Colleen Fonte, Imagine Schools’ National Teacher of the Year, celebrates this award with her students. Fonte, a fourth grade teacher at Imagine Town Center, FL, was recognized for outstanding student learning gains, as well as her dedication and passion for instruction that is personally meaningful to her students.
Imagine Schools is pleased to announce Colleen Fonte, fourth grade teacher at Imagine Town Center, Florida, as National Teacher of the Year. In addition to a cash award, Fonte will be recognized at Imagine Schools’ regional Forum in Florida this summer.
Seen as a strong leader at Imagine Town Center, Fonte has served in the roles of Academy Leader, Team Leader, Education Director and Builders Club Leader. She designed and implemented the fourth grade curriculum focusing on Common Core standards, differentiated learning, and student engagement. Her involvement on several task forces drove improvements in school climate, the campus’ Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process, and coworker relationships.
Co-workers note Fonte’s dedication to each student she has an opportunity to teach. She provides instruction that is personally meaningful to students through various partnerships in and outside of the classroom, as well as using data to drive her differentiated approach to instruction through small group composition, peer-to-peer instruction, and structure of her intervention blocks. Her students showed overall learning growth of 1.05 in Math and Reading from the Fall to Winter STAR assessment, and students in the advanced category showed a strong 25% increase.
As 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Fonte represents the many outstanding Imagine educators, including co-runners up Tiffany Cook from Imagine Prep Superstition in Arizona, and Heather Cook in Florida. Tiffany Cook, a high school mathematics teacher at Imagine Prep Superstition, is a member of the Character Task Force, a mentor teacher, and volleyball coach. Heather Cook, a kindergarten teacher at Imagine North Port, is an eight-year-veteran teacher with Imagine Schools, a kindergarten team leader, and frequent professional development leader for her region.
Imagine Schools salutes these outstanding teachers, as well as regional finalists: Gracee Liggett, Imagine Classical Academy Indigo Ranch, CO; Aubrey Goetz, Imagine Hill Academy, OH; and Marcus Johnson, Imagine Hope Community Charter School, Tolson, Washington DC.
Imagine Schools is a national non-profit network of pre-K-12 charter schools preparing students for lives of leadership, accomplishment and exemplary character.
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Congratulations Colleen! The amazing impact you make at Imagine Town Center is priceless, thank you for all you do for our students.
Congratulations to all. What an amazing accomplishment Colleen Fonte. Your dedication and talents are appreciated and recognized by many! We are very fortunate to have you as one of our amazing educators at Imagine Schools!