Tag: dewey awards

Inspiring Teachers: Mrs. Grimes
Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to Stuart Ellis, our founder and CEO. Every year we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. We chose three stories as winners of this year’s context. But each of these stories is worth sharing.
This week we bring you a story sent in by Kimberly Aguilar, celebrating Mrs. Grimes of Compass Charter Schools.

I nominate my son’s fifth-grade teacher Monique Grimes for the 2020 Dewey Award. She is an excellent teacher. She is warm, accessible, enthusiastic, and caring. Mrs. Grimes possesses great listening skills and takes time out of her busy schedule for anyone who needs her. She is an effective teacher, demonstrating a deep understanding of the curriculum. She plans, teaches, and assesses to promote mastery for all scholars. She provides high-quality instruction and increases student achievement by delivering researched-based instruction with technology integrated.

Mrs. Grimes has not only been a teacher for my son; she also has provided additional time and support for his special needs. He has autism, along with being below his grade level. He has a hard time adapting to new people, changes, and does not like being in loud places. She has been very understanding and patient. Mrs. Grimes has helped instill my child’s desire to learn and achieve. She has gone beyond her duties to help Jacob to be successful in a general education class. She has taken the time to understand his individual needs. She encourages him as a scholar, encouraging his unique talents.

Whenever I have a question, she immediately responds to my emails and phone calls with the answers I need regarding my son’s services, support, accommodations, and modification. Her organizational skills are excellent. I strongly believe that all of her efforts should be rewarded and appreciated. Teachers like her don’t come along very often, in my opinion. Compass Charter Schools is very blessed to have such an incredible teacher, and all the scholars who go through her classroom will only benefit from the love and learning that she provides.

She is a shining star.

Inspirational Teachers - Consuelo Gouveia
Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to our founder and CEO Stuart Ellis. Every year, we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. This year’s winners are featured here. But each of these stories is worth sharing.
This week we bring you a story written by Kiele Marquez, celebrating Kumu Consuelo Gouveia of Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School.

Aloha my name is Teani Beverly Kieleliʻi Marquez. I was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu in a place known as Maunalua (Hawaiʻi Kai) on the eastside of Oʻahu. I am sixteen years old and a Junior at Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School.

I have attended HKM from the fourth grade. We are the first fourth-grade class at HKM. I was born prematurely with a condition called TEF. This stands for Trachea Esophageal Fistula. TEF is a condition resulting from abnormal development before birth of the tube that carries food from mouth to stomach. This condition carries many correlations such as asthma, severe acid reflux and a weakened immune system. I was always known as “the sick kid” because I was absent a lot due to my illness. From newborn to three years old. I was helped by the Easter Seals program for my developmental delays. At age three I was in a special education preschool and from kindergarten to third grade I was in the Special Education program with the Department of Education. In the fourth grade I was accepted into Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School.

My Kumu (teacher) was Consuelo Gouveia. She was my teacher from fourth through sixth grade. She set my foundation at HKM. I was a nervous, timid, fragile and introverted kid. I did not like speaking up in class and I stayed in my own quiet bubble. I observed everything around me. Kumu Consuelo helped me to blossom and come out of my shell. She encouraged me to go at my own pace socially and academically.

I’ve always struggled with math and I’ve had an IEP since preschool. Hālau Kū Māna is a smaller school with approximately 120 students. I find this smaller setting helpful since I don’t thrive well in a bigger environment. It provides many learning opportunities outside of the classroom. We are definitely a hands-on type of school which I appreciate and adapt better in this smaller school setting. Kumu Consuelo is from the island of Lanaʻi. Our class got to visit her island and learn about Lanaʻi. It was a great opportunity for kids who do not have any traveling experience.

Kumu Consuelo goes above and beyond an expectation of a teacher. She treats all of her students as if they were her own children. Through this type of family-oriented teaching/learning I, along with others give her and other teachers the respect they deserve. During these difficult online learning times, Kumu Consuelo is the backbone to the online technology that we are all learning to get used to.

They say it takes a village to raise a child our school is definitely my village. Kumu Consuelo is the foundation of who I am today. My teachers have mentioned that I have “blossomed”. Now that I am older, I am definitely more comfortable with my class. I have tried to help my classmates as much as possible and although I am still the observer I definitely speak my mind. These qualities could not have been achieved on my own without Kumu Consuelo. Because of her, believing in me, I truly believe all things are possible.

Mahalo to Hālau Ku Mana for being that “village” and Mahalo to Kumu Consuelo for helping me to build confidence and believing in me, IEP and all!

Hālau Kū Māna Charter School

Inspirational Teachers - Mrs. Gatz
Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to our founder and CEO Stuart Ellis. Every year, we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. This year’s winners are featured here. But each of these stories is worth sharing.
This week, we bring you a story written by Acacia Wilson about Mrs. Gatz of Freeman Elementary. in Woodland, California.

Honestly, I could write about several different teachers but of course, I’m not going to. The teacher I chose to write about is my old 6th-grade teacher Mrs. Gatz.

The year before 6th grade I was a very difficult child to deal with. I was very stubborn and very hard-headed. All of that ended once I was a part of Mrs. Gatz’s class.

Whenever I called myself catching an attitude or trying to be disrespectful to my teachers Mrs. Gatz would always stop me, she would sometimes even raise her voice at me. When I was younger, I hated her for it I thought she was just picking at me because she didn’t like me. After getting yelled at a couple of times and being talked to instead of talked at I realized she was just trying to help me.

