Christine VanDemortel, Perkins Elementary School
By: Kevin Doran
Updated: December 1, 2009
Stunned is a good way to describe how Christine VanDemortel reacted to getting a News 8 Golden Apple Award. We surprised her at Perkins Elementary School in Newark. Christine went off like a fire cracker when we walked into her classroom. "Miss V", as she's known, has been a Special Education Teacher for 15 years. She shows up every day with a smile.
Michelle Coon says Christine has helped her son Coty achieve things nobody thought possible. "She's awesome, I love her to pieces. I'm gonna miss her when it's time for him to go to the next school."
What's Christine's secret to bringing out the best in kids? "I don't know I just find what they're good at. I don't know, each one of them is an individual and that's the way I go with it."
Perkins Elementary School Principal Susan Achille says "There's a bond between Christine and the kids she has and it forms over the years she has them. She just truly cares about the kids and it comes across loud and clear in her teaching."
Christine explains why she loves her job. "It's fun. It's not work. We get to have fun teaching. It's not just paper-pencil tasks. I don't sit behind a desk. It's just lots of fun."
Christine VanDemortel is a News 8 Golden Apple Award Winner. You can read Michelle's letter nominating her below.
Dear Channel 8,
I am the mom of Coty Coon. Coty Coon has autism. Mrs. VanDemortel has been with Coty for 3 years now. She has helped him achieve things we were told he would never achieve (ie. reading, writing, socialization).
Coty has made progress thanks to a wonderful teacher and her aides. I would like to recognize her for everything she has done for my son and all the other children whose lives she has touched.
Sincerely,
Michelle Coon
