“It was the same feeling I got when I went skydiving. It was my first time experiencing something like this and so it was hard to even acclimate to what I was feeling because all of my emotions hit me at once [when I found out I won Teacher of the Year],” Mrs. LaMartina said.
— Mrs. Tonisha LaMartina
Mrs. Tonishia LaMartina was announced as FHC’s Teacher of the Year on Wed, Jan. 24th. Mrs. LaMartina has worked here as a Librarian for 15 years, and is known for teaching and planning programs within the learning commons, leading professional development programs for teachers, and even teaching classes when needed. FHC’s Support Staff of the Year was Ms. Christi Wegener, the buildings informations specialist. Ms. Wegener has worked at FHC for 3 years and has a vital role in the course registration process. Ms. Wegener details on why she enjoys the collaborative atmosphere here at FHC.
“All the work here is a collaborative effort. There are so many things that not [just] one person touches and the people [here] work with one another, so it’s all a group effort” Ms. Wegener said.
Mrs. LaMartina further expands on her first thoughts and feelings when she won Teacher of the Year.
“I was shocked [when I first found out I got the teacher of the year award]. There are a lot of great teachers here so it was really unexpected,” Mrs. LaMartina said.
Mrs. LaMartina has made many connections with students over the years. One of these students, Sophomore Adeline Law, shares why she feels Mrs.LaMartina was deserving of this award.
“[Mrs. LaMartina] does so much for the library [so she deserves the award]. She’s there after school every single day. Yesterday she even left to go get stuff for the author visit and then came back up to school [to make sure everything was perfect]! She doesn’t have to do that [but she does because she cares],” Law said.
Mrs. LaMartina clearly goes above and beyond for FHC. She explains why she chooses to make FHC the home of her passion for teaching.
“I did my student teaching here at FHC and my husband graduated from here. So when I was placed here I was super excited, but I absolutely bombed my first interview. I did terribly. So at first I didn’t get a job here. But I learned from that experience and was able to get a job at North. Then the next year I interviewed here and eventually got the job! I was so excited. I think we have amazing students here. I’ve taught summer school so I’ve been able to [interact with a lot of our students here] and I feel like our students are very compassionate and great leaders,” Mrs. LaMartina said.
Mrs. LaMartina’s feelings about students here carry over into her interactions with them.
“She is such a sweet person and she always listens to me when I speak. She’s had some hardships in her past so she’s very sympathetic. She’s always willing to be there to talk and be empathetic [towards me],” Law said.
Mrs. LaMartina then describes how she feels honored to be a part of the community here at FHC.
“Our administration team is super, super supportive. And you don’t always get that at every school. I think they do a really great job of building a positive climate and getting teachers to be involved and have fun. I have also been really fortunate to learn from a lot of great teachers who have helped shape me into who I am,” Mrs.LaMartina said.
FHC’s Teacher of the Year then finally explains that the positive environment created by the people at FHC is what sets FHC apart from other schools.
“I’m so lucky that I get to work with so many amazing people. I could teach anywhere but it’s the people that really make the difference,” Mrs. LaMartina said.