After 6th grade whenever I would get in trouble or almost get in trouble, I would think about what my 6th-grade teacher would say. We did rotate classes but the only teacher that I think actually tried to help me or make sure I stayed on task was Mrs. Gatz.

When I became a 6th grader in Mrs. Gatz’s homeroom I was no longer a little kid I then became a young leader and a role model for the younger kids in the school So, for my entire 6th-grade year I don’t have 1 referral thanks to Mrs. Gatz. My senior year is the year that she will retire and I feel like I should pay her a visit to thank her for helping to mold me into the young woman that I am today. Anyone who has had her as a teacher is a very lucky person.

Mrs. Gatz is the teacher who made the biggest difference in my life.

Inspirational Teachers - Mrs. Brasseur
Each year, Charter School Capital hosts the Dewey Awards to honor teachers who have significantly impacted students’ lives. Two Genesee STEM Academy students wrote the following stories about their homeroom instructor, Mrs. Brasseur. It is a testament to Mrs. Brasseur’s positive influence in her young charges that two separate students wrote us to tell us about her.

 From Myracle Hunter:

 Hello, I am Myracle Hunter a junior at Genesee STEM Academy. In this essay I will be writing about my homeroom teacher Mrs. Brasseur.

I choose to write about Mrs. Brasseur because she has had the biggest impact on my life. She helped me when I was going through a bad time in my life. She helped me stay positive and motivated to keep going. She’s always there when you need advice.  In this paragraph. I will be telling you how she had the biggest impact in my life.

I say she has had the biggest impact on my life as a teacher because when it felt like no one else understood where I was coming from. Mrs. Brasseur sat down with me and let me explain myself and the situation and even thought it was complicated she understood it and helped me throughout it. She guided me to see my purpose in life and encouraged me to help others. Next, I would like to tell you why I believe she tells you the best advice.

I remember one time me and some other LGBT+ students were kind of lost about others that shared the same interest as us. So, Mrs. Brasseur threw a little pride get together where all the ones who didn’t know about pride or felt like there wasn’t anyone else like the could come together and meet other students like them and shared the same believes and interest. Of course, there was requirements to attend the gathering. You didn’t just have to be part of the LGBT+ community you could’ve just been a supporter. It was an in-school event, so you had to meet the school requirements to. After the pride event it started some bonds with people and showed others there not by their selves and its others going through the same thing. I think there’s a lot of student that need a Mrs. Brasseur in their lives.

When I say” there’s a lot of student that need a Mrs. Brasseur in their lives” I mean someone who is caring and loving but isn’t scared to show you tuff love kind of like a mom but your teacher. This is why I think Mrs. Brausseur is the best teacher with the biggest impact on me she taught me how to not to be selfish and care for others. She also taught me how to communicate and get my point across without arguing.

From Mariyah:

Today we are going to be talking about one of the teachers that made and impact in my life and her name is Megan Brassuer but as her student I call her Mrs. Brassuer. Now, Mrs. Brassuer was my homeroom teacher from last year which was the 8th grade and she’s been helping me since day one I went to her a lot when there was something on my mind and she listened. Mrs. Brassuer was not only a great teacher and still is a great teacher she also listened to her students’ problems and always checked to see if they were ok mentally.

She is one of the teachers that have helped me though good and bad times rather it had been about school or my mental health , I will say I’ve had my days and her and a few of my other teacher would ask me how I’m doing but she always gave the advice that I needed to hear. It wasn’t just for me either I wasn’t the only student she had cared for she cared for all her students. I really took in her advice because a lot of stuff I was going through she had went through to for example struggling with weight gain, so she gave me a lot of good advice on that.

At the time I wasn’t really self-motivated, and she was one of my teachers that pushed me other than my math teacher. Mrs. Brassuer also brought me out of my shell I wasn’t as talkative as everybody else she kind of told me like hey its ok to ask for help and talk to your peers so really her and my other teachers helped and still are helping me become who I am today and they’re helping me get to where I need and want to be. She is still my teacher this year as well and she still keeps us motivated and checks on us even though school is virtual. She helps me a lot this year too like I was struggling at the beginning of the year and she basically told me and the class that we can get it together and pick our grades up before the time is up and she also checked up on me when I was sick and she does this with the other students too.  Even when talking to my mom she addressed everything I was going through mentally and she also told them when I was struggling in school. She talked to her about my progress, and about everything.

So, she really made a difference in my life and I appreciate her for looking out for me.

Inspiring Teachers: Mrs. Kimberly Massaud

Each year, we highlight the work of outstanding charter school educators and celebrate the impact they have on their students via The Dewey Awards. Named after the teacher who inspired one of our founders, the awards are easily one of our favorite initiatives every year. While our selection panel is charged with picking three winners, all of the stories are inspiring and worthy of sharing.

Here’s a story sent to us by Madeline Reiff, a student at Options Charter Middle School, about Mrs. Kimberly Massaud.

I want to tell you a little bit about myself and why I think Kimberly Massaud should be recognized for this honor.

In the last week of 5th grade, there was a school shooting in my local district.  I was so afraid that I didn’t ever want to go back to school.  I had depression and post-traumatic stress and refused to go back to public school.

