Holly was nominated for her exciting, highly engaging, focused learning environment for all students. Based on inquiry data from the past year, Mrs. Del Duca recognized a need to increase the level of journaling that was done in the classroom. Through the implementation of daily journaling, Mrs. Del Duca contributed to 95% of 4^th graders at Sandy Lane meeting state standards for writing and 13 students exceeding the state writing test by scoring a level 5. Mrs. Del Duca incorporates turn and talks and partnerships to increase student cognitive thinking, along with focusing learning around an essential question. Mrs. Del Duca also conferences with students several times during the week about literacy work to ensure that she is finding ways to meet their personal needs. Holly also spearheads the extended learning program at Sandy Lane. She takes the lead in organizing teachers, students, and workshop programs. She uses data to group the students and to align the interventions for the afterschool program. It is her focus and dedication to the highest student achievement possible that continue to spark other teacher’s toward excelling to a higher level of focus on student achievement.

As well as student involvement, parent partnership is also evident in Mrs. Del Duca’s classroom. Mrs. Del Duca makes herself available for communication in a variety of ways including parent teacher conferences, phone calls, letter writing, and email. Holly crafts a weekly newsletter to show parents what their child is learning in her class for that week and keep them up to date on educational news. She also communicates frequently with each student’s parents by writing notes in the student’s agenda. Mrs. Del Duca is an active participant in the school’s Parent Teacher Association and is always willing and eager to participate in family involvement activities. Mrs. Del Duca is a lifelong learner who is passionate about helping all students succeed!