Plumsted teachers honored

PLUMSTED - The Plumsted Township School District has announced its Teachers of the Year award winners for each of the four schools: New Egypt High School, New Egypt Middle School, Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elementary School, and New Egypt Primary School. The winning teachers are selected by their colleagues, administrators, students and parents.

The 2006-07 Teachers of the Year are: New Egypt High School, Tom Corby, history teacher; New Egypt Middle School, Tina Westby-Gibson, special education teacher; Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elemen-tary School, Kathleen Donahue, special education teacher; New Egypt Primary School, Deanna Rodriguez, kindergarten teacher.

According to information provided by the school district, Corby was hired in 2000. He taught social studies and English at New Egypt Middle School for two years. Corby coached high school boys soccer for one year. He joined the high school teaching staff in September 2002 as a social studies teacher. His teaching assignments included United States History, World History, American Politics, and American Government. Corby is the adviser for the Student Council and also coached junior varsity baseball for six years, boys basketball for seven years and boys lacrosse for one year.

Principal Richard Caldes said, "Tom Corby is an outstanding teacher in many ways. He has excellent teaching skills, content knowledge and has an outstanding relationship with students. Tom Corby is an asset to New Egypt High School."

According to district administrators, Westby-Gibson is passionate, tireless, a lifelong learner, and a professional. Her contributions to the school community extend well beyond the classroom, to the eighth-grade camping trip, senior citizen luncheon, yearbook, school play and school dances, where she freely shares her time and talents. She is a product of New Egypt schools.

Donahue is currently a special education teacher at the Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elementary School, teaching a multiply disabled, self-contained special education class.

This is her second year in Plumsted. Prior to arriving in the district she taught autistic children in the Mercer County Special Services School District.

"Kitty is a terrific teacher who is an asset to the school and to her special needs children. As our new Teacher of the Year, she truly represents what is best about our school and our staff," Principal Jean Morgan said.

New Egypt has been home to Rodri-guez her entire life. She attended New Egypt Elementary School and then Allentown High School. She has been working with children for a total of 19 years and has been teaching kindergarten in New Egypt for 12 years.

According to district administrators, Rodriguez has mentored many new teachers over the years and this year she is serving as a teacher facilitator. She is trained in character education and has attended many educational conferences, always striving to advance profession-ally. She also partnered with another teacher in writing the kindergarten curriculum.