Madison Teacher Wins $10K For A Classroom Makeover
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Cervone-Gish was one of five teachers from across the nation selected as this year’s Got 2B Safe! grand prize winners.
Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced the winners of the Got 2B Safe! Classroom Makeovers Thursday.
The program recognizes teachers committed to keeping children safe from abduction and sexual exploitation.
Cervone-Gish said she found out about the competition through the website, www.Got2BSafe.com
Her third- through sixth-grade EL students voluntarily stayed after school, came in at recess to decorate posters, talk to other students about the Got 2B Safe! program and more.
The third- and fourth-grade EL students taught third-graders about being safe, while EL sixth-graders taught first- and second-graders the four safety rules. Through the “Be the Teachers Safety Scholar Talk,” students were encouraged to be scholars in all that they do. Fifth-grade EL students went to kindergarten classrooms and taught safety.
Cervone-Gish said the three-month program incorporated the English language proficiency standards for English learners.
For the finale, a student, Eduardo, came up with the final presentation. The fifth- and sixth-graders went to the kindergarten classroom and had a birthday party – “Eduardo’s Bilingual Got 2B Safe! Themed Birthday Party.”
They had birthday hats and sprinkled multi-colored doughnuts. She said the kindergartners were excited, and the bilingual kindergartners were really excited because they understood the safety rules being taught.
During their presentation, the fifth-grade EL students spoke in English, then the sixth-graders would translate into Spanish.
“It was very educational because even if the students didn’t know Spanish, they were trying to figure out what was being said,” Cervone-Gish said.
The four rules of safety are 1.) check first, 2.) go with a friend, 3.) my body and 4.) tell a trusted adult.
Cervone-Gish submitted the information for the competition March 30. She found out Madison won May 8. A press release officially announcing the grand prize winners was released Thursday.
Cervone-Gish traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier to attend the Hope Awards and receive recognition as a grand prize winner.
“We were ecstatic,” Cervone-Gish said about finding out they had won. “I went and informed Mr. (Principal Jacob) Hoag. I didn’t tell my students right away. We told them in front of the whole school. I thought that was the best way.”
Overall, she said, it was the students who won the contest. They taught the safety rules to everyone else. She guided them, but the students put in a lot of work.
The Friday before students took the ISTEP, Madison had a convocation to get students pumped up for the testing. Hoag let Cervone-Gish go before the students and tell them she had a letter about the competition. She “opened” it up before the whole school, which was chanting “E-L, E-L” and drumming on the floor.
“I said, ‘Congratulations,’ and the whole school roared,” she said. “The whole school – about 400 students – gave them (EL students) a standing ovation.”
Cervone-Gish said she can’t say she did it alone. The competition is based not only on involvement but community participation. She said her support came from Hoag, mental health therapist and school counselor Christa Crabill, technology specialist Patty Perkins and DARE officer Doug Light.
“We also used Christa’s Courage to Care bullying program to incorporate Got 2B Safe!,” Cervone-Gish said.
Perkins kept the community informed what Madison students were doing through the school’s website. Light helped through DARE, she said.
“I have many people I’d like to thank. As a first-year teacher, you really need that support,” Cervone-Gish said.
Among her supporters, she listed Claypool Principal Melissa Rees; Warsaw Community Schools Director of Instructional Support Services Wendy Wildman-Long; Maria Peacock, administrative assistant to instructional support services; WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz; the individuals who helped her out with the finale; individuals who were enthusiastic and encouraged her; her parents, Tom and Marie Cervone; her husband, John Gish; her mentor, elementary special education teacher Renee Parker; and her EL elementary colleagues, Sarah Steele, Isbela Perez, Elena Winn, Johanna Mock and Amber Cotherman.
“Every single teacher and staff member at this school helped me and I couldn’t have done this without them,” Cervone-Gish said.
A spokesperson for Honeywell said the makeover is up to the teacher. The budget has to be within the $10,000 grand prize, but they work with the teacher.
The makeover process will happen some time over the summer, the spokesperson said.
“We usually reveal it the first day of school, but it really depends on the schedule,” she said.
Cervone-Gish said, “We’re going to strive for technology in the classroom. We value safety and culture in the classroom. We believe tecnology can provide that.”
In a provided press release, Honeywell Hometown Solutions President Tom Buckmaster said, “Safety and security are top concerns for families everywhere, and nothing is more important than protecting our most precious and vulnerable assets – our children. Honeywell has decades of experience developing and deploying technologies that keep families safe and secure where they live, work and travel. We are thrilled to honor these teachers for their exemplary efforts in promoting safety awareness and providing life-saving lessons to their students.”
According to a study from the U.S. Department of Justice, 2,000 children in the U.S. are reported missing each day. In 2005, Honeywell and NCMEC partnered together to launch Got 2B Safe! to arm teachers, parents and children with vital safety skills.
The Got 2B Safe! Classroom Makeover program includes simple rules for children to follow with the help of their families and teachers, according to the press release. To participate in the contest, teachers submit an innovative lesson plan or essay demonstrating how they incorporate the Got 2B Safe! rules into their teaching.
For more information on the rules and the program, visit www.Got2BSafe.com, or follow on Facebook and Twitter @Got2BSafe
More information on Honeywell can be found at www.honeywell.com, www.honeywellnow.com or www.honeywell.com/citizenship
To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 800-The-LOST or visit its website at www.missingkids.com[[In-content Ad]]
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Cervone-Gish was one of five teachers from across the nation selected as this year’s Got 2B Safe! grand prize winners.
Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced the winners of the Got 2B Safe! Classroom Makeovers Thursday.
The program recognizes teachers committed to keeping children safe from abduction and sexual exploitation.
Cervone-Gish said she found out about the competition through the website, www.Got2BSafe.com
Her third- through sixth-grade EL students voluntarily stayed after school, came in at recess to decorate posters, talk to other students about the Got 2B Safe! program and more.
The third- and fourth-grade EL students taught third-graders about being safe, while EL sixth-graders taught first- and second-graders the four safety rules. Through the “Be the Teachers Safety Scholar Talk,” students were encouraged to be scholars in all that they do. Fifth-grade EL students went to kindergarten classrooms and taught safety.
Cervone-Gish said the three-month program incorporated the English language proficiency standards for English learners.
For the finale, a student, Eduardo, came up with the final presentation. The fifth- and sixth-graders went to the kindergarten classroom and had a birthday party – “Eduardo’s Bilingual Got 2B Safe! Themed Birthday Party.”
They had birthday hats and sprinkled multi-colored doughnuts. She said the kindergartners were excited, and the bilingual kindergartners were really excited because they understood the safety rules being taught.
During their presentation, the fifth-grade EL students spoke in English, then the sixth-graders would translate into Spanish.
“It was very educational because even if the students didn’t know Spanish, they were trying to figure out what was being said,” Cervone-Gish said.
The four rules of safety are 1.) check first, 2.) go with a friend, 3.) my body and 4.) tell a trusted adult.
Cervone-Gish submitted the information for the competition March 30. She found out Madison won May 8. A press release officially announcing the grand prize winners was released Thursday.
Cervone-Gish traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier to attend the Hope Awards and receive recognition as a grand prize winner.
“We were ecstatic,” Cervone-Gish said about finding out they had won. “I went and informed Mr. (Principal Jacob) Hoag. I didn’t tell my students right away. We told them in front of the whole school. I thought that was the best way.”
Overall, she said, it was the students who won the contest. They taught the safety rules to everyone else. She guided them, but the students put in a lot of work.
The Friday before students took the ISTEP, Madison had a convocation to get students pumped up for the testing. Hoag let Cervone-Gish go before the students and tell them she had a letter about the competition. She “opened” it up before the whole school, which was chanting “E-L, E-L” and drumming on the floor.
“I said, ‘Congratulations,’ and the whole school roared,” she said. “The whole school – about 400 students – gave them (EL students) a standing ovation.”
Cervone-Gish said she can’t say she did it alone. The competition is based not only on involvement but community participation. She said her support came from Hoag, mental health therapist and school counselor Christa Crabill, technology specialist Patty Perkins and DARE officer Doug Light.
“We also used Christa’s Courage to Care bullying program to incorporate Got 2B Safe!,” Cervone-Gish said.
Perkins kept the community informed what Madison students were doing through the school’s website. Light helped through DARE, she said.
“I have many people I’d like to thank. As a first-year teacher, you really need that support,” Cervone-Gish said.
Among her supporters, she listed Claypool Principal Melissa Rees; Warsaw Community Schools Director of Instructional Support Services Wendy Wildman-Long; Maria Peacock, administrative assistant to instructional support services; WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz; the individuals who helped her out with the finale; individuals who were enthusiastic and encouraged her; her parents, Tom and Marie Cervone; her husband, John Gish; her mentor, elementary special education teacher Renee Parker; and her EL elementary colleagues, Sarah Steele, Isbela Perez, Elena Winn, Johanna Mock and Amber Cotherman.
“Every single teacher and staff member at this school helped me and I couldn’t have done this without them,” Cervone-Gish said.
A spokesperson for Honeywell said the makeover is up to the teacher. The budget has to be within the $10,000 grand prize, but they work with the teacher.
The makeover process will happen some time over the summer, the spokesperson said.
“We usually reveal it the first day of school, but it really depends on the schedule,” she said.
Cervone-Gish said, “We’re going to strive for technology in the classroom. We value safety and culture in the classroom. We believe tecnology can provide that.”
In a provided press release, Honeywell Hometown Solutions President Tom Buckmaster said, “Safety and security are top concerns for families everywhere, and nothing is more important than protecting our most precious and vulnerable assets – our children. Honeywell has decades of experience developing and deploying technologies that keep families safe and secure where they live, work and travel. We are thrilled to honor these teachers for their exemplary efforts in promoting safety awareness and providing life-saving lessons to their students.”
According to a study from the U.S. Department of Justice, 2,000 children in the U.S. are reported missing each day. In 2005, Honeywell and NCMEC partnered together to launch Got 2B Safe! to arm teachers, parents and children with vital safety skills.
The Got 2B Safe! Classroom Makeover program includes simple rules for children to follow with the help of their families and teachers, according to the press release. To participate in the contest, teachers submit an innovative lesson plan or essay demonstrating how they incorporate the Got 2B Safe! rules into their teaching.
For more information on the rules and the program, visit www.Got2BSafe.com, or follow on Facebook and Twitter @Got2BSafe
More information on Honeywell can be found at www.honeywell.com, www.honeywellnow.com or www.honeywell.com/citizenship
To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 800-The-LOST or visit its website at www.missingkids.com[[In-content Ad]]
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