I started attending Options Charter Middle School in the second semester of sixth grade for an hour a day. It was hard to just be in a school but by the end of the semester, I was going every single day.   Then in seventh grade, Kimberly became a teacher there!

When I first met her, I was very happy because she was very kind and happy to have a new student!  She made me feel safe because when I am upset or another student is upset, we talk and tell her our problems.   Then she helps us stop getting angry or sad with each other and we can go back to class.

Every time we have a fire or active shooter drill, Kimberly tells me right away before it starts because I still get shocked and frightened.  This helps me because when the school shooting happened, alarms were going off and I felt helpless.  Now Kimberly helps me get ready for the drills.  School is feeling safer all the time.

The most important thing that Kimberly helped me find was my passion which is art, animation and how to create your own art style.  I have dyslexia, so school is hard for me.  But art and animation allow me to feel smart, confident, free and joyful.  Kimberly is encouraging and fun.  When Kimberly says, “drawing time” I feel excited because my brain can finally relax!

Kimberly says, “As long as it is “school appropriate” you can “art it”.   Kimberly is a big fan of telling students that “your art skills should not affect your creativity”.  No matter what you say about your art like, “It sucks”,  Kimberly loves to say “even though you think your art is bad, you are still being creative in your own way!”

In art class, Kimberly plays calming music in the background.  We can sometimes play our music (but only appropriately).  It’s my favorite time of the whole day because it is peaceful. Kimberly also teaches history and English.  She helped improve my reading because she read the books out loud.  I was able to follow along and understand better.  This made me feel more confident and that I am not dumb.

Kimberly is helping me realize that I am smart, but I just learn differently.  So every day for a year and a half, I wake up happy knowing that i am smart and creative.

Ms. Kimberly Massaud - a piece by Madeline Reiff

This past year, I wrote a book about George Floyd using art and animation because Kimberly helped me find my passion. His death was the most shocking and horrific thing I have ever seen and it happened on live TV on May 25, 2020.

I was heart-broken, very sad and a little bit terrified.  I wanted to show my feelings and understand what happened and that his life mattered. I was trying to not get so overwhelmed and upset and crying. I couldn’t get the images out of my head. I started to imagine what I would have done if I had been there and could have saved his life. So, I put the book together from animation slides to show the world what it is like being black, brown and light brown.

I wanted George Floyd’s family to know that I was sorry for their loss and it should not have happened. It was important for me because as a beautiful brown girl, it is hard to make people understand that we are not bad people and we don’t deserve this hate.  I want other young people to know that even though we have different colored skin, that we are people, too. We are not mean or harmful. We are kind, lovable, and even though we have different colors doesn’t mean we are different. We are just the same as you. I want people to treat each other with kindness, compassion and empathy.

Working on this book helped me to cope with my feelings of sadness and fear. When you see injustice in this world, pick one thing that you can change. Be brave and be strong and find a way to kind to one another.  Here is a link to this project.

Kimberly has taught me to stand up, to use my voice and to speak up through art and animation and sometimes just my voice.  This year I used my voice for George Floyd.Kimberly is so deserving of this incredible honor.

Thank you for the opportunity to share all of the good things about my wonderful teacher, Kimberly!  She impacts the middle school students every single day by helping us find our way.  She works really hard to make me and others feel safe.  Art is my passion and Kimberly helped me discover it!

Charter School Capital Dewey Awards

Announcing the Winners for our 2019 Dewey Awards!

This year, for our 3rd annual Richard Dewey Awards, we were so honored to have received such amazing, touching, inspirational submissions. Close to 75 stories about how teachers have made a difference were shared with us. The caliber of submissions made selecting our three winners a very challenging task for our panel of judges.

And the 2019 Dewey Awards go to…

In no particular order, here are the winning stories that will receive the $1000 grants that will be given to a charter school of their choosing! Read these three heartwarming stories about teachers who have truly impacted the lives of their students.
Teacher: Joshua Curry
Subject:  History and Social Studies
School: Options Charter School Noblesville,
State: Indiana
Submission from: Conner Reiff
“How has Joshua Curry impacted my life?

Prologue

To answer this question, allow me to review the two previous years of my life. I had been told that I had ADHD, but in 6th grade, I had actually become seriously ill with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. I was put on homebound restrictions through my previous school for almost two years. Having to do online work was not fun and sometimes I fell asleep halfway through my work! Sometimes I fell asleep for weeks at a time! I was put into a clinical trial for a medication where I had to frequently fly to California. Then I had to be seen by the top research doctor at Stanford University because I was still sleeping so much. It was there that I was also diagnosed with Klein-Levin Syndrome, a very rare sleep disorder. I have no idea how, but I somehow survived through those painful two years on an online school and traveling. After successful medical interventions, my homebound instructor suggested Options Charter School in Noblesville, Indiana. Today I am a successful student at Noblesville Options Charter School. Let me tell you about one of my teachers, who has made it his mission to ensure my success in school.
—————————————————————————
Actual Story

The school I am at now, Options Charter School, has put me on a brighter path by inspiring the student in me to wake up (no pun intended) and to be free. Regardless of my disorders, I am able to function at school and complete my work every day, sometimes with no homework at all!

