Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

RI teacher Nicolle Greene garnered PAEMST Award

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Elementary teacher Nicolle Greene of Warwick, Rhode Island, garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching in 2020.  Photo Credit: PAEMST

It is always exciting when a fellow educator earns recognition for their work from the President of the United States. Nicolle Greene, an elementary school teacher from Rhode Island, earned this recognition in 2020, when she garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching (PAEMST).

At the time of her ward, Nicolle Greene had been teaching elementary school for 25 years, all in the Warwick Public School District in Warwick, Rhode Island. For the last five years of those, she served as a Math Interventionist at Holliman Elementary School. Prior to that she taught third grade and Special Education at E.G. Robertson Elementary School.

As an educator, Nicolle has a reputation for being passionate about helping her students love mathematics and recognizing its relevance in their everyday lives. She works to ensure mathematics is presented in a context that is meaningful and engaging to her students, provides a classroom culture that promotes student engagement and discourse, and encourages mathematical thinking that meets the needs of all students which enables them to be successful learners in her classroom.

In addition to her work with students, Nicolle provides professional development for colleagues, modeling lessons within the classroom, and serving as a member of school and district leadership teams. She also has been active within her state through various initiatives with the Rhode Island Department of Education and as President-Elect for the Rhode Island Mathematics Teachers Association (RIMTA). Most recently, Nicolle collaborated with Berkeley Everett, creator of Math Flips, to facilitate a session for RIMTA’s Annual Spring Conference.

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education and her certificate as a Mathematics Specialist, all from Rhode Island College. She also earned her Master’s degree in Reading and Literacy from Providence College.

In addition to her PAEMST honors, in 2015, Nicolle was recognized as Warwick’s District Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Nicolle!

To learn more about the Awards, click on this link to PAEMST.

Idaho speech therapist Deborah Wieser created books and games for Special Ed students

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Idaho speech therapist and author Deborah Wieser published stories and games to help special education students. Photo Credit: Daily Bulletin

In addition to teachers, there are many talented individuals who make up a school community. Speech therapists are among these Chalkboard Champions. One of the most inspirational speech therapists I have ever read about was Deborah Wieser, who worked in schools in the Inland Empire area of Southern California.

Deborah was born on Feb. 8, 1949, in Butte, Montana. She was the elder of two daughters born to Eddie and Florence Thomas. When her younger sister, Kemera, was diagnosed with a developmental disability, Deborah devoted her spare hours to helping to care for the child. This volunteer work is what led to her decision to work with Special Education students.

While attending high school in Butte, Deborah excelled in her classes and served her school as a cheerleader. After graduating with honors in speech pathology and audiology from the University of Montana, Missoula, Deborah moved to Southern California, where she inaugurated her career as a speech therapist in the Chino Unified School District. Her career there spanned an impressive 45 years.

In addition to her work as a speech therapist, Deborah authored several books and created educational games to help teach the learning-disabled. For these efforts, she earned the first-ever Speech Therapist of the Year Award from Chino Unified Schools.

In 2016, Deborah retired and moved to Coer D’Alene, Idaho, where she continued to work with challenged students on a part-time basis. While living there, she formed a friendship with Atsuko Kroetch, a visual artist who designed and created the stained glass windows for the Coeur D’Alene carousel. Deborah wrote accompanying stories for the decorative pieces. Then she worked tirelessly for several months visiting every fifth grade class in her town to read the stories and collect names for the carousel ponies from the students. After the students cast ballots for the names, Deborah organized judges to select the final winning names.

Sadly, Deborah passed away on March 27, 2022, from a prolonged battle with metastatic lung cancer. But she will always be a Chalkboard Champion in our book.

New York’s Joe Lamas: Teacher, coach, NFL player, US veteran

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Many former athletes go on to successful careers as educators and coaches. This is the case with Joseph Francis Lamas, a New York teacher who formerly had been a player in the National Football League (NFL).

Joe Lamas was born on January 10, 1916, in Havana, Cuba. As a young man, he attended Straubenmuller Textile High School in New York City, New York. Following his high school graduation, Joe enrolled at Mount St. Mary’s University, a private Catholic institution of higher learning located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. There he played college football.

Following his education at Mount St. Mary’s, Joe played one season in the NFL. In the 1942 season, he played on the offensive line with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he started in eight games. During the game against the Detroit Lions on November 8, the 5’10”, 216-pound guard scored a spectacular 29-yard fumble recovery touchdown, leading his team to a 34-7 victory. Joe is also a United States veteran. When the 1942 football season ended, he served in the military during World War II.

In 1952, Joe accepted a teaching position at Iona Preparatory School, a private Roman Catholic boys’ school located in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. He was also the school’s assistant football coach for five years, and then he was named the head coach in 1957. He held this job until 1961. During his years at Iona, the former football player also coached baseball and worked as the school’s athletic director, and he also taught courses in Latin, history, and health. This accomplished educator retired from teaching and coaching in 1979.

Joe was 80 years old when he passed away on April 22, 1996, in Manhasset, New York. To learn more about him, you can click on SportsLifer Weblog.

Joseph Lamas: A Chalkboard Champion, certainly.

Nebraska educator Esther Pilster earned many accolades

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Elementary school teacher and principal Esther Pilster of Omaha, Nebraska, earned many accolades for her work in the classroom and her community service. Photo credit: Omaha World Herald

Many fine educators earn recognition for a lifetime of work in the classroom and in the community. One of these was Ester Pilster, an elementary school teacher and philanthropist from Gage County, Nebraska.

Esther was born on Nov. 11, 1916, on a farm near Wymore, Gage County. After her high school graduation from Otoe Consolidated High School in Barneston, she attended Peru State College. Eventually she earned first her Bachelor’s degree and then her Master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

Once she earned her degrees, Esther inaugurated her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in Gage County. In the 1940s, she moved to Omaha to teach at Jungman, Jackson, and Belle Ryan Elementary Schools. She also taught sixth grade at West Ward elementary in Chadron. Eventually, she was appointed to the position of principal at Boyd Elementary School, a position she held for over 21 years until her retirement in 1982.

Throughout the 1940s, Esther was a featured speaker at the annual Rural Teachers Institute held in  Gage County. In the 1950s, she taught at a summer reading clinic for gifted students in Omaha. In the 1960s she was elected president of the Nebraska chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a prestigious organization that continues to provide professional support for women educators to this day. In fact, she once served as the society’s state chapter president.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Esther contributed her energy and resources to numerous community service projects. She was active in the local chapter of the Friendship Force, attending their leadership conferences as a participant and presenter. She hosted many international guests as part of the Friendship Force. In addition, she served as a Congressional Senior Intern to Washington, DC in 1984. In 2006, Esther donated over 3,731 acres of ranch land for the creation of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Center, an enterprise that focuses on teaching agricultural skills and supports an agronomy research center. She was also involved in the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Museum and the Welsh Society of Nebraska.

For her many accomplishments, Esther earned many accolades. She was named “Queen of Keystone,” an honorary title given to notable people in Keystone, Omaha, in 1979. In 1997, Omaha named a park in her honor. In 2006, the city of Omaha honored her with the key to the city in recognition for her years of dedication to the community. In 2008, she garnered an Outstanding Educator award from the Omaha World Herald.

Sadly, Esther Pilster passed away on July 20, 2014, at the age of 97.