Faculty & Staff Honored

As the 2017–2018 school year concluded, St. Mark’s faculty and staff gathered one last time before dispersing for the summer. The Parents’ Association hosted a special luncheon for current and former faculty and staff, where Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini honored several colleagues for their longevity and special service to the School.

 

The John H. Murrell Excellence-in-Teaching Award was established as a means of recognizing and rewarding teachers for outstanding classroom teaching. It is also a method for providing incentive to mid-career teachers to remain in the teaching profession. The program is intended to be a tangible expression of gratitude to members of the St. Mark’s faculty for their outstanding work. The 2018 recipients are Nupur Israni, Middle  School science teacher, Kendall Murphy, Lower and Middle School computer science teacher, and GayMarie Vaughan, Upper School English teacher.

 

The Ackerman Character Education Award was established by the Edward and Wilhelmina Ackerman Family to recognize a teacher whose work is focused on the total development of his or her students, with particular emphasis on character and morality. The 2018 recipient is Johnny Hunter, Middle School humanities teacher.

 

The Superior Staff Awards are given to members of the non-teaching staff, nominated by their colleagues, for their outstanding support of the parents, faculty, staff, and students of St. Mark’s. The 2018 recipients are Jeanette Bovenzi, Development Office Assistant & Database Specialist, Don Humphrey, security team member, and Kathy Mallick, Lower School Administrative Assistant.

  

The Senior Master Award is presented to a faculty member at the discretion of the sitting Senior Master, Scott Gonzalez. This year, Scott presented the award to Paul Mlakar, Director of Academic Information Systems and Upper School math teacher, for doing “yeoman’s work without most of us realizing how much of an impact he has on our daily life.”

 

Finally, the School bid a special farewell to its retiring faculty, including Paula Cham, Middle School math teacher, Jon Valasek, Leonard N. “Doc” Nelson Alumni Master Teaching Chair, and Karan Windham, Middle School science teacher.