The one teacher who helped me through a lot of this was my social studies teacher, Joshua Curry. He had some secondhand experience with Narcolepsy and it came from a surprising source! My family and I attended the Center for Courageous Kids in Scottsville, Kentucky. There I met other children who have narcolepsy including one of Josh’s school friends named Nick who had a daughter with the same type of narcolepsy as me! Nick tutored Josh on every possible important thing for a narcoleptic like me. He taught him the wants, needs, and level of care needed to help. Josh then suggested extended time for assignments, minimal homework, and that the goal was to help me succeed with whatever it took. Over a short period of time, Josh became not just a teacher, but my best friend and someone who cared for me. He came to my awards ceremony for the community project I had done. He even spoke at the ceremony despite his nervousness toward the thought of public speaking! He even drove me back to school afterward and bought me a giant-sized Dr. Pepper when we stopped at Speedway! We laughed all the way back! It was the best day of my life!

Josh has always had my back and he gives me somewhat ridiculous deadlines for school assignments. When I bring this up, he would say, “Just take the two weeks, Connor. Besides, it’s only just in case you fall asleep.” We would both laugh for a while after that and then I would go on to my next class. Every day at school I wish one thing for myself, “I wish to be in Josh’s classroom all day, every day!”

The reason that I like his classroom so much is because when I was undergoing treatment, I read a lot of historical articles, books, and movies. In the classroom, he makes history relevant and interactive. He uses constant hilarious dark humor that keeps my mind engaged. He engages the students by demonstrating that he is an authority about each topic. It makes me ask questions about the sequence of history.“History is not wrong unless you record it wrong” is one of his favorite quotes. He has many books in his classroom for different perspectives and time periods. This allows me to gain historical knowledge and draw my own conclusions.
There isn’t a teacher more deserving of being recognized than Josh Curry. Often times, charter school teachers are not recognized for helping individual students and for the good that they do in the world. Thank you for the opportunity to nominate Josh Curry. He is most deserving of this national honor!”

Teacher: Betty Williams
Subject: Academic, 2nd Grade
School: Frostproof Elementary School
State: Florida
Submission by: Mary Milton

“In loving memory of Mrs. Betty Williams:

As a first grade student, I hated school. I couldn’t read in first grade and everyone knew it. My first-grade teacher told me that I wouldn’t amount to anything because I couldn’t read and she wasn’t very pleasant or patient with me. I didn’t want to go to school. That all changed when I started second grade and had Mrs. Betty Williams as a teacher. Mrs. Williams was an older woman that had taught for years. She had a sense of calm that every student should encounter in a classroom. Mrs. Williams genuinely cared for her students and took the time to know each of us.

I remember the day I cried to her about not being able to read. She told me that I may not be able to read today, but she promised I would be able to read. Mrs. Williams patiently worked with me, she met with my mom and tried different strategies to help me read. One day, she moved my seat closer to the front of the room. I was able to see the board a little more clearly, but still not perfectly. I had never told anyone that things were blurry to me, but Mrs. Williams noticed that I was squinting and trying to figure out words on the board, that is why she moved me closer. When she requested a meeting with my mom I thought she was going to tell my mom the same thing my first-grade teacher told me. Instead, she told my mom that she thought I should have my eyes checked. We were a very low-income family and my mom told her she didn’t know if she could afford to take me to the eye doctor, but would try to get me in as soon as possible.

Mrs. Williams gave my mom her eye doctor’s name and told my mom to take me there and she would take care of the bill. I remember the doctor telling my mom that I needed glasses, I was far-sighted and had astigmatism. I was so proud when my glasses came in and begged my mom to take me by Mrs. Williams’s house so I could show her my glasses and tell her that trees had leaves now, not just blurry blobs. She didn’t mind that we stopped by her home after work and was so happy to see me smiling with my glasses on. Mrs. Williams continued to work with me on reading and I stayed in contact with her after her retirement. Her caring personality, her patience, and her observant eyes helped me believe in myself, taught me how to read, allowed me to see, and inspired me to become a teacher.”

Teacher: Chantal Haskell
Subject: Drama, Strings, Choir
School: Greenville Technical Charter High School
State: South Carolina
Submission by: Savannah Cannon

On my first day of freshman year, I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t really want to go to Drama Class, because I knew I would be the only freshman in Drama 2. I came inside and sat down on the third row. I was encouraged to come sit on the front row with my six other classmates and reluctantly agreed. We instantly started introductions, but Ms. Haskell didn’t do it like any of my other freshmen teachers would. We were asked about our summers, and Haskell showed us pictures from her wedding. We started improv, and I quickly became very aware of the energy in the room. My upperclassman classmates were performing scenes about babies in blenders and crazy things I had no idea how to react to. But Haskell quickly showed me that we were a family and that our family liked to have a lot of laughs.
Within only a couple weeks, I became more and more comfortable in Drama 2 class. With Haskell leading us, it wasn’t only about learning or getting the grade. It was about teaching us things that we would never forget. It was about making friends and gaining relationships I could treasure forever. Every project had a different twist and turn that scared me at first, but always came back, in the end, to teach me a bigger lesson.

Ms. Haskell wasn’t only teaching us inside of her classroom either. Haskell is the only teacher I have ever met that was brave enough to open up her own home to her students. Over Christmas break, when she should have been thanking God that she didn’t have to deal with us hooligans, she invited us to come bake cookies and spend time together. Haskell was not just a teacher that we sometimes talked to because we felt like we needed to, Haskell was someone I knew I could always come to for advice about anyone or anything.

