Cape
May teacher's passion for profession earns her place as finalist for state award
By
DEBRA RECH For The Press, 609-463-6719
Published:
Friday, November 9, 2007
CAPE MAY - Nothing
thrills Donna DiPasquale more than
watching her students grow from children into responsible young adults. That
passion earned her the distinction of being one of the two finalists in the
Non-Public Educators of the Year Award for the state of New Jersey.
DiPasquale,
who teaches sixth- to eighth-grade students at Our Lady Star of the Sea School in
Cape May, was selected by the Camden Diocese to represent
Catholic schools in southern New Jersey. Her nomination was submitted to the New
Jersey Council for American Private Education (NJ CAPE), and was one of five
finalists chosen from a field of 800 applicants.
Although
DiPasquale didn't win the title, she was one of the two finalists in the contest
and said just being nominated and making it that far was an honor. This award is
significant because almost one out of every six students in New Jersey is
educated in a nonpublic school, a significantly higher percentage than the
nation as a whole.
Joan
Dollinger, principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea Regional School (pre-K
to eighth grade), said DiPasquale represents the quality of teaching that is the
foundation of the school.
"Donna
shows the quality of excellence in teaching that is the foundation of our
Catholic school promise," Dollinger said. "It's important to celebrate,
recognize and reward excellence when it occurs, and Donna is a fine
representative of excellence in education."
Dollinger herself
was the first recipient of the Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Award 13
years ago.
DiPasquale
is quick to point out teaching is a team effort at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
"If
it wasn't for the entire staff here, I wouldn't be able to do what I do, which
is be creative and try to bring the students up to the 21st century skills
they'll need to be successful in life," DiPasquale said. "My teaching is based
on the philosophy of educational psychologist Barry Beyer - 'cover less and
uncover more.' I prefer to focus on the level of understanding, rather than just
'finishing the chapter.' I try to promote the joy of reading to my students so
that they actually enjoy reading."
DiPasquale
was raised in Philadelphia and graduated from St. Joseph's
University with a bachelor's degree in political science and secondary
education, then received her master's degree in education. She interned at John W. Hallahan High School in Philadelphia, where she was
immediately hired afterward. She taught English and social studies there from
1972 to 1982, then became principal at Most Holy Redeemer School
in Westville until
1999. She also taught at Waldron/Merion Mercy
Academy in Pennsylvania until 2004, when she
and her husband "retired" to their summer home in Ocean City.
"I
think of retirement as being able to see the ocean every day," DiPasquale said
with a laugh. "I never intended to stop teaching. I just wanted it to be my
choice to teach rather than to have to teach. My husband still works, too, but
after working in Philadelphia all those years, driving the parkway every day is
a breeze to me. I don't mind the commute at all. I'm up at 5:30 a.m. and here by
7:30. My day generally ends around 4 or so, but I always am available at home by
computer for students who have questions on homework."
DiPasquale,
who teaches language arts, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, also
wanted to work in a school that had the right atmosphere, which she said
Dollinger promotes.
"There
is a cooperative spirit within her school where I'm totally supported in all my
ideas, like turning part of her classroom into a cafe called the "Bard Rock
Cafe," DiPasqaule said. "Bard
was William Shakespeare's
nickname, and I added a small couch and two rocking chairs to make the area a
cozy place for students to read. I also began a small Renaissance Faire for
grades seven and eight last year.
"Each
child is different, and I focus on each child's unique abilities," she added.
"Students who love to act dressed up as Romeo and Juliet and did part of the
play. Students who love to cook made all kinds of apple desserts, as Shakespeare
loved apples more than anything. My more physical students recreated a Roman
racetrack and had races in the gym."
DiPasquale
has prepared and received funding through grants, consistently prepares students
to exceed in standardized tests, initiated and taught "Word by Word," a
technology-based summer writing program for remedial and advanced students,
contributed feature stories for alumni magazine "Blue and Gold" and also is
moderator of the school's yearbook, which won Best Theme last year in the
Lifetouch Publishing National Contest.
She
also initiated an annual campaign to bring children from Camden to Cape May for a Day at the
Beach, participates in a community voter-registration drive, is part of Women of
Hope, which makes monthly dinners for people in need, and is a team member of
the Middle
States Accreditation Team. She is also a member of the National Catholic
Education Association.
"We
have a program now called Star2, an enrichment program where students can choose
to take courses in special-interest topics such as knitting, karate, cooking,
debate, street games, piano and many more," DiPasquale said. "This program was
initiated two years ago by Ms. Dollinger. It's one of the creative extras that
make Star of the Sea a dynamic place to teach.
"We
also started Jump Start (for younger children) and Smart Start (for older ones)
this year, where the children came to school a week before school actually began
to get them on the right track immediately," she added. "When the students came
to school that first week, it wasn't hard at all for them to get right into the
swing of things. They were already on their school schedule."
DiPasquale
said her goals are to continue to provide excellence in education in a
Christ-centered classroom.
"It's pure joy to me to see a child grow into a responsible
young adult," DiPasquale said. "It's a thrill. I've been an educator for more
than 30 years, and that thrill is the same now as it was when I first started.
We teach values to students. My objective is to get each student to go where he
or she wants to go; to be the people they want to be and to help them be
successful. I continue to do this, one child at a time."
To
e-mail Debra Rech at The Press: