infusing computers into the areas of curriculum, student learning and assessment. As the technology coordinator, Ferrell takes on the concerns of hesitation and fear in a manner that brings function, focus and fun to students, parents and teachers using technology. Her classroom has actually become ‘chalk-less;’ a projector screen greets students with a daily morning message with assignments, special news and notes of encouragement. Content is taught through PowerPoint presentation that allow her students to experience primary resource documents, take online field trips and view media files all without leaving the classroom.

Ferrell believes that “Like technology, the classroom is a fluid, ever-changing environment. It is this continuum of knowledge and expectation that provides new opportunities for growth for our students and ourselves. As teachers, if we allow ourselves to embrace these challenges and changes, we can use technological resources to better our students’, parents’ and colleagues’ lives.”

Susan Lamparter began one of the most successful endeavors in her career when she was propelled to initiate and facilitate the laptop-learning program at St. Joseph High School. The program began with the need to improve the school’s infrastructure and resulted in a proposal to create a completely wireless campus and engage all students and teachers in technology through the use of laptops. This incredible technological development in a school with nearly seventy percent of the students on financial aid was accomplishment in six months.

As technology director, Lamparter learned the first week of laptop deployment that she simultaneously became an IBM laptop repair center, learning more in the past eight months than she has in the past ten years. “With ongoing communication from IBM, our technology consultants and daily experience, I have learned about laptop repair, information literacy, curricular integration and how to image a laptop, place it in a case, have lunch and talk on the phone simultaneously,” said Lamparter. “No seminar, workshop or advanced degree could provide me a more thorough or useful supply of knowledge!”

Lamparter recalled that faculty openly and willingly jumped off the cliff of uncertainty into a world of technological teaching resulting in an entirely new learning environment and moreover, a new school. As the tech director, teacher, faculty member and moderator of the senior class, Lamparter has had the opportunity to work with faculty, administration and parents who share the school’s mission, and most importantly, she knows each and every day she is part of a ministry that touches hearts and changes lives.

Comcast Cable Corporation, a cable television and Internet service provider, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Technology Awards .

• Behind the Scenes: These award recipients are full-time, non-administrative professional staff, (such as the school librarian, counselor, aide, social worker, reading specialist, nurse, etc.), who contribute to the success of educational programs in unique ways.

  Michael Fitzgibbons , the director of campus ministry at Carmel High School in Mundelein, IL, and
  Catherine M. Patterson , a resource teacher at Pope John XXIII School in Evanston, IL, will both receive this award.

Michael Fitzgibbons cites his greatest accomplishment as having help start and then direct the Kairos Retreat Program. Beginning with the first retreat in 1979, there have been more than 200 retreats with Fitzgibbons being on the team or directing over 90 of them. “To be part of their life-giving, life-affirming, and even life-saving energy has been the greatest source of pride I have had in any of my life endeavors,” said Fitzgibbons.

A published autor of the novel, My Senior Year, Fitzgibbons is a member of the NCEA, the Associaation for the Advancement of Catholic Youth Ministers (AACYM), the American Counseling Association, the Illinois Counseling Association, the Illinois Mental Health Professionals Association, and the National Board for Certified Counselors.

Private School Aid Service, a provider of financial aid application and verification services, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Behind the ScenesAwards.

The Heart of the School award winners each receive a pin, commemorative plaque and a monetary award provided by the following corporate sponsors: Benziger Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, Catapult Learning, CDW-G, Comcast Cable, Lifetouch National School Studios, Private School Aid Service, and School Specialties, Inc.

The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by providing academic excellence and faith formation for over 106,700 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 276 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 5,600 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago’s 235 elementary and 41 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago web site at www.archchicago.org