Only about a month into the school year, auditions were held for Alice in Wonderland. I performed some little monologue about a school play and I loved every little second of my two minutes, but I was scared out of my mind. Only a couple of days later, I received callbacks for the show. I ended up playing the Red Queen, but what Haskell told me just a short 12 hours later would change everything I thought about myself. Before class, she pulled me to the side and told me that she believed I had really good talent and that if I kept working, she knew I would do big things. That statement has stuck with me for over two years now, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

Haskell has continued to teach me things throughout my high school experience. She has worked harder than any teacher I have ever seen. She has given up her after school time four, if not all five days of the week. She has Musical Theatre class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, holds an acapella club for her students on Wednesdays, and stays after school on Mondays so that I can have meetings for our annual Murder Mystery Dinner, and so other kids can rehearse lines. She puts in more commitment inside and outside of the classroom than any teacher. She might leave our building with hours of work to do, but you can always count on her to have it done the next day when we return.

When I was having a tough time handling school, sports, friends, and family, Haskell was the only adult I knew I could come to. She never judged me, never looked down upon me. She only gave me the greatest advice and endless support. But most importantly, she just kept on telling me she loved me.

In my opinion, being a teacher is about sacrifice. Sacrificing your time, your effort, and probably sometimes your sanity. Only the best teachers truly care about their students the way that Haskell does. She is always there for a laugh, but she is also always there for a hug and to be a shoulder to cry on. Haskell is the kind of teacher that you cry about on graduation day because you’re not really sure what you’re going to do without their smile, support, and advice every day when you’re gone. Someday, when I become a teacher, I hope to have just as much passion for my kids as Haskell does for hers.

Thank you again to all of those who shared your amazing submissions, we were so very inspired reading (watching) them all!

Our Esteemed Submission Review Panel:

Darlene ChambersDarlene Chambers – A national leader in education reform, Dr. Darlene Chambers is the Senior Vice President for Programs & Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, and a review alum from both 2017 and 2018.

 

 

 

Janet JohnsonJanet Johnson – Chief Growth Officer at Charter School Capital and internal teacher/ inspiration officer herself (though she’s too humble to admit it), Janet is a review alum since 2017.

 

 

 

Amanda ListAmanda List – Amanda is a principal of AList Consulting and served as Texas Charter School Association’s first director of advocacy. Amanda has extensive state government affairs and public charter school experience including strong ties to the Texas Capitol and the Texas Education Agency. We welcome Amanda as a first time review panelist for the 2019 Dewey Awards.

 

 

Juana GarciaJuana Garcia – With more than 25 years of experience in education, Juana is the Founder of three Montessori Charter Schools and has served as a Magnet Lead Teacher, the Educational Excellence School Advisory Council Chair and United Way Ambassador. We welcome Juana as a first time review panelist for the 2019 Dewey Awards.

 

 

If you missed this year’s submission window, but still want to share your story and honor a special teacher outside the awards program, post it on social and tag @GrowCharters and use hashtags #WeLoveCharter Schools and  #DeweyAwards and we’ll share it on our social platforms.

Charter School Capital logoSince the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $2 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

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Charter School Capital Dewey Awards

Announcing our 3rd Annual Charter School Capital Dewey Awards!

Most of us have had teachers, or at least one, that made significant impact on our lives. For our President and CEO, Stuart Ellis, that teacher was Mr. Dewey. In 2017, and in honor of Richard Dewey, we created the Dewey Awards to celebrate those teachers who were able to see in us what we perhaps couldn’t see, who saw our promise and potential, and made us believe that we could do anything we set our minds to.

This year, the awards are even more poignant for us as we continue to honor and celebrate the life of Mr. Dewey following his passing this year. We are so proud to pay homage to the positive impact he made on Stuart and surely countless other students throughout his career.

For this, our 3rd Annual Dewey Awards, we hope you can help us honor outstanding educators who are making a difference in the lives of their students—in Richard Dewey’s name.

The past two years, we asked you to send in your Stories of Inspiration and we were truly moved by the beautiful tributes to impactful educators from across the country. If you missed it last year, we asked Stuart to share what the awards mean to him and learn a bit more about what the impetus was for starting this program. Watch the video and read Stuart’s story below.


Video Transcript:

We asked Stuart Ellis, “What was the impetus for The Dewey Awards?”

Initially, last year we were celebrating our 10th anniversary at Charter School Capital and the work we’ve been doing with charter schools. The Dewey Awards came out of the inspirational teacher that changed the trajectory of my life back in third grade at Welby Way Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Richard Dewey was my teacher and he fundamentally changed the way I thought about myself. He made me feel loved as a third grader and really made me believe that I could do anything in life.

As we approached the 10th anniversary of Charter School Capital, I began to think about the difference that a Charter School makes in a child’s life and thinking back to my own experience in public school. I realized that it’s actually about the connection with the teachers that an individual child has. And those inspirational teachers who really can see each child and student for who they are, make them feel loved, bring out that potential, and instill the belief in them that they can achieve anything. Let them know that they can simply be who they are and that that is good—don’t change, just be you.

I thought, how can we celebrate this, the impact that teachers have on each of our lives? I talked with people around the company a little bit as I told my story of my teacher, Richard Dewey. When I shared my story, everybody immediately had that one teacher. It’s not that they had 10, even though we’ve all had many, many mentors and teachers. Every adult I talked to could think back and they can see that one inspirational teacher that really changed everything for them.

It was amazing to actually hear other people’s stories just flow out when I shared mine. And I think that was the beginning of the Dewey Awards. We did it last year for the first time and it generated such an outpouring of inspirational letters from others in the community and the charter school community that as we came into this year, even though we were just doing it for our tenth anniversary, we should just do it again.”

So doing it again, we are!

Have you had a teacher who made a positive difference in your life? If so, share your story with us for the opportunity to receive one of three 2019 $1,000 grants to be awarded to a charter school of your choice! See the details below to honor your most influential teacher. #WeLoveCharterSchools

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Charter School Capital Dewey AwardsWe are so honored to have received such amazing, heartfelt, and inspirational submissions for our 2018 Richard Dewey Awards. Over 100 stories of teachers making a difference were shared with us. 

The caliber of submissions made selecting our three winners a very challenging task for our panel of judges. Because the stories were just so incredibly good this year, we decided to pick FOUR winners instead of just three to receive the $1000 grants that will be given to a charter school of their choosing! 

Here are the FOUR winning stories in their entirety (and in no particular order):

Cristian Alicea
6th grade
Caridad Broche
Pinecrest Cove Preparatory Academy

Touching Lives One Student at a Time
Have you ever felt the warmth of a smile, or the genuine love from a hug? Imagine having that for THREE years in a row- now imagine being in third grade and you just finished the school year, summer passes by quickly and next thing you know you are in fourth grade- you are growing and are worried about tests, quizzes and other students. Little did you know this was going to be the year that has the best teacher you will ever have. This was me in fourth grade, I had Mrs. Broche and she changed my life for the better. She has been the best teacher I have ever had and has also changed my way of thinking through life’s moments.
One of the many things Mrs. Broche has done to help me is to support me while I was going through the passing of a loved one. I spent the first 9 years of my life with my grandma- she taught me the importance of everything and was my best friend. I woke up one day to realize that in the room next door she had suddenly passed away. I did not know what to do- or how to react, but I knew that I had to tell one person, Mrs. Broche. When I told her she hugged me and talked to me and listened to me, she gave me a warm smile and told me that my grandma would always be with me and that now I was her grandson. I never thought that a teacher would be able to help me through one of the most difficult moments in my life, but I was so thankful for her help and how she knew the right words to say to help me go through them.
Mrs. Broche also showed me how to prioritize, my Mom is thankful for that, she taught me that is important to have fun, but you first need to work hard. During class we would have to work hard writing essays and completing group projects- but the games followed. Every year with her she showed me the importance of not complaining about bookwork, because then we would be able to do projects with our friends- and she sometimes even let us talk in class. In the end, she has shown me many things that help us every day and will continue to help us in the future.
Lastly, A teacher that truly cares is hard to find but Mrs. Broche has taught me to never give up on my dreams, she continues to teach me still today in 6th grade and goes above and beyond to make sure that I am learning. She makes sure that I am successful and cheers me on even during the toughest school days. The best part is that Mrs. Broche has always been there for me, since I first met her- and she continues to be there. She has cheered me up and made me happy in times of sadness. She has also changed the way I see the most important things in my life and has proven to me that I need to work hard to achieve my dreams. I have been very lucky to have felt the warmth of a smile, and the genuine love from a hug- and you know what, if you meet Mrs. Broche, you might be able to feel that way too!

Katelyn Dorry
9th Grade
Donna Hanson-Kaasa
Northern Lights Community School

Catherine Flaherty
Art Teacher
Mr. Pittenger
Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School

