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by Principal of the Lesher Junior High
I am writing to nominate Elizabeth Hohweiler for the February 2008 Rotary Teacher of the Month Award. Elizabeth is currently in her second year as our vocal music teacher and music department chairperson at Lesher Junior High School, an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. The Rotary International principles of service, integrity, recognition of individual worthiness, advancement of international understanding, and personal responsibility to society go hand-in-hand with our IB Middle Years Program philosophy founded on communication, holistic learning, and international mindedness (intercultural awareness). Elizabeth is from a family of music educators. Her father was a junior high band director in the south suburbs Chicago for many years, her mother taught elementary school in the south suburbs of Chicago and later Estes Park, her mother-in-law teaches general music at Linton Elementary, and her father-in-law was the band director at Blevins Junior High. Lastly, her husband is an accomplished singer and French horn player. During the two years I’ve worked with Elizabeth she has routinely displayed exemplary skills and passion in her classroom that clearly reflect all five Rotary International principles. She is an intense, outstanding, relationship-oriented educator with a thorough knowledge of music education, and a deep understanding of her students’ needs and the learning process. Elizabeth teaches three levels of choir including the Singing Sevies (105 7th graders), Viking Voices (98 8th graders), and our Harmonic Minors (36 auditioned 8th and 9th graders). She captures her students’ attention and gets them excited about performing in front of a packed house. In fact, Elizabeth has grown our choir program so large that Lesher’s 300-seat auditorium (the only one of its kind in the Poudre School District) is no longer enough seating for our concertgoers. As a result, our next performance will be held at Fort Collins High School’s McNeal Auditorium. Furthermore, Elizabeth gives freely of her time, talents, and energy to insure that not only each and every choir rehearsal is of high quality; but has a public relations component that allows our community to learn the hidden truth about junior high school kids… that they truly are wonderful! For example, thrice this spring Elizabeth loaded her Harmonic Minors on a school bus and they went on tour. They performed at our feeder elementary schools of Laurel, Riffenburgh, Harris, Dunn, and Bennett, Fort Collins High, the Johannsen Support Services Center at PSD, and Mrs. Marion (Doc) Pike’s home in front if the FCHS class of 1947. The kids loved it! Elizabeth also directs our annual drama production. Our families raved about last year’s show, Aladdin, and I anticipate this year’s performance of the Little Shop of Horrors will be no different. Elizabeth’s skills have been further demonstrated by her willingness to step forward with five other staff members to form our middle school readiness team to assist with the planning and design of Lesher’s new middle school concept for 2009-10. Elizabeth and her students are ambassadors for the Lesher learning community. Finally, Elizabeth is an advocate for the field of music education and demonstrates her commitment to lifelong learning via her annual participation in the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) conference, and by maintaining professional memberships with the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), Colorado Education Association (CEA), and National Education Association (NEA). In closing, Elizabeth is an exceptional professional that I am grateful to have the privilege of working with. As the former asst. principal of two 500-student Colorado high schools, I can honestly say that under Elizabeth’s direction the choirs of 600-student Lesher Junior High sound every bit as good. Based on my observations of Elizabeth’s classroom instruction, and service to our total school community I nominate Elizabeth without hesitation for the February 2008 Rotary Teacher of the Month Award. If you would like to speak with me personally about Elizabeth my direct line is (970) 472-3810. Thank you, and GO VIKINGS! Tom Dodd, Principal, Lesher Junior High |
Report about comments Elizabeth made at Rotary Meeting on February 13, 2008
The Following Are The Statements That Elizabeth Made In The Rotary Teacher of the Month Form: Through my job as Vocal Music Director at Lesher, I have had the opportunity to take my choirs on numerous occasions to perform at different venues throughout the community. In the past two years, we have performed at various district elementary schools, Fort Collins High School, Johannsen Support Services Center, Foothills Fashion Mall, and for a special audience from the Columbine Health System. Last spring, we were honored to provide the entertainment for the PSD Foundation Breakfast at the Marriott. We have also gone caroling at neighborhood homes and in Old Town Fort Collins. Additionally, I am the Chancel Choir director at the First United Methodist Church in Loveland. I also volunteer once a month at my son’s pre-school class. One of the main reasons I became a teacher was to have the opportunity to influence young people and to be a positive role model. I love my job because I feel as if I am able to establish effective relationships with students and make a difference every day. I believe that students can accomplish some tremendous goals if you only give them the chance. My students amaze me on a daily basis. I teach a variety of age levels with varying ability levels, and each class is empowered to work together toward common goals. Sometimes the goal is as simple as mastering a sight reading skill, and other times it is as complex as preparing for a musical production or a quarterly evening concert. My students take ownership and are proud to be a part of the choral program and musical theatre class. The fact that one can sense the pride and joy that my students feel when they perform and can identify the mutual respect we have for one another is what I love most about teaching. My proudest moment as a vocal music educator occurred when I was teaching middle and high school in Estes Park. I had a phenomenal group of freshman and sophomore girls who I had been teaching for the past three years. They were in a select jazz choir and the girls and I worked together to prepare an audition tape for the CMEA conference in Colorado Springs. I was extremely proud of the girls because of the skills they had acquired in those three years and because of their dedication to one another. The fact that we were one of three jazz choirs in the state of Colorado to actually be selected to perform at the conference was just icing on the cake! The biggest stumbling block I have in teaching is the large size of my classes. The vocal music program at Lesher has grown so much in the last year that the majority of my classes are made up of 50+ students. This has required me to adjust my pacing and activities in order to manage large class sizes and continue to set large goals and demand high standards for success. I would never want to eliminate my biggest stumbling block because my biggest stumbling block is also my greatest accomplishment. I think that the greatest challenge facing the Poudre School District today would be the grade reconfiguration that is in progress. The key to successful implementation of the grade reconfiguration lies with collaboration and communication. Many people are afraid of change, but I believe that rather than complaining about the challenge, we should embrace the change and figure out how to provide the best education possible under new circumstances. It is vitally important that we, as educators and administrators, communicate with one another about our hopes and fears. We need to listen with open-mindedness and respect and come up with creative ways to make the change successful. Throughout these discussions, we must never lose sight of what is best for kids. When the decisions are made, we must accept them and adjust with flexibility and positive attitudes. |
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Copyright © for the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Poudre R-1 School District and by Alan Ashbaugh, October 18, 2007
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