Pilgrim teacher honored with Crystal Apple Award

By Nathaniel Demoranville
Posted 5/12/16

This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week, a celebrated event at Pilgrim High School.

Interim Principal Pamela Bernardi honored Jessica DiFilippo, Pilgrim graduate and wife of Athletic …

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Pilgrim teacher honored with Crystal Apple Award

Posted

This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week, a celebrated event at Pilgrim High School.

Interim Principal Pamela Bernardi honored Jessica DiFilippo, Pilgrim graduate and wife of Athletic Director Nick DiFilippo, with the Crystal Apple Award, a token of recognition sponsored by the Horace Mann Educators Corporation.

With a peer-to-peer nomination process, the award recognizes teachers who have gone above and beyond academically and had a significant impact on the culture and community of the school.

DiFilippo was surprised to be chosen since she works mostly with ninth graders, but her work teaching Algebra I to freshmen who are behind or struggle in math was one of the reasons behind her nomination.

One of the teachers who nominated her wrote, “Mrs. DiFilippo is an outstanding teacher who works well with all levels of students. She challenges all of her students, from Pre-calc[ulus] H[onors] to her math lab students. She works hard every day to help all students achieve in her class.”

Indeed, DiFilippo says she works with her ninth graders to “help with the transition.” High school is new for them, but “they have to pass, which is something they may not be used to from junior high.” They’ve got to move on, and so she works with them in two-hour block periods every day so they that can and do.

Her hard work extends outside of the classroom as well. She coaches basketball with the Unified Sports Program, which teams special needs students up with athletes.

The same teacher called the way DiFilippo works with them “something to behold and admire.” He/she further wrote, “When I see the way she interacts with her team, I can see a dedicated and compassionate coach.”

After teaching for more than 10 years and as a Pilgrim graduate, she feels a lot of loyalty for her school. DiFilippo felt in her words, “honored and shocked” to receive the Crystal Apple but was quick to point out that “everyone deserved it.” She went on to say that “this recognizes all the hard work we put in.”

The recognition comes during an unsettling time for DiFilippo. With the consolidation of secondary schools, the School Department issued lay off notices to 65 teachers district-wide last month. DiFilippo was a candidate for a layoff based on seniority, but as there are two other teachers with the same start date there was a drawing explained the superintendent’s office. DiFilippo was not selected.

Principal Bernardi, cognizant of the layoffs and how it has affected the teacher population, bought 135 five-dollar gift cards to Dunkin Donuts so each teacher could get one. The Crystal Apple was their culminating event.

Talking about the recipient, Bernardi says, “It’s nice to hear you’re a great teacher, but it’s nice to be recognized for it, too. And Jess was deserving.”

Bernardi went on to say that “there’s more to being a teacher that you can’t understand until you walk a day in their shoes.” She stressed that “nobody really knows what it’s like to be a teacher,” which is why this award was so important.

Bernardi feels that teachers deserve more, and the Crystal Award is a moment of recognition for Jessica DiFilippo and all of her hard work in the 10 years she’s spent both in the classroom and on the field working with her students.

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  • Justanidiot

    The teachers got free coffee and a dollar store award.

    The kid's got nothing but the core (as in rotten apple).

    I didn't know babysitting paid so well.

    Friday, May 13, 2016 Report this