18 Finalists Selected for the 3rd Annual Teachers Federal Credit Union Teacher Appreciation Week Contest

WHAT:

In celebration of nationally-recognized Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12, Teachers Federal Credit Union is celebrating outstanding educators by way of its 3rd annual Teacher Appreciation Week contest. Teachers is now excited to announce the 18 finalists in the running for classroom grants, who were selected out of more than 1,000 nominations nationwide.

This week, public voting for which finalists should win classroom grants is now underway. The nine educators who receive the most votes in their respective categories, will be awarded classroom grants ranging from $2,500, $1,500, or $1,000, for a total of $15,000. Winners will be announced during the nationally-recognized Teacher Appreciation Week, starting on May 8th.

WHEN:

April 24, 2023, 8:00 am EDT - Public voting begins for the finalists
April 28th, 2023 - Last day to vote
Week of May 8, 2023 - Winners are announced

HOW:

Public voting for the finalists will take place on the Teachers' website teachersfcu.org/teachercontest
The winners will be announced on teachersfcu.org/teachercontest, Teachers' social media, and via email to members and nominators

WHO:

The educators selected as the eighteen finalists include:
- Grades Pre-K - 5:
  - Jennifer Chamoun, Community Partnership School – Tampa, FL
  - Osvaldo Juarez Fuentes, Bay Elementary School – Patchogue, NY
  - Samantha Rodriguez, Greenport Elementary School – Greenport, NY
  - Shannon Nunez, Wainscott Common Schol – Wainscott, NY
  - Shavon Via, Eastlawn Elementary – Burlington, NC
  - Traci Wright, Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy – Apollo Beach, FL
- Grades 6 - 8:
  - Sarah DeVita, East Middle School – Brentwood, NY
  - Quincy Johnson, Lumberton Junior High School – Lumberton, NC
  - Kimberly Caracciolo, Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School – Port Washington, NY
  - Judy Bremner, Sawgrass Springs Middle School – Coral Springs, FL
  - Glen Kubik, East Northport Middle School – East Northport, NY
  - Angelica Abbey, Frye Elementary School – Chandler, AZ
- Grades 9 - 12:
  - Christopher Toomey, Mineola High School – Garden City Park, NY
  - Gyndell Presley, Madison County High School, Madison, FL
  - Meredith Long, John Adams High School – Ozone Park, NY
  - Tonya Floyd, Middleton High School – Tampa, FL
  - Tiffanie A. Smith, Heritage High School – Newport News, VI
  - Marc Achtziger, Wellington C. Mepham High School – Bellmore, NY

This year, 5 of the 18 finalists come from local schools in the Florida region ranging from grades Pre-K through 12th.

Florida Finalists:

Jennifer Chamoun, Community Partnership School – Tampa, FL
- Jennifer Chamoun is a special education teacher who works with children with varying needs, including language impairments, cerebral palsy, autism, developmental delays, and behavioral issues. Taking nonverbal students and helping them to find their voice, Jennifer strives to empower her young children not to fear something because it seems too big or far out of reach. What keeps her motivated is her belief that one small step of change can mean a lifetime of positive ripples. Jennifer partners with many organizations, including community members and business-owners, to ensure the needs of not just the kids on her roster but all students in this elementary school are being met.
Traci Wright, Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy – Apollo Beach, FL
- Traci Wright’s love and compassion for her students go far beyond the hours spent in the classroom. She recognizes the struggles of her students and works to create a path for them to achieve success. Traci Wright advocates for her students with a passion, coordinating meetings and creating plans for each of her students to succeed. Her observations and creative methods have allowed her to adapt lesson plans for those students who have not reached the same level as the rest of the class. Her dedication has made a difference in advances with students that would have never been possible.
Judy Bremner, Sawgrass Springs Middle School – Coral Springs, FL
- Judy Bremner serves on her district’s Social Emotional Learning Committee and Behavioral Intervention Committee. One of her biggest contributions to her community occurred after the Broward County School District suffered a mass shooting, where she lost one of her former students. She took action and applied on behalf of the district to obtain funding to make schools safer, including grants that brought in millions of dollars to improve safety and security within the district. Judy has established SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Promise Clubs at 83 Middle and High Schools in Broward County. Her SAVE Promise Club won the National Service Project Award in 2022.
Gyndell Presley, Madison County High School, Madison, FL
- Glyndell Presley serves on her county’s Education Foundation Executive Board as secretary; and on the Mini-Grant Teacher of the Year planning committee, highlighting STEM and literacy contributions. She is a DonorsChoose Teacher Ambassador, who focuses on providing scholarships to seniors, and works to help increase the percentage of students earning college-ready diplomas. During the summer, Glyndell assists with an intervention program to prevent black males from dropping out of high school. She also volunteers as a Cooperating Teacher (Mentor) for Florida Gateway College Educator Preparation Institute and has mentored teachers in her district’s Start with Success Program.
Tonya Floyd, Middleton High School – Tampa, FL
- Tonya Floyd empowers diversity and works with girls that need direction and guidance, teaching them to see the good in everything. She is a stem leader and mentor for high school students, developing ways to teach and inspire them, bringing out the success in each student. Tonya is a Florida A&M University and Nova Southeastern University graduate who is active in the county, helping with her youth sorority groups, coaching cheerleading, and volunteering for many events promoting Tampa, Florida's history. She also coaches soccer and uses all her skills to build and form successful students.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sophia Schneidman, R\West

sophias@rwest.com | (917) 741-3835

LINK TO CONTEST:

teachersfcu.org/teachercontest