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Addison Northwest Honors 2017 Teachers Of The Year

photo by Marilyn Woods A December 1984 concert with Susan O'Daniel.

photo by provided Susan O'Daniel.

photo by provided VUHS Symphonic Band wins 1st place gold in division 1A at the WorldStrides OnStage Music Festival in Philadelphia.

photo by Matt DeBlois VUES Teacher of the Year Amy Foley brings books alive in so many different ways.

photo by Follette Learning.com Amy Foley.

Tuesday October 3, 2017

By Cookie Steponaitis

It was 1979 when Susan P. O’Daniel walked into the band room of Vergennes Union High School and surveyed her band of fifteen students. Pint sized and full of passion for music, she began the first day to set the tone for the music program that has developed into one of the strongest in the state. Now in her 39th year at the helm of the Commodore program, O’Daniel is being honored for her commitment to her students, her passion for music and unique talent for bringing people into the program who never saw themselves as musicians. To this day O’Daniel loves her job and profession. “I have so many wonderful memories from teaching,” shared O’Daniel. “A standout is how my heart swells with pride every year that I march down Main Street at the Memorial Day parade in Vergennes. I am so proud of my students and I love my community. Another standout is watching the faces of my band students when they have an amazing performance or when we travel and they are able to experience a live performance by professional musicians.” Today’s Commodore music program has more than 200 students enrolled at different levels and O’Daniel is in the rare position to see two and three generations of different families fall in love with music for a lifetime.
    O’Daniel had teachers in her past that inspired her to follow in their footsteps. “All of my band directors from elementary school through high school inspired me to teach. They had so much fun teaching music and music certainly was the best part of my school day. I was good at it and it did not involve math or science, so music was the natural career path for me.” No one sits on the bench in O’Daniel’s classroom. Music is an inclusive adventure and she helps her students become aware that they are a creating a once in a lifetime experience for themselves and listeners. “Musicians of all performance levels can come together to make music,” shared O’Daniel. “Music is a language of its own. It makes us human. The emotional experience that a person can get from hearing, creating or performing music cannot be matched by anything else in the world.”
    While technology has changed everything in the music realm, O’Daniel still holds her students to the traditional when it comes to learning to play an instrument. While new pieces are also in the repertoire, they still learn music that was written by Mozart and Beethoven.  In addition to increasing the music program from a beginning band of fifteen students to a Concert Band, Jazz Band and having ushered three generations through an introduction to being a lifelong musician, O’Daniel has taken the band to competitions spanning the eastern seaboard and Midwest. Gold and superior rating banners and trophies fill the showcases and line the walls in the new band room built when the school expanded in 2001.  It is not about accolades for O’Daniel; the trophies or even seeing the success of former students who are professional musicians or teachers in their own right. It is about the individual student and the power of music to teach lifelong skills and develop in each young person the joy of knowing how to make and share music with others. Addison Northwest District salutes Susan O’Daniel for her gifts, unlimited zeal and dedication for teaching and ability to orchestrate music at so many levels for so long.
    Elementary School Teacher of the Year, Vergennes Union Elementary Librarian Amy Foley is passionate about literacy for all ages. Foley promotes activities that bring students to books and help foster an interest in reading each year in the classroom and with the faculty. Teaching grade levels from K-6, Amy is involved in helping the youngest experience drama and art, working with the art teacher. Entering her tenth year on the staff of Vergennes Elementary School, Foley was stunned to hear her name called as the Elementary Teacher of the Year. “I really am surprised I was nominated,” shared Foley. “I am very grateful to work in such a fantastic school community and there are so many talented teachers.”
    Foley’s path to a career in education was part of her life from an early age. You could even say it is in the DNA. “My dad was a teacher at St. Michael’s college and my uncle was also a teacher. It has been in the family. I was originally planning to be an art teacher when I started out and I do also have a certification to teach Art. Library sciences changed and emerged as a career which allowed me to blend my passion for the arts and my love of books and literacy.”
    To say that libraries serve as the heart of a school is not an exaggeration and talking with Foley it is easy to see that her role goes far beyond putting books into the hands of youth. Working mostly with younger students she finds that they are still tuned into the printed word in books and have not yet become more fascinated with media.  Bringing in literature groups, plays, drama and offering unique ways to process what is read, Foley strives to bring not only the basic building blocks of reading but a set of skills that allow the students to become critical thinkers and critical consumers of information.
    Doing different things with different grades and working with other teachers in the building, Foley feels it never gets old and loves being a librarian. Currently she is working to create a “maker space” in the building where students have many more hands-on learning opportunities involving reading and communication. Not only embracing technology but tweaking it to fit different goals and projects, Foley has students in older grades using video editing software to create book trailers to entice others to read and merges these lessons with valuable learning around copyright, fair use and things in the public domain. Some students also blog for the school and choose topics they are going to write about. Foley helps them read other blogs and to learn to critique work, so that they are working to real world standards.
    “ I see my role more of not as a teacher, but a facilitator to help each student get what they need. I push literature because I feel it is one of the most important tools,” explained Foley. “The ability to read is a basic set of skills necessary for all learners. Literature has so many different kinds of books. There literally is something out there for everyone. Enjoying books is a stepping stone to being a lifelong learner.” Nominated by her peers and students for her passion to reach all students and to work with all age levels and staff, Foley starts each day with the goal of not only sharing with students the ability to read for fun, but the skill set to teach students to find, evaluate and create their own work as well.

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