At the October Board meeting, we celebrated a Franklin Elementary School student and two staff members as part of our D64 Shining Star series! These honorees exemplify our District mission: “At D64, our mission is to foster opportunities for discovery, engagement, and growth for all students. We accomplish this by nurturing interdependence, appreciation of differences, and care for self and others.”
Thank you to Franklin teachers Shirlee Pater and Stephanie Tazioli, and 3rd-grader David Lasak for being Shining Stars in our D64 community!
“When I was asked to consider what students I would want to speak about this evening, I really thought we have so many students that have amazing qualities, but David stands out in a way that is just genuinely unique,” said Franklin principal Kristin Williams. “David appreciates all types of people and appreciates all types of differences and all types of learners. One thing that I am most proud of with David… is he is the most dedicated to caring for others.”
“David has stood up for what is right and makes sure to care for others and himself,” Williams shared proudly. “As a Franklin student and citizen of Park Ridge, all we want for all of our learners is to model that empathy, kindness, and warmth towards all people. Especially when you’re only in third grade and understand that maybe our peers might not reciprocate that same behavior.”
“I have been unbelievably proud of David and his immensely kind heart this school year. He has stood up for what is right, watched out for others, and has continued to be dedicated to all of his learning.”
This year, Franklin’s school theme is "believe, dream, and achieve," and teachers Shirlee Pater and Stephanie Tazioli truly embody that theme for the Falcons.
“When I think about what I want for my staff and Franklin teachers, I think about how these two are so dedicated to the betterment of their students on both an academic and social-emotional level,” explained Williams. “More than once, these educators have come to me with ideas on how to support their students, both in their classroom and the betterment of our entire building. They've offered their time to have lunch with students, talk football with a child who is dedicated to that craft outside of school, and come up with ways to motivate our learners and support even our most needy learners in all of our settings.”
Additionally, Pater and Tazioli have had 100% of their students meet or exceed their math learning goals year after year.
“When we think about an educator and the impact they can have on a child and how we can hold that in our hearts, all of us can think of that teacher that’s changed our lives, and I have no doubt in mind that both of these two are in the hearts of some of my students,” said Williams.
