District Teachers of the Year

2008

Shin-Yin Estes
Evergreen Avenue School

Mrs. Shin-Yin Estes arrived in Woodbury approximately 10 years ago through a grant from the Dodge Foundation. When the funding ended, Shin-Yin was invited to stay and earned her certification through the Alternate Route. Teaching Chinese to children is an outlet for her creativity, musical talent and theater background, all showcased during the annual Chinese New Year Show. Over the years, Evergreen parents have embraced Shin-Yin and her very special program; many of them attending the Chinese New Year show this year were quite impressed to see their children perform and speak Chinese. Without a doubt, her Chinese language program has helped students learn to appreciate other world cultures. Clearly, Mrs. Estes loves being with the children and they love being with her! Her teaching philosophy is that students can learn while having fun.

Doug Park
Walnut Street School

Since the 2003-04 school year, Mr. Park has been sharing his outstanding musical gifts with Woodbury elementary students. Whether he is at the piano leading children in song or helping a fifth grader fine tune their performance during an instrumental music lesson, Doug Park exudes high standards, positive energy and boundless enthusiasm. His specialty is differentiating instruction – meeting each learner where they are in terms of ability and skill, and moving them forward to mastery. Mr. Park’s light shines especially brightly at his spring and winter concerts, and during his yearly Family Night events.

Shawn Jess
West End Memorial School

Mr. Shawn Jess has taught fifth grade for the past eleven years at West End. He is a leader both in and out of the classroom. One of Mr. Jess’ top priorities is to plan each lesson to meet the individual needs of his learners. The academic, social, and emotional success of his students is of utmost importance to him. When not focusing directly on his classroom, Mr. Jess can often be found participating in various school-wide and district-wide initiatives. Mr. Jess currently serves as West End's Safety Patrol Advisor, Ask Academy Teacher, P.T.A Representative, and Liaison Committee Representative. Furthermore, Mr. Jess also serves on the district-wide Strategic Planning Committee. Congratulations to Mr. Jess for his outstanding accomplishments!

Yael Emenecker
Junior High School

Yael Emenecker is the sort of teacher that every parent would want their child to have. She focuses intently on the needs of each student, how they learn and what particular path leads them to learn even more. What a wonderful asset to our school! It should come as no surprise that Yael was selected Teacher of the Year. We are all so very proud of her and the exemplary services she delivers to Woodbury students every day.

Colleen Fitzgerald
Senior High School

Colleen Fitzgerald is one of those special teachers with amazing energy. Her positive attitude towards life and teaching science is totally contagious! Enter her classroom – at any given moment – and you will sense compelling evidence for Colleen being named 2008-09 Teacher of the Year for Woodbury Senior High School. Congratulations Colleen!