Ann Fogarty-Sears, Eastridge HS

He moved to our area after his father was murdered and he's thankful to our News 8 Golden Apple Award winner for helping his family a lot. Congratulations to Ann Fogarty-Sears, a teacher at Eastridge High School in Irondequoit.

It would have been easy for Bobby Koon to become negative. But he's not. After his Dad was murdered in Ohio, Bobby and his Mom moved to Irondequoit for a fresh start. That's when a unique teacher at Eastridge High School entered their lives. Ann Fogarty-Sears.

Bobby says "She helped me get on track, do all my work and everything right. She helped me feel at home here at Eastridge."

Bobby's Mom Lisa says Ms. Fogarty helped her son adjust to a new school and discover talents he never knew he had. "It was comforting. And very helpful. And she's been loyal to him and helpful to him."

Cheryl Distenfeld is Curriculum Leader in Ann's Department at Eastridge. "She's one of those teachers that really genuinely cares about her students. She does a lot of transition planning, trying to find out what her students really want to do with their lives so that when they leave high school they're best prepared for that. But most of all I think she knows her students better than hardly any other teacher in the building. She gets to know them personally. "

Lisa and Bobby asked us to say thank you to a teacher who is almost like a member of the family. After our surprise Ann said "I don't expect to be thanked for what I do, it's just part of the job, but it's really, really, nice to get the recognition. I love my job because of the small things, just seeing what the kids can accomplish in a day. You really get a sense of satisfaction and not a lot of people get that in their jobs."

Ann Fogarty is a News 8 Golden Apple Award Winner. You can read the letter Bobby wrote nominating her below.



Dear Channel 8,

    Mrs. Fogarty-Sears has been my teacher now for 2 years. I moved here from Ohio not knowing what to expect but she is a great teacher who takes the time to help us. We all have our special challenges and she is a special teacher.

Sincerely,
Bobby Koon
11th Grader, Eastridge HS