Our DES Principal of the Year Martha Kintol said, “The teachers and staff who were selected as our school’s Teacher of the Year, Teacher Aide of the Year and Support Staff of the Year deserve this recognition. This group of individuals has worked very hard for all the students at DES. They make sure that all students are provided for academically and socially. I feel that they deserve to be recognized for their efforts this past year and the years before. I am very satisfied with this year’s awardees”
With that being said, we would like to highlight Dandan Elementary School’s employees of the year.
DES Teacher of the Year-Ramona Taro-Laniyo
Taro-Laniyo has been with DES since 2005 as a Kindergarten and first grade teacher. That is not to say she is new to the system. She has been teaching since 1985, nurturing Kindergarten and 2nd grade student’s curiosity thru creative stories, art, music, and play, while addressing the core contents such as Math and Language Arts.
A kind and conscientious teacher, she understands that the idea of children’s growing is never more important than in the primary grades. She addresses each student with a great, positive attitude and creates an environment conducive for learning.
Throughout her years as a Tottot, she was taken on many roles here. She is active in many school functions, such as the Christmas Tree Decoration contest, Cultural Day, and even volunteers her time as a Girl Scout Leader. She has been a mentor to numerous teachers, and her willingness to share her knowledge and strategies to anyone who asks makes her a major asset to not only our school, but the system as a whole.
Ever humble, she is quoted as saying, “There are too many good teachers out there and I feel I don’t deserve this honor. Though I’ve acquired many good teaching techniques throughout the year, I still need to learn more.”
DES Teacher Aide of the Year-Amorleen Poblete
Poblete has been a Special Education, or SPED, Teacher Aide since 1991, and since then, she has played an integral part in every student she has cared for. As a SPED teacher aide, she is often assigned to students with severe cognitive and functional impairments.
Despite the challenge, Poblete does her best in addressing each student’s specific challenges in a timely and effective manner so that the main classroom teacher can stay focused on the group as a whole. She creates individualized lessons that cater and nurture the growth of the student, making sure learning is happening despite their obstacles. She dedicates time afterschool to continue working with students who are struggling in the classroom. She does her best to make students feel comfortable and safe, and always strive to better herself by attending whatever SPED workshops are available.
Poblete has helped out in many school-related functions as well. She has volunteered her time in events such as Cultural Day, PGFC, and numerous performing arts. She is indeed an intrinsic member in our Tottot family.
DES Support Staff of the Year: Administrative-Cathy Borja
Not many people have the ability to competently carry out multiple tasks simultaneously, and deliver satisfactory results on each task — consistently. Fewer still are comfortable with continually learning to do many things at the same time. Cathy Borja is just that person, and she is one of the most versatile and flexible staff at DES.
Cathy Borja first joined Tottot family as a volunteer since 2003, then as a WIA Trainee in 2006, then as a librarian in 2008. Although officially a librarian, she plays many roles in making sure the school is functioning efficiently and effectively. She has taken on many roles, such as Math Court Coach, Student Council advisor, Administrative Assistant, and was even appointed as acting Principal on several occasions.
She has taken on many leadership roles as well, representing our school in many PSS functions. She has been the Cultural Day Chair and Young Author’s Book Fair Chairperson, and attended Professional Development Workshops such as Self Advocacy-Discrimination, Pacific Digital Library Workshop, and Guidance, Counseling and Development Workshop on behalf of DES.
With all this, she has still been able to maintain her library and read-aloud schedule, as well as keeping herself and the library accessible for any students who need help with resources. She has integrated technology into the library, installing an automated check-in/out system, and computers are around in case students need to do research online. She is a “Jack of all Trades,” not to say is a generalist, but rather a specialist in terms of her original role as a librarian.
Support Staff of the Year: Trades and Maintenance-Nelson Ebilane
Ebilane has been with PSS since 1996. It was in 2005 that he joined the Tottot family, and since then, he has played a vital role in ensuring the safety and effective operation of school building and grounds.
He is very knowledgeable in plumbing, electrical, welding, carpentry and mechanical skills necessary to maintain, repair, build, or replace equipment all around the campus. Many of the cabinets and shelves inside the classroom were built by him, and the overall cleanliness of the campus is attributed to him as well. Air conditioning problem is a frequent thing here at DES. Thru his expertise, the school is able to save money by having him fix the problem, rather than go with an outside company.
He dedicates his time to school functions as well, coming early to work, staying late, and often coming in on weekends to support functions such as PGFC and Math Court. He is an indispensable talent in our school and we are fortunate to have such dedicated and knowledgeable person working for the school.
