VERNON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

P.O. Box 800/1832 Route 565, Vernon, NJ 07462

Phone: 973-764-2960 Fax: 973-764-2961 Web:
www.vtsd.com
Drew D. Krause Nancy LoPresti James Trusa William Foley
Principal Assistant Assistant Athletic Director
dkrause@vtsd. Principal Principal wfoley@vtsd.com
com nlopresti@vtsd. jtrusa@vtsd.co
com m

To the Office of Graduate Admissions at Seton Hall University,

To this day, when I meet with a former student who attends Seton Hall, I am told that I teach just like all of
their professors. This probably reflects my lecture style and love of reading quizzes, but it also is a direct
reflection of my time at Seton Hall and more specifically, my time in the English Departments TA program.
Those were two of the most influential years of my life and they taught me the value of thorough research,
hard work, intellectual curiosity and diligence. They also gave me a few lifelong friends and the possibility
of summer reunion lunches. With all of this in mind, I now have the honor of recommending a former
student, my current student teacher and protg, to the program that made me. Kaitlin Stellingwerf was a
literary rock star when I taught her four years ago and has now become a teaching machine in her final year
of undergraduate work at Seton Hall. To that end, she is the perfect candidate for the English Departments
Graduate Assistant program.
Grades and class rank aside, one of the highest honors that we have at VTHS is our English Department
award. Every year, we select a student who has a demonstrated love of reading, prowess for writing,
completion of several of our electives, and who exhibits what we have deemed the spirit of English. Kate
Stellingwerf was a unanimous winner of this award. From her extended analysis of Post-Colonial Ideology
in 12AP, to her Tolerance Fair work with the unfair labelling of special needs students, to her dominance in
American Short Story, Miss Stellingwerf embraced all that the literary world of VTHS had to offer her.
Just a few years later, she is taking over the reins of my classroom as my student teacher. After only a few
weeks, she is demonstrating that passion for education and English that made her a successful student. She
is organized, well planned, and has not shied away from the toughest classes. Even though over half of new
teachers leave the classroom within five years, she has uttered the words this is where I belong more than
once to me. This mantra becomes apparent as she is consistently demonstrating a passion for both English
and Education whenever she enters the classroom. This passion, compassion, enthusiasm and open
mindedness make her a very gifted educator.
The TA program demands a student who can not only navigate an extensive reading list, but who can also
walk into a classroom full of freshmen and lead them to success. This is no easy feat, but Kaitlin
Stellingwerf is your most prepared candidate. She has the qualities to navigate the program and the idealism
to do it well. As she prepares for this portion of her life, I look forward to the day when a former student of
hers mutters that, she teaches just like all of the professors at Seton Hall.
Thank you,
Thomas LoGiudice
Seton Hall University TA Class of 2004
Teacher of English