Voice and Heart Grand Canyon Deep
He was stocky with a receding crew cut, thick glasses and a voice deeper than the Grand Canyon. He could teach our class equations-PROFICIENTLY-from a reclined office chair and feet up on his desk. His name is Mr. Pittenger and he was my 6th grade math teacher. Mr. Pittenger had a way of controlling our class without standing up or raising his voice. You see, he was a former military man, and used that experience, his deep voice, and a little sarcasm to keep the class in order. Troublemakers stayed in line, the slackers got moving, and the well-behaved were commended in Mr. Pittenger’s class. He wasn’t the conventional teacher and probably didn’t take classes on differentiated learning or redirecting behavior, but students were in line and material was instructed. Most importantly, we learned algebra.
Back in the 6th grade, I was quiet, reserved, studious and excelled in school. I was thin, pale and anemic. I had a small circle of friends, but didn’t have much fun. I was also an easy target for Jennifer V., a big bully in our 6th grade class. As I was walking home one day at dismissal, Jennifer V. hit me with her bike in the middle of 142nd Avenue. I laid there in the road, stopping traffic, crying and bleeding, with a sprained ankle…until Mr. Pittenger and Mr. Redman arrived. Mr. Redman was another favorite teacher of mine. Imagine a red bearded lumberjack and you’ve envisioned Mr. Redman. Effortlessly, they scooped me up and carried me inside the school. I returned to school a few days later, fearful of the repercussions of Jennifer V. and my mother, who now had a vendetta to fulfill against the bully. To my surprise, Mr. Pittenger and Mr. Redman presented me with a veggie tray and a message: ‘You were so heavy being carried in after your “accident” that we thought you could use this to lose a little weight.’ Again, not a conventional, “teacher move” but it made me, and more importantly, my mother, LAUGH. The rest of the year went off without a hitch. I recovered, started to stand up to Jennifer V. and earned all 4 PRIDE awards at the end of my middle school years. I began babysitting for Mr. Pittenger’s two sons all through high school. Mr. Pittenger and his wife, Jan, treated me like family.
At the end of high school, I was pondering the next course in life to take, law enforcement or teaching. I turned to Mr. Pittenger, also a former military police officer. He could see my angst in wanted to get started right away and steered me towards law enforcement. Note that by the end of high school, I was no longer the quiet, reserved young girl but rather an outspoken and fun-loving teenager. Everything fell into place and I became a Clearwater police officer at the age of 19. For the next 14 years I worked in patrol, training, was an undercover detective for several years and eventually taught in 14 elementary schools as “Officer Friendly.” Mr. and Mrs. Pittenger came to my wedding. Occasionally, Mr. Pittenger and I would meet for breakfast and I would share interesting cases from work with him. We caught each other up on the paths of our children. His sons followed in his footsteps and joined the military. Mine were still babies. He continued to ask me to call him Jim as I was now an adult and had four kids of my own, but I couldn’t. He would always be Mr. Pittenger to me. As life does, mine had its peaks and valleys. I have been an Art teacher at Plato Academy for the past 5 years. I’ve fulfilled both my dreams I once had as a high school graduate…and many more unsuspected ones. That is a story I now share with students. You can be anything you want…and more. I haven’t spoken to Mr. Pittenger for several years, but our last breakfast included an invite to his cabin in Tennessee. The kids and I could vacation there and visit him at his new job at Dollywood. I could share that I am now, also, a proud parent of a soldier. My oldest son is 18 and is now a Marine. I think I’ll go call the man with the heart and voice deeper than the Grand Canyon and tell him, “Thank you, Mr. Pittenger, for being my teacher.”

Amara Lee Brenner
Teacher
Allan Benton & Ruth Dutton
Sycamore Valley Academy

There are times when your life stops and pivots. If you are lucky, life grants you the time to pause. If you are wise, you make a careful, informed decision. It is in the times that life doesn’t grant you the time, that the heroes reveal themselves. This was the beginning of Sycamore Valley Academy.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Once upon a public school, there was a little girl, prevented from going out to her recess because she didn’t finish the task at hand. Her kindergarten assignment was to color, cut and paste. She was busy with something else. She did not finish the task. Thus, she stayed in. Her mother comes to pick her up at school and asks about her day.
“What were you doing while the rest of the class was coloring?” asks her mother.
“I was reading.”
When it was revealed that this little girl was Gifted, and well beyond coloring and pasting, her teacher gave her a puzzle in the corner, while the rest of the class did worksheets. The mother tried to work with her teachers, but her daughter was always over there, in the corner, separate, special… bored and lonely.
The pivotal moment for this mom, this daughter, was a Halloween night eight years ago. On that late night, that mother crossed her fingers, filled out the right paperwork, answered the door to Trick-or-Treaters and started her own charter school.
The application was accepted. Ruth Dutton had begun Sycamore Valley Academy.
Of course, all good stories have a twist. This story is no different.
Let’s start again.
Once upon a wish, my little sweet boy was born in 2008. He was a chubby little wonder, like all little babies. Unlike the other child, gifted in so many ways, my child was not. His gifts were hiding behind a neurological disorder. I knew regular kindergarten was not for him, nor was Special Education. My little boy and her little girl were both square pegs in a round world.
I looked around my town, my county and I put him on all kinds of waiting lists. One of which was Sycamore Valley Academy.
In kindergarten, he slept under the table. In first grade, no one from his class came to his birthday party. In second grade, I had the dreaded meeting with his teacher. I knew what she was going to say. As I walked into the meeting, the administration was already set up and waiting, too. I swallowed, and smiled, waiting for them to tell me all the ways my boy did not measure up. And here is the miracle.
Mr. Benton discussed his writing growth, not his writing grade. Mr. Benton told me about the friend he had, and told me stories of them both chasing and laughing together. Mr. Benton was encouraging that relationship, and using it to foster more social skills and emotional growth. The teacher tried to interject and tell me how he compared to the other kids, to his peers, to the normal ones, the regular ones. Mr. Benton told me a different story, of a little boy who was blossoming, in his own way, in his own time and growing, growing, growing. All I heard was, “I see your son’s gifts are hiding. We are going to find them and showcase them.”
When my boy started fourth grade, I started my first year as a Sycamore Valley teacher. I walked my children up from the parking lot and Mr. Benton called both them both by name, as he does with every other child in the school.
Mr. Benton has the skills to run a school, to run a business, to keep the kids safe and learning, to write a lunch schedule, to pass the fire inspection. What sets Mr. Benton apart is that he has another set of skills: He sees the child, not the test score; he sees the sadness hiding behind the angry outburst; he loves the little one still growing inside the big kids. Mr. Benton sees potential, not problems.
The story of two children intersects at Sycamore Valley. Each one found a place to be free, to be loved, to be valued, to be strong, to be educated. Neither square peg had to change themselves to fit in. Mr. Benton makes sure of that.
Ms. Ruth Dutton made the school but Mr. Benton made its heartbeat.

Charter School Capital CEO and Co-Founder Stuart Ellis and Richard Dewey have remained close throughout the years, a testament to the powerful impact Mr. Dewey had on Stuart’s life.

Take a look at little eight-year-old Stuart Ellis with Mr. Dewey!
Richard Dewey Awards
The two had a ball at game five of the recent 2018 World Series. Here’s a “little-bit-older” Stuart Ellis with his most inspiring educator, Mr. Richard Dewey.
Richard Dewey Awards
We are so thrilled to honor outstanding educators with our Annual Richard Dewey Awards and are already looking forward to reading next year’s submissions. Thank you to everyone who participated in this celebration of teachers making a difference.

Thank you again, to our esteemed panel of judges:
Richard Dewey – THE Dewey that the awards are named after! Richard Dewey was the 3rd-grade teacher to Charter School Capital President and CEO, Stuart Ellis, inspiring the whole program. 
Darlene Chambers – A national leader in education reform, Dr. Darlene Chambers is the Senior Vice President for Programs & Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, and a review alum from 2017.
John Cairns – Often referred to as a grandfather of Charter law, John Cairns was the nation’s first Charter School attorney. Today, he remains passionately involved in charter school policy and is a review alum from last year. 
Janet Johnson – Chief Marketing Officer at Charter School Capital and internal teacher/ inspiration officer herself (though she’s too humble to admit it), Janet is a review alum from last year. 

 

Charter School Capital Dewey Awards

EDITOR’S NOTE 10/11/18: THIS BLOG POST WAS CREATED ON 9/4/18 TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF THE SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR THE  2018 DEWEY AWARDS. SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL YOU WHO SENT IN YOUR STORIES! TO READ THIS YEAR’S AMAZING SUBMISSIONS, CLICK HERE.

The 2018 Richard Dewey Awards: Submissions Now Open

Did you have a teacher who made a meaningful impact on your life? The Dewey Awards were created to celebrate those teachers who make a difference in the lives of their students.
If you have – or have had – a life-changing teacher, we want to hear about it!
Submissions are now open for the 2018 Richard Dewey Awards. Send us your story of the teacher that changed your life for the chance to receive one of three $1,000 charter school grants, given in your name to the school of your choice.
Submission Guidelines:

  • Written submissions should be 300 words or more
  • Video submissions should be 1-10 minutes in length
  • Submissions will be received September 3rd – October 5th
  • Grant winners will be announced November 8th

Our distinctive panel of judges includes:
Richard DeweyRichard Dewey – The original inspiration for the Dewey Awards! Richard Dewey was Stuart Ellis’ 3rd-grade teacher, inspiring this whole program. Thank you for joining us this year, Mr. Dewey! He is a retired 37-year educator with Los Angeles Unified School District. Classroom experience centered on teaching Highly Gifted students and Gifted/High Ability Students. As a K-12 administrator serving on the support team for a local district superintendent, the responsibilities included professional development for new teachers, teacher certification, Mentor Teacher Program (MTP), National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT), Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) and curriculum development. At the university level, Richard served as the Elementary Field Experience Coordinator, taught math/science methods courses and worked on Teachers for a New Era (TNE) Task Groups C-4/F/G. In the music world, Richard performed, taught, mentored, composed and arranged music and has conducted choral groups and choirs. On a personal note, Richard has been married for 53 years. His three sons and their spouses collectively have added 11 grandchildren to the Dewey clan.

Darlene ChambersDarlene Chambers – A national leader in education reform, Dr. Darlene Chambers is the Senior Vice President for Programs & Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, and a review alum from last year. Thank you for joining us again!

John CairnsJohn Cairns – Often referred to as a grandfather of Charter law, John Cairns was the nation’s first Charter School attorney. Today, he remains passionately involved in charter school policy and is a review alum from last year. Thank you for joining us again!

Janet Johnson – Chief Marketing Officer at Charter School Capital and internal teacher/ inspiration officer herself (though she’s too humble to admit it), Janet is a review alum from last year. Thank you for joining us again!

We are so thrilled that this esteemed team will help us choose the story that best fits the theme “Teachers Making a Difference”.
Need a little extra inspiration? Take a look at some of the submissions from the 2017 Stories of Inspiration (now named the Dewey Awards)!
We can’t wait to hear your stories! Ready, set, go!
[PLEASE NOTE: 2018 SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED]
GO TO SUBMISSION PAGE

Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We provide growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.6 billion in support of 600 charter schools that educate 800,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

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Charter School Capital Dewey AwardsCharter School Capital’s Dewey Awards: Teachers Making a Difference

It’s time for the Charter School Capital Dewey Awards! We’re in our second year of honoring teachers who make a difference in the lives of their students.
Many of us have had teachers who helped changed the trajectory of our lives; who were able to get us to believe in our abilities and our promise; who said, “You can do this!” and never let us forget it. For our President and CEO, Stuart Ellis, that teacher was Mr. Dewey. For the second year, in honor of Richard Dewey, we want to give recognition and thanks to the teachers who’ve impacted our lives. Submit your story of the teacher that changed your life for the chance to receive one of three $1,000 charter school grants, given in your name to the school of your choice.
Watch the video below to hear, in Stuart Ellis’ own words, why we’re so proud to continue this tradition.

You can learn more about our Dewey Awards, read some selected stories from 2017, and submit your story to honor a teacher by visiting our official 2018 Richard Dewey Awards page. We can’t wait to read your inspiring stories!
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