Teacher, Mentor, And Friend

To the Editor:

Sincere congratulations to Miss Kathleen Swift on being named Educator of the Year by the Connecticut Council of Teachers of English. This honor is just one testament to the fact that Miss Swift is truly an outstanding member of the teaching profession.

 I consider myself quite fortunate to have been one of her students (NHS 1996). Her approach to teaching is not only innovative but also invigorating. Miss Swift cares for and each every one her students very deeply, she champions their successes and helps them understand and move past any slight defeats. She speaks to her students as equals and takes special interest in their extra-curricular activities and lives outside of school. She provides a secure and enriched learning environment for all of her students. Miss Swift has gone beyond the call of duty numerous times, putting in extra hours on a regular and consistent basis; in particular, during her 10-year term as advisor to Smoke Signals (renamed The Hawkeye).

Although Miss Swift’s background was not journalism, she took many steps to increase her knowledge and understanding of the field to help prospective journalists learn as much as possible. Under her guidance Smoke Signals was the recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Award. Personally, it was during the long hours working on the newspaper with Miss Swift that I truly began to develop my motivation to work as a writer in some capacity. I took the lessons I learned from Miss Swift and Smoke Signals and brought them with me to my university where I ultimately served as an editor on the newspaper there.

Now as I have completed college and entered the working world, I find myself with a job I love where writing is key. I must indeed thank Miss Swift for helping me not only mold and visualize my dream, but to truly live my dream.

Miss Swift’s students have always known what a truly gifted educator she is and now she has received the recognition from her peers that she so greatly deserves.

So congratulations Miss Swift, my teacher, my mentor, and now my friend.

Jessica M. Riccio

Philadelphia, PA 19129                  October 19, 2000