Teacher leaders play an integral role within the Office of Instruction, providing support, communication and leadership to their colleagues. As some of our well-respected teacher leaders prepare to enjoy retirement or change positions at the end of this school year, we will be passing the torch on to new teacher leaders. This month, we'd like to share some updates with you and congratulate those that will be leaving us.
Linda Wetherell is retiring from the high school science department, but also from her position as teacher leader of the crossroad program at the high school. David Howlett will be filling that important role beginning this summer. David is starting his 34th year of teaching (31st at Gates Chili) and has been teaching U.S. History for most of his career. He is currently teaching U.S. History and Economics/Dynamics of Citizenship in the Crossroads program, as well as the Dual Credit/AP US History course. Dave is excited about this leadership role because he is hoping to make the Crossroads program more effective by working closely with administration on building the team with some new faces as well as some experienced teachers and creating new avenues of success for the students in the program. Congratulations to Linda and Dave!
April Marques is not retiring! She will be transitioning to a new role as she joins the AIS department at the high school to provide intervention services to students. April has been leading the English department for several years and will still plan to collaborate with them in her new position. Nicole Schrader will be taking over as department leader for English, so we congratulate both April and Nikki on these changes! Nikki considers herself fortunate to have worked in the Gates Chili School District for the last 25 years. Throughout the course of this time, she has taught at all levels of high school English, enjoying the variety that students are afforded here. Being encouraged to explore new avenues of the curriculum and her own curiosity in learning are two of the many things Nikki likes about this district. She is most proud of helping to develop the dual-credit program with RIT and the AP Language class, both of which provide our students with amazing opportunities.
Nikki is thrilled about taking a leadership position within the English department. She is happy to help facilitate the creation of new curriculum to meet the evolving needs of our students and to support our new staff as the face of the department continues to change.
Lisa Sanchez, current department leader for the World Language department at the middle school, will also begin enjoying retirement at the end of June. We are excited to have Jennifer Gelfuso take over this leadership role. Jen fell in love with learning about different languages and cultures in middle school. It has been rewarding for her to pursue this passion and dream of sharing her love of language by teaching Italian here in Gates Chili since 1997. Jen is looking forward to taking on a leadership role in the district she has called home for her entire career. A goal she has for the World Language Department is to help make a smooth transition to the new NYS standards for World Languages that focus on student success in meeting these rigorous goals. She also hopes to see our students succeed in reaching higher levels of participation and achievement in their chosen World Language, by continuing the language at the higher level and earning the NYS Seal of Biliteracy. Congratulations Lisa and Jennifer!
Sharon Tubbs will retire from Paul Road at the end of this school year. She currently teaches second grade and has served as the Science Content Leader. Ryan Fitzgerald will transition to Paul Road's new Science Content Leader. He is a fourth-grade teacher at Paul Road Elementary School and a Gates Chili graduate who attended Fredonia and University of Buffalo. Next year will be his 10th year in education, having taught intervention, first, fifth and sixth grade! While he enjoys teaching all subjects, he has a passion for science, math, and technology. Ryan lives in Spencerport with his wife, Catie, and two boys, toddler Jack and newborn Calvin born recently on May 28! Ryan is most excited about working with the other elementary science content leaders to help integrate science curriculum with other subject areas for best use of instructional time. He is excited to get going!
Amy Deni is retiring from Paul Road at the end of the school year. She currently teaches second grade and has also held the position of Social Studies Content Leader. Brittany Porter is preparing to begin her 10th year teaching while taking on her new role. She is excited about the opportunity to support colleagues through the role of Social Studies Content Leader. Her experience includes teaching third grade and reading AIS in Gates Chili and first grade at an international school in Taiwan. Outside of school, she enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and playing tennis. Social studies has become a content area she is passionate about as it connects students to their community, locally and globally. Brittany looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to continue building a robust, engaging, culturally responsive and cross-curricular Social Studies curriculum.
Annemarie Brower will be retiring at the end of this school year from Walt Disney. She is currently a math intervention teacher and Science Content Leader. Kelsey St. Denis will transition to the role of Science Content Leader this summer. Kelsey attended Nazareth College and SUNY Cortland. She has a son, Griffin, and a Golden Retriever, Maverick. Kelsey and her husband relocated from the Ithaca area. She is looking forward to beginning her sixth year of teaching and taking on the role of Science Content Leader at Walt Disney. Kelsey is most excited about collaborating with other professionals in Gates Chili and working together to provide the most equitable education possible!
Congratulations to everyone!
