LOWELL owell High Schoo! 11700 Vergennes Lowel, Michigan 49331 Phone: 616987.2000 Fax. 6169672911 ‘worelowellschoolecom High School Administration ‘Amy 6-H. Pallo Principal Deanne Crowley Assistant Principal/ Athletic Director Dustin Cichockt Assistant Principal Central office ‘Administration Greg Pratt Superintendent John Zielinski Chief Financial Officer Nate Fowler Director oflastruction| Mari Price Director of Special Education HIGH SCHOOL Learners today. Leaders tomorrow, Red Arrows for life. ‘April 33, 2037 To Whom It May Concern: hile Ihave not hosted a student teacher in over thirteen years, a returned to that realm this winter, | found Iwas blessed with a gem: Ms, Ashley Quinn, a colleague and professional from the start Ashley quickly became a part of my College and Test Prep courses, classes that focus on preparing students for standardized testing and reading skill development. With her double major in English and math, Ashley's knowledge and experience were invaluable. As she worked with these classes, often taking on lead teaching responsibiitis, she also meticulously explored and planned her English 118 solo unit ~ the research paper. [Ashley never taught a research paper unit before, yet she tackled the task professionally and made the unit her own by looking into research, digesting the Common Core standards, tweaking our rubrics, studying the new MLA 8, collecting data, and learning how to utlze turnitn.com. Much of her cass instruction and ‘thoughtful planning allowed her to work with students individually inthe labs, creating a safe and productive environment forall students. [As | write this recommendation, Ashley is immersed inthe grading of research papers while beginning her next unit which focuses on close reading strategies while studying Mary Shelley’ Frankenstein, With this new unit, Ashley used her creative side and endless technology skills to provide an engaging unt including ‘everything from Preais to Facebook pages to video clips to an actual vocabulary tree. She uses her imagination ‘and takes the pulse of her students to find what works to keep them interested and on-task, ‘Throughout Ashley's time here, | have been impressed far beyond her knowledge, planning, and instructional ‘acumen. From the start, Ashley as been prepared, punctual, respectful, responsible, and involved with te ‘students, Her warmth and love for teaching raciates in the classroom and with fellow teachers. Although dealing with immature seventeen-year-old boys was her greatest challenge, she won them over with her own, blend of confidence, discipline, humor, and authority. While a fist she was wary of being let on her own, that is no longer the case, and while there are intermittent issues, Ashley has learned how to deal with students while allowing them to keep their dignity. She has integrity and a willingness to learn, premium ‘qualities for teachers new to the profession. Perhaps the greatest testament to Ashley i the fact that she has had to be flexible with her schedule due to ‘my tumultuous year. On top of my teaching part-time, my son fell unexpectedly il for months over the course ofthe winter, and my husband will soon be having major back surgery. | will be leaving my classes in Ashley's expert care as her student teaching assignment comes to 8 close. She has had to deal with my late arrivals and early and sometimes last minute departures as doctors were able to squeeze us into their schedules, Ashley sraciously and adeptly adjusted to meet the needs of our students and help me keep my sanity. She will easily acclimate to any school setting or situation as she has seen a little bit of everything over the past few months at Lowell Senior High and in her ov lif, as well Se is @ wealth of surprises which students most certainly love. cannot express my shock when | watched her singlehandedly jump a carn under 2 minute..in @ downpour. lam thankful to leave my kids in such capable hands, and| know that Ashley's future students are gaining a teacher that wil far exceed others in her field, She has the experience, heart, and quirkiness for this calling Sincerely, Bae Kristin Schutte Lowel Senior High -Englsh Department 2010 KCEA High School Teacher ofthe Year We Value Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship