- April 25, 2024
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Belle Terre Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jill Espinosa was named Flagler County Teacher of the Year in an annual gala Jan. 16, at the Flagler Auditorium.
Espinosa is a native Floridian and graduated with a Masters of Education from the University of Florida. She has 16 years of teaching experience and joined the staff of Belle Terre Elementary School in 2009.
Although currently in a kindergarten classroom, Espinosa has also taught both first and second grades. She serves as the head teacher for kindergarten at Belle Terre, has conducted various training workshops and has been instrumental in repeatedly securing grant and community funding for the development of STEM programs.
One grant project that has really taken off is a recycle program through TerraCycle, a company that makes consumer products from pre- and post-consumer waste, as well as reuses other waste materials.
They upcycle.
TerraCycle works with more than 100 major brands in the United States and 22 countries overseas to collect used packaging and products otherwise destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new materials and products that are available online and through major retailers.
“There is a whole plethora of trash that can be recycled,” Espinosa said.
To demonstrate the impact trash has on the environment, Espinosa created a simulated landfill with her class. They researched how long various items took to decompose. The simulation was a way for her students to see why the recycling program was important.
“The really cool aspect is that it’s really student-led now, and they see themselves as changers,” Espinosa said. “What I’m hoping is that as the kindergarten students grow, they can show their future classes. It’s trickling into bigger projects.”
The project has already spread throughout the school, and they have collected 71,000 pieces of trash to keep out of the landfill.
But the project does not only save trash from landfills. With each piece collected, a small amount of money is earned, which Espinosa and her students have chosen to donate to other nonprofit projects. Through TerraCycle’s money-matching program, Espinosa and her students have purchased 36 square feet of wildlife land for protection through the National Wildlife Federation; helped provide clean drinking water to Haiti; bought a baby chick for a family in need; provided school supplies for a homeless child; and planted a tree in an American forest, through the Arbor Day Foundation.
“The kids are always blown away by that — that recycling can affect someone’s life,” Espinosa said. “Those are the kinds of things I’m most passionate about.”
Espinosa also tries to make sure her grants are not centered only to her own classroom. The latest grant she was awarded will help build a creek on school campus. The sixth-grade students are also developing curriculum to train students about how ecosystems work. A big standard for kindergarten is using senses. Having the creek on campus will help hit standards without ever having to leave school.
“It’s going to be tough to finish, but we did get the funding for it, and I think with community support we will get it finished,” Espinosa said.
Service learning and technology are what make Espinosa a Teacher of the Year.
“Kids are naturally compassionate,” she said. “They think they can make a big difference worldwide and are not intimidated by technology. If kids are interested in what they’re doing, that’s when real learning takes place.”
Cindy Moore: Employee of the Year
Cindy Moore, a district employee for more than 12-years, was named Flagler County Schools Employee of the Year. She has served as the secretary for two assistant principals at Flagler Palm Coast High School for the past four years. Aside from the numerous secretarial duties at a school with a population of 2,400 students, Moore also facilitates state standardized testing, which includes scheduling, room-assignments and technology set-up, distribution of materials and working directly with students to facilitate testing.
Moore believes that her interaction with the students has made a significant impact on their behavior and their positive attitude toward their achievement. Her daily focus is centered around a question posed to the staff by Principal Lynette Shott, “What did I learn about a student today that will help make them more successful tomorrow?
