PowerPoint of the award winners from the Awards Ceremony at ACTFL/FFLA 2013 in Orlando, FL

1. FFLA Awards Luncheon
The following teachers were
recognized at the FFLA
Awards Luncheon
Friday, November 22, 2013
at the Rosen Centre Hotel in
Orlando, FL

2. Guest speakers
1. Chane Eplin, FLDOE Bureau Chief Student Achievement
Through Language Acquisition
2. Jamie Hincemon, Stevens Learning Systems, Inc.
3. Julie Torguet, Pearson
4. Jeff Rutter, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
5. Beatriz Gegundez, Debbie Secrist, Vista Higher Learning

3. FFLA Hall of Fame
The following teachers were
inducted into the FFLA Hall
of Fame between 2004 &
2012
Check out the FFLA Hall of
Fame page on our website:
www.ffla.us

4. Sylvia Amaya
Spanish & ESOL Teacher
Pinellas County: Shore Acres Elementary
Always dream and reach higher than you know you can
reach. Don’t bother just to be better than your
contemporaries and predecessors; try to be better than
yourself.

5. Pam Benton
Spanish & French Teacher
Pinellas County: Hospital Homebound
“To have another language is to possess a
second soul.”
‒Charlemagne

6. Alan Blessing
German & Latin Teacher
Pinellas County: Northeast High
Homines, dum docent, discunt –When you teach, you
learn.
Φὐσιν ἔχειν ἄριστὀν ἐστι, δεῦτερον δὲ μανθἀνειν – To
have talent is the best thing; to learn something is
second

7. Jacki Cinotti
Spanish Teacher
Duval County: Oceanway Middle
I’m a perfectionist, but I’m not perfect.

8. Mary Virginia Fisher
Spanish & French Teacher
Palm Beach County:
Vouloir, c’est Pouvoir

9. Margie Guerzon Fox
Learning Specialist World Languages
Orange County: K-12
“Communication is not simply the
ability to correctly juxtapose grammar
and vocabulary. What is most
meaningful and powerful, is the
understanding of how your words are
heard and how your message is
interpreted; that is, to see the world
through the eyes of another.”

10. Esther Gonzalez-Wright
Spanish Teacher
Pinellas County: Seminole High
“You have to expect things of yourself
before you can do them.” -Michael Jordan

11. Betty Green
ESOL, Program Chair
College of Education Daytona State College
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled,
but a fire to be kindled.”
- Plutarch

12. Alice Hill
Spanish Teacher
Duval County: Retired

13. Gale Jones
Spanish teacher
Duval County
Fletcher High School

14. Jan Kucerik
World Languages Supervisor
Pinellas County
World language educators are uniquely poised to change
perspectives, open hearts, and inspire students to unlock the
treasure that is language. I cannot imagine a more delightful
pursuit.

15. Lilly Lewis
Spanish Teacher
Pinellas County: Perkins Elementary
FLES
If children can feel your love of teaching, then they
will feel the love for learning.

16. Louis Lillard
Spanish Teacher
Riverdale High School
In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible
and remains so, maybe for twenty years. ~Jacques Barzun

17. Susan Mahon
Spanish & French Teacher
Hernando County: FW Springstead High
Our lives begin to end the
day we become silent
about things that matter."
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

18. Linda Markley
Spanish & French Teacher/Supervisor
Brevard County: K-12
Retired
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a
fire.” -William Butler Yeats

19. Gudrun Martyny
Spanish Teacher & FFLA Executive Dir.
Orange County: Timber Creek High
Retired
“If you talk to a man in a language he
understands, that goes to his head. If you talk
to him in his own language, that goes to his
heart.”
‒Nelson Mandela

20. JC Morales
German & Japanese Teacher
Dade County: Miami Palmetto HS
Delaware Department of Education
Die Grenzen meiner
Sprache bedeuten die
Grenzen meiner Welt –
Wittgenstein
The limits of my language
mean the limits of my
world.

