* Fairfax County Police Officer First Class (PFC) Fred Chambers, who serves as the school resource officer at Carson, has been named Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2009 Distinguished School Resource Officer (SRO). 

Chambers, who has been the SRO at Carson for four years, is recognized for his interaction with students and parents as well as for his knowledge and understanding of adolescents. Carson principal August Frattali praises Chambers for using his friendly personality and calm manner to relate well to students while clearly communicating the consequences of their actions, and, as a result, students regularly seek out the SRO for his help and advice. With parents, Chambers provides information on the dangers encountered by students in the community, participates in PTA meetings to provide information on adolescent behaviors, and has been able to diffuse tense situations with parents on several occasions.

“During the Virginia Tech shootings, Officer Chambers provided the staff with frequent updates and took it upon himself to be the contact person for staff members who had children at the university,” says Frattali. “He was a great comfort during their time of panic.”

Frattali also praised Chambers for his role in investigating food tampering in the school cafeteria in 2007, saying the officer devised a plan to secure the lunch lines and spoke to students about the seriousness of the situation. “Officer Chambers’ quick response and attention to detail helped minimize the negative impact on our school’s reputation,” says the principal. “I had talked to several parents…and they had a great deal of trust that we would deal with the situation and that our student population was safe. This was in large part due to Officer Chambers’ visibility and communication with families in our community.” (view press release)

Back to Top

---

* Penny Kelly, who teaches Fire and Emergency Medical Science (EMS) at Falls Church Academy, has been named the Outstanding Emergency Medical Services Pre-Hospital Educator of the Year by the Northern Virginia Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc.

Kelly, who is the fire and EMS program’s first and only instructor, was praised by nominators for her dedication to the program and for enhancing the educational experience for her students.

By networking with regional fire and rescue professionals, Kelly has facilitated flight medic helicopter visits to Falls Church Academy and field trips to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy and Northern Virginia Community College’s Medical Education Campus cadaver lab for students. Since 2004, 60 of Kelly’s students have received basic emergency medical technician (EMT) certifications; she works with students to find employment or select an institution for continued study at the postsecondary level. (view press release)

Back to Top

---

* Eric Kinne (left), AVID teacher at Fairfax, Virginia Lordahl (middle), eighth grade math and algebra teacher at Lanier, and Oraib Saah (right), ESOL teacher at Providence, were honored as City of Fairfax Teachers of the Year at the City of Fairfax Rotary Club luncheon on May 18.  Each teacher received a plaque and a cash award, and was thanked for his or her many contributions to and support of the students, staff members, and community at each of their schools. 

Back to Top

---

* Carol Robinson, educational planning specialist in the Department of Accountability, has been selected as the MentorWorks Mentor of the Month for June. Robinson has mentored a group of sixth grade girls for the last three years at Pine Spring. Mary Durgala, the school's counselor, nominated her and shared that the mentees believe Robinson is “easy to talk with and has a wonderful sense of humor.”

She is credited with providing emotional, social and academic support. In fact, the students stated she has had a positive influence on their academics; she has helped ease their anxiety about moving to middle school, and they are comfortable to solve problems with her. The girls will miss her weekly visits but clearly will think of her as someone who has “made a difference.”

Back to Top

---

* Spanish FLES (foreign language in the elementary school) teachers Margie Koller (left) from Greenbriar West and Bonnie Corretjer (right) from Willow Springs were presenters at the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL) Southeast Regional Workshop on April 25 at Laurel Ridge. The workshop, titled "Literacy in the Target Language—Building the Target Language Through Literature," emphasized the process of integrating literature into target language instruction using literacy skills such as predictions, story elements, story maps, and retelling to build students' foreign language acquisition skills.

Back to Top

---

 

 

* Kathryn Smitley, autism teacher at Shrevewood, wrote "Handwriting: An Overlooked Avenue to Learning," which was published in the May-June edition of Autism Digest.

Back to Top

---

How Do I Get Mentioned in About Our People?

Submit your good news for About Our People to Supergram editor Andy Grunig at andy.grunig@fcps.edu. We want to hear from you!

What Type of Information Is Used in About Our People?

The following categories of items will be published:

• Employees who receive regional, state, or national awards for their professional accomplishments.
• Employees elected to serve in regional, state, or national education organizations.
• Employees who give presentations at regional, state, or national meetings.
• Employees who publish articles or books.
• Those who successfully defend doctoral dissertations.
• Those who receive grants or are selected for scholarships that involve travel or the sharing of ideas.

Editor's Note: Send your electronic photo along with your good news.

Back to Top