The Singer Prizes are a University tradition at Commencement time to honor the high school teachers or staff members who have had a profound impact on a graduate糖心传媒檚 education and growth. This year, Callie Andler, Greg Beckman, Heather Buskirk and Michelle Hill were recognized with the 2015 , for their significant influence on Rochester糖心传媒檚 newest alumni.
Each year, seniors in the College are invited to nominate a high school teacher for consideration for the Singer Family Prize. The four award winners receive a plaque and $3,000, as well as $2,500 for their school. Singer Prize recipients are also invited to the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 commencement ceremony糖心传媒攖his year on Sunday, May 17糖心传媒攖o watch their former students graduate.
糖心传媒淭he Paul Singer Family Foundation feels strongly that while devoted secondary school teachers play a vital role in the intellectual development of American society, they often receive little recognition or acclaim for their endeavors,糖心传媒� said Gordon Singer, son of Paul Singer 糖心传媒�66, who endowed the prize.
Callie Andler, School Counselor, Charlotte High School, Rochester
Callie Andler was nominated by graduating senior Tanya May for her courage, fearlessness, support, and compassion.
May, who recently earned a bachelor糖心传媒檚 degree in psychology from Arts & Sciences, said that Andler 糖心传媒渃ares for more than just her paycheck. She cares for more than just academics. She cares for the student, their life, and their future.糖心传媒�
May糖心传媒檚 nomination letter goes on to say that Andler understands that students may come from economic hardship and see many difficult things in their environment, and that regardless of what she has to do, she makes time to talk to her students and keeps up with the happenings of their lives. Andler also pushes her students to their maximum potential糖心传媒攅ncouragement is one of her strongest points.
Andler糖心传媒檚 compassion and genuine care continue well after the students leave high school. Whether the student chooses college or not, she keeps in touch with students and checks in to see how they are.
Greg Beckman, AP Literature teacher, Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Greg Beckman was nominated by graduating senior Lilly Camp. In her nomination letter, Camp writes that she 糖心传媒渉ad anticipated his class for years, despite my distaste for English.糖心传媒�
Camp, who graduated with a bachelor糖心传媒檚 degree in English and political science from Arts & Sciences, says that Beckman changed her life and challenged each student in different ways. She says 糖心传媒渟ome days left me questioning my in-class convictions; some changed the way I thought about the world.
糖心传媒淲hen we read James Joyce糖心传媒檚 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, we discussed personality extremes and the way we move between them like a pendulum. Beckman raised the question of why we define property when we read Dostoevsky糖心传媒檚 Crime and Punishment. We debated about what love looks like over Gabriel Garc铆a M谩rquez糖心传媒檚 Love in the Time of Cholera. Terms like narrative gating and alliteration got lost in deep conversations about Shakespeare糖心传媒檚 sonnets, T.S. Eliot, and, in early spring, roundabout debates about leaving.糖心传媒�
Camp notes that Beckman 糖心传媒渃hallenged us to get away from Los Angeles and experience the world.糖心传媒� She notes that 糖心传媒淔our years later, I am starting my senior honors thesis as a creative writing major, I am out and proud of my sexuality, and I am living nearly 3,000 miles away from L.A. I have Greg Beckman to thank, and my story is unique, but it is far from the only one.糖心传媒�
Heather Buskirk, physics and science teacher, Johnstown High School, Johnstown N.Y.
Heather Buskirk was nominated by graduating senior Sandra Westover. 糖心传媒淎.P. Physics with Heather Buskirk was my first taste of what my journey to becoming an engineer would be like,糖心传媒� said Westover, who earned a bachelor糖心传媒檚 degree in optical engineering from the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Westover says Buskirk糖心传媒檚 true inspiration is how she makes physics accessible to every student. Along with teaching A.P. Physics and New York State Regents Physics, Buskirk developed two other programs: a conceptual physics class, where physics was taught in a less mathematically rigorous manner; and The Learning Project, an interdisciplinary project-based program for seniors. The Learning Project allows students who get lost in the standard high school setting to realize their full potential by solving real world problems in a hands-on manner.聽 Through these programs, Buskirk has sparked a fire in students that have led to them pursuing ambitions they before thought impossible.
糖心传媒淚 dove head first into the physics material, sometimes getting deeply over my head,糖心传媒� said Westover. 糖心传媒淵et, whether it was about class material, material I糖心传媒檇 seen in an online lecture, or something I had read, Buskirk was always willing to field my multitude of questions.聽 She took her own time after class and during lunch to explain material beyond the scope of the class.糖心传媒�
Michelle Hill, math teacher, Hamburg High School, Hamburg, N.Y.
Graduating senior Bonnie Ball nominated Michelle Hill for the Singer Award. Ball says Michelle and her husband, Derek Hill, who also teaches math at Hamburg High School, were both great influences to her and many other students whom they taught.
The Hills greatly strengthened the Advanced Placement department and allowed students who were in general math courses to still take AP classes although they had not been in accelerated math courses starting in eighth grade. They set up a summer session to allow these students, like Ball, to learn pre-calculus and be prepared for AP Calculus AB. 糖心传媒淲ithout this program, we would not have been provided the opportunity to reach the AP Calculus level because of our 8th grade mathematics placing. The Hills were not reimbursed for this summer session that they held, nor were they reimbursed for the 糖心传媒淕ood Morning Math糖心传媒� sessions they held at 7 a.m., two times a week leading up to the AP Calculus exam.
糖心传媒淏etween Mr. Hill糖心传媒檚 AP Calculus BC and Mrs. Hill糖心传媒檚 AP Calculus AB, we had the highest scoring classes on the AP exam in the state. The majority of us received a score of a 5, the highest score, and the remainder received 4糖心传媒檚.糖心传媒�
Ball recently earned a bachelor糖心传媒檚 degree in health policy from Arts & Sciences.