21. Sandra Rosado
Spanish Teacher
Pinellas County: Perkins Elementary
“We never know
which lives we
influence, or
when, or why.”
-Stephen King

22. Deanna Scheffer
French Teacher
St. Johns Country Day School
French 1B-AP
“Quand on a le droit de se tromper impunément, on est
toujours sûr de réussir.”
“If you are allowed to make mistakes, you are sure to
succeed.”
-Renan

23. Cheryl Thingvold
French Teacher
Clay County: Orange Park High
Retired
I believe very strongly that by teaching the language and the culture of
different peoples, we can help our students to have a more open attitude
toward and appreciation of others, as well as a deeper understanding of their
own culture. We can also enable them to discover and develop within
themselves talents and abilities that will enrich their adult lives.

24. Tracy Veler-Knick
French Teacher
Brevard County: Supervisor
DoDDS: World Languages Specialist
Language shapes the way we think, and
determines what we can think about.
– Benjamin Lee Whorf

25. Linda Villadoniga
Spanish Teacher
St. Johns County: Creekside High
Retired
Every child can learn though by different means. It is
our responsibility as professionals to unlock the door of
their learning style, thereby providing the means
needed for them to learn.

26. Livia Wein
Spanish & French Teacher
Pinellas County: Seminole High
Retired
"The object of education is to prepare the young to
educate themselves throughout their lives." ~ Robert
Maynard Hutchins

27. Sherri Zacharkiw
Latin Teacher
Orange County: Timber Creek High
Deceased

28. FFLA Hall of Fame 2013
Our 2013
Inductees
Check out the FFLA Hall of
Fame page on our website:
www.ffla.us

29. Annamarie Cairo Tijerino
Spanish Teacher Gainesville High, Alachua County
“Every man’s reach must out- distance his
grasp or what’s a heaven for?” -Robert
Browning

30. Lauren Doyle-McCombs
French Teacher
Wolfsen High IB
Duval County
Education is cheaper than
ignorance.

31. Rebekah (Lindsey) Hunter
Spanish Teacher
Duval County: Oceanway
Middle School
As a World Language teacher, it is my goal to help
cure the world of monolingualism! My students
WILL become polyglots!!

32. Mary Risner
Associate Director, Center for Latin American Studies
University of Florida
“The real voyage of discovery consists not
in seeking new landscapes but in having
new eyes.” –adapted from Marcel Proust

33. Linda Santiago
Spanish Teacher
Pinellas County: Lakewood High
“Querer es poder”

34. FFLA Most Valuable
Teachers
2013
Check out the FFLA Hall of
Fame page on our website:
www.ffla.us

35. Mieko Avello
Miami-Dade County
Miami Palmetto High
Japanese Teacher
Congratulations for another successful year to Ms. Mieko Avello, Japanese teacher at Miami Palmetto
Senior High School. She engaged her Japanese language program to the community very well. Her
students’ group who dances the Japanese traditional dance has been performing at the Asian Culture
Festival that is the biggest Asian festival in Miami for five years. The energetic dance became a
tradition at the festival. She also organized the one-thousand origami cranes project. Her students
made whole school and surrounding community aware of the Japanese tradition of Get Well wish of
the origami art. Their donation of the beautiful one thousand origami crane to the Miami Children’s
Hospital was enthusiastically welcomed by the children at the hospital. Superb job, Avello-sensei!
Most Valuable Teacher

36. Craig Bebergal
Florida Virtual School
Lead Latin Instructor
Presented at FFLA 2012. On the FL-DOE committee to write the Latin test
bank questions, Project Proficiere. Treasurer and Webmaster of the Classical
Association of FL. Judge at State and Regional Latin Fora.
Most Valuable Teacher

37. Catalina Bohórquez
Seminole County
Seminole County
Virtual School
Spanish Teacher
Catalina provided an awesome 21st Century Skills Tools
training to Pinellas County World Languages Teachers!
Most Valuable Teacher

