Teacher, principal earn reading awards
Two local educators won awards at the Northwest Montana Reading Council's annual meeting Wednesday.
Becky Davis, a third-grade teacher at West Valley School, was named the Outstanding Literacy Teacher of the Year. Flathead High School Principal Peter Fusaro was given the Administrator in Reading Award by the Montana State Reading Council.
The state council and its regional counterparts are affiliates of the International Reading Association, which seeks to encourage literacy and improve the quality of reading instruction across the world.
Wednesday's meeting at Flathead High School attracted about 280 teachers, mostly from Northwest Montana.
Debbie Hartle, a Title I teacher at West Valley School, presented Davis' award. Hartle praised Davis, calling her "exceptional in her compassion and understanding of her students."
"She's a pure delight," Hartle said.
During the 2008-09 school year, Davis helped implement a schoolwide reading program. Students and staff read more than 1 million pages last year.
Davis was in tears when she accepted her award. Teaching children to read is one of her passions.
She recalled a former student she'd had in the first grade. In October that year, he told her, "Mrs. Davis, I didn't think you were ever going to teach me how to read. And now, listen to this!"
"Those are the tender moments. Those are the times when you know you're in the right profession," Davis said.
Michele Paine, Kalispell Public Schools' language arts facilitator, presented Fusaro's award. She first worked with him 10 years ago when she was hired to implement a reading program at Flathead High.
Literacy programs are exceptionally challenging at the high school level, Paine said. Fusaro was her supervisor that year, and "he learned a lot about what good reading instruction looks like," she said.
He has continued to learn about high school literacy issues, Paine said, and has tried to implement his knowledge at Flathead High. This has included starting and leading the He-Man Book Club, which is open only to Flathead boys. The club inspired Flathead's female students to form their own group, the She-Ra Book Club.
Paine praised Fusaro for leading by example and quoted him as saying, "It's got to come from me. As a school leader, I've got to be the one to say school literacy is important."
When he accepted his award, Fusaro complimented his staff for its commitment to promoting school literacy.
"It takes a great staff to make a great school," he said. "A lot of great people are out there in the trenches working on this."
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Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com