Ms. Fugon's Nomination Letter:
I first met Ms. Maria Fugon in August of 2013. We were both working at another DPS school a few miles from Glenn. Ms. Fugon was an instructional assistant in Kindergarten and first grade classrooms. She was smart, kind, firm, and clear. Teachers requested her each year as their instructional assistant and students loved working with her. At the time, her daughter was a student there as well.
When her daughter graduated from elementary school, Ms. Fugon returned to school at North Carolina Central University. While working full time, she completed her bachelor's degree to become a certified teacher. In 2016, she accepted a first grade position. As her colleague, I watched her dedicate herself to her work and her students. She attended numerous professional development sessions to grow as a teacher. She participated in a two-month summer session on building strong classroom communities.
There are simply not enough words to express Ms. Fugon's commitment to her students, families, and her school. During COVID, I had the opportunity to move to Glenn Elementary School. After a year, I reached out to Ms. Fugon as I knew she would be an exceptional fit for Glenn's school community, students, and families - and I was thrilled when she accepted.
Because of her own story, Ms. Fugon is dedicated to working with English Language Learned. Ms. Fugon came to the United States when she was in middle school with her family. Her own experiences navigating public schools as a student learning English and as a parent, have led her to develop exceptional compassion and commitment to her families. When asked why she wanted to become a teacher Ms. Fugon said, "My decision to become an educator was influenced by the struggles I faced as a newcomer student. Having experienced the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language, I realized the mpact a teacher can have on a student's life. My goal is to empower my students to excel academically and develop a strong sense of self-confidence and belonging. I want to inspire and motivate my students to break any barriers and work hard to achieve their dreams."
Last year, her work with her students was nothing short of astonishing. Every single one of Ms. Fugon's English Language Learners exceeded their English proficiency goal. Six of her students made almost two years of growth and one student made close to three years of growth! What is even more staggering is that more than half of Ms. Fugon's class was composed of English Language Learners. In addition to their exceptional language growth, 82% of Ms. Fugon's students met or exceeded their reading growth goals mid-year. Of those students, more than 50% demonstrated "above average" growth.
Beginning in the fall of 2023, Ms. Fugon has expanded her work by leading parent sessions at our Saturday English Learner academies and co-leading a yearlong book study on Emily Francis's book "If You Only Knew: Letters From an ImmigrantTeacher" to help our team learn more about the challenges and triumphs our families may face.
Ms. Fugon is an exceptional educator, friend, and colleague, and more than that, she is an extraordinary human being.