38. Carey Phil Dillinger
Hillsborough County
Berkeley Prep
Latin Teacher
This year Phil began teaching 8th grade Latin I, in addition to 6th and
7th Latin A and B. He continues a second term as secretary of the
Classical Association of Florida. Phil takes students to regional and
state competitions each year.
Most Valuable Teacher

39. Satoko Fisher
Broward County
Western High
Japanese Teacher
Mrs. Fisher has taught Japanese in Broward County for 21 years. She has organized Japan related events and
actively promoted Japanese culture in her community. She established partnerships with local museums and her
students visit and volunteer at these museums to enhance learning beyond her classroom. Last school year, she
hosted 28 Japanese students who survived the 2011 earthquake/tsunami. She found host families for each student
and organized a school tour, BBQ picnic, welcoming reception, etc.. These Japanese students and her students
enjoyed the cultural exchange. Her students also performed very well at the district's Academic Competition. Two of
her students earned scholarships to go to Japan for 6 weeks. Mrs. Fisher's continuous effort encourages her students
to learn Japanese language and culture, and she is highly respected by her students and community.
Most Valuable Teacher

40. Linda Gillespie
St. Johns County
Creekside High
Spanish Teacher
Kudos to Linda Gillespie, Spanish teacher at Creekside High School, for an
outstanding first year as the new department chairman at Creekside as well as the new
recording secretary for the Foreign Language Educators of Northeast Florida (FLENEF).
Linda was instrumental in securing Creekside as the host school for the Ennio
Emmanuel concert last December. She also served on the FLENEF Summer
Conference Committee and co-presented a conference session entitled Edmodo in
World Languages.
Most Valuable Teacher

41. Robbye Griet
Pinellas County
Hopkins Middle
French Teacher
Robbye has been teaching in Pinellas County for 4 years at John Hopkins. She has been active at
the international day annual event by presenting workshops and preparing her student to participate.
Currently she is the department chair at her school and is mentoring new teachers to the department.
During the summer, she was involved in the Pinellas County Curriculum writing team as she
collaborated to incorporate common core standards into the French curriculum guides for the county.
She also serves as secretary for the Pinellas County World Languages Teachers Association.
Most Valuable Teacher

42. Myra Johnson
Duval County
World Languages Specialist
Kudos to Myra Johnson, new World Language Specialist for Duval County Public Schools and new Duval
County Liaison for the Foreign Language Educators of Northeast Florida (FLENEF), for her outstanding work on
the Duval County Curriculum and Assessment Writing Team (CAWT). Myra served as the lead teacher for the
Spanish 2 team as they produced exemplary curriculum guides and assessments for the county. Myra was a
member of the Northeast Florida World Language Festival Committee and brought her students to compete in the
event. In the spring Myra was selected by her peers in Northeast Florida to receive the FLENEF Educator of the
Year Award. Finally, Myra served on the FLENEF Summer Conference Committee and also co-presented a
conference session entitled Reading Strategies for the World Language Classroom.
Most Valuable Teacher

43. Sara Kolhoff
Pinellas County
Palm Harbor University
High
Spanish Teacher
Sara provided outstanding leadership as the vice-president
and now President of the Pinellas World Languages
Teachers Association.
Most Valuable Teacher

44. Naoko Komura
Florida International University
Japanese Instructor
Naoko Komura has shown a high level of dedication in her teaching. In this year’s FL Japanese Speech
Contest, four of her students were awarded the first and second place in level 2 and 4. Also, several of
them were invited for the lunch with the Consulate General of Japan at his residence. In addition, her
summer study abroad program was successful again this year. All participants are eager to continue
studying Japanese and promised to go back to Japan in the near future. She also served as president of
Association of Florida Teachers of Japanese, contributing to professional community building locally and
statewide.
Most Valuable Teacher

45. Susan McDonald
Manatee County
Lakewood Ranch HS
Susan has served and continues to serve as President of the Classical
Association of Florida. She tirelessly advocates for Latin programs in the state
and is an inspiring leader to all the teachers of classical languages both in
Florida and beyond.
Most Valuable Teacher

46. Adam Mize
Brevard County
Satellite High
Latin Teacher
In July, Adam planned and supervised over 100 Florida delegates at the
National Latin Convention at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. The
competition was a success and a valuable experience for all students involved.
He serves as a member of the executive committee of the Classical
Association of Florida.
Most Valuable Teacher

47. Yukari Nakamura-Deacon
University of Florida
Japanese Lecturer
Yukari has been actively helping her students achieve their goals. Many of her
students have found a way to use Japanese for their future career including
teaching English, engineering & translation companies and government! Her
achievement was recognized by UF and she was recently promoted to Senior
Lecturer!
Most Valuable Teacher

48. Mako Nozu
University of South Florida
Japanese Instructor
Kudos for very fantastic year for Nozu-sensei. She led the Mid- Florida Speech and Skit Contest
very successfully. She also organized the Japanese Social Picnic at USF Riverfront Park. So
many people participated in these events that made her program more visible. She is the reason
for the expansion of the USF’s Japanese Language program. She helped her students to be
accepted in the prestigious JET program. In the very competitive selection, three of her students
were accepted. Keep at it, Nozu-sensei.
Most Valuable Teacher

49. Michelle Olah
Seminole County
Seminole County
Resource Teacher
Spanish Teacher
Michelle provided an awesome 21st Century Skills Tools
training to Pinellas County World Languages Teachers!
Most Valuable Teacher

50. Kristen Parks
Pinellas County
Morgan Fitzgerald Middle
Spanish Teacher
Kristen provided outstanding leadership as the President of
the Pinellas World Languages Teachers Association.
Most Valuable Teacher

51. Maria “Janet” Robles
St. Johns County
Creekside High
Spanish Teacher
Kudos to Janet Robles, Spanish teacher at Creekside High School, new FFLA Region 3 Director
and new Webmaster for the Foreign Language Educators of Northeast Florida (FLENEF) for her
outstanding technology presentation for the 2012-2013 FLENEF Fall Workshop Series, Engaging
Students and Teachers through Technology and Web Tools. In addition, Janet was instrumental in
promoting the Ennio Emmanuel concert last December at Creekside. She also served on the
FLENEF Summer Conference Committee and co-presented a conference session entitled Edmodo
in World Languages.
Most Valuable Teacher

52. Yasuo Uotate
University of Florida
Japanese Lecturer
Yasuo Uotate has been contributing greatly to foreign language education locally, regionally, and
nationally. Yasuo was recognized for his teaching excellence, and he was one of eight faculty
members who received Teaching Award by the College of Liberal Arts and Science at the University
of Florida in April 2013. Since last August, Yasuo has been taking leadership in an collaborative
Action Research project with three other AFTJ (Association of Florida Teachers of Japanese)
members and will give a presentation at the 2013 ACTFL Convention. In addition, he attended an
ACTFL OPI Workshop in June and is currently working for the OPI Tester Certification.
Most Valuable Teacher

53. Etsuko Woodbury
Volusia County Mainland
High
Japanese Teacher
Mrs. Woodbury served community through Japanese cultural programs at local
library and schools. She kept her dedicated support to the Volusia County WL
Festival providing students to showcase projects. Her Japanese club won the
best decorated food booth award serving RAMUNE drinks and dance circles
activities at the festival.
Most Valuable Teacher

54. FFLA Teacher of the Year
2012 & 2013
2012
Jackie CinottiDirmann
2013
Sheila
Mansier

55. FFLA Associated Leagues Teachers of the Year
2013
CTA: Chinese:
Yunming Edge
FAATF:
French:
Jeannie Clark
FAATSP:
Spanish:
Linda Santiago

56. FFLICCU: Community Colleges/Universities:
Raymond Cornelius
FATG: German: Anna Lohaus
CAF: Latin: David Jackson
FLAME: Supervisors: Deborah Oms

57. Teachers of Promise
Kisha Hymes, Hillsborough, ASL
Lisette Vergara