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Schools

Top teacher relishes special moments

Suzanne Beane, 43, of Cypress Elementary School is named Pasco's Teacher of the Year for her work with disabled preschoolers.

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published February 18, 2005

WESLEY CHAPEL - Suzanne Beane might have spent her life in the pizza business.

But after graduating from Central Michigan University and moving to Florida to be near her grandmother, the psychology major discovered she wanted something more than managing a restaurant.

She chanced upon a job teaching disabled children in an infant and toddler program and quickly fell in love with the work.

It was a perfect fit.

On Thursday, 13 years after becoming a preschool teacher for the disabled at Cypress Elementary, Beane was named Pasco County Teacher of the Year during a ceremony at Wesley Chapel High School to honor the district's most highly regarded education employees.

"I am rewarded each time a child accomplishes something that was thought to be an obstacle," Beane wrote in her winning essay to the contest judges. "I smile when a child who is nonverbal utters his or her first intelligible word or a child with autism interacts with another student."

Judges praised Beane, 43, for being an advocate for her students as well as her peers. She is the building representative for United School Employees of Pasco, the local teachers union. She uses humor and laughter to communicate with others, the judges said. She holds certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards - considered one of the most rigorous programs for working teachers. And she is chairperson for Cypress Elementary's School Advisory Council.

In addition to honoring Beane, the Pasco Education Foundation and USEP gave its highest recognition to two of her peers:

Joanne Amann, 25, a media technology assistant for Wesley Chapel High, was named School Related Personnel of the Year. Judges praised Amann's ability to adapt to the rapid growth of Wesley Chapel's student body while staying abreast of technology advancements that can assist students. Amann works one-on-one with students, volunteers with the senior class, works with the Saturday School program and frequently chaperones school events. Before joining Wesley Chapel's staff in 2000, she worked as a long-term substitute at Weightman Middle.

Arlene Moreno, 50, principal at Fox Hollow Elementary in Port Richey, was designated the district's Administrator of the Year. She also was named this week to become the first principal of Longleaf Elementary, expected to open in west Pasco in August. The new position is effective March 1. As a child, Moreno dreamed of becoming a teacher. After graduating in 1977 from Queens College of the City University of New York, she moved to Pasco County and began teaching at Northwest Elementary School. Two years later, she was named Teacher of the Year. Moreno went on to teach at Moon Lake and Richey elementary schools before being promoted to assistant principal, a position she held at Cotee River and Calusa elementary schools. She became Fox Hollow's principal in 1999, helping to turn it from a D school in 1999 to an A school today, according to state testing standards.

In addition to the winners, six finalists were recognized: Peter Kern, a commercial foods instructor at Marchman Technical Education Center, and Christina Thomas, a teacher at Weightman Middle (both for Teacher of the Year); Ruby Keppel, a prekindergarten teacher at Woodland Elementary, and Karen Middleton of Moon Lake Elementary (School Related Personnel of the Year); Beth Brown, Bayonet Point Middle principal, and Monica Verra, supervisor of curriculum and instructional services for the district (Administrator of the Year).

[Last modified February 18, 2005, 00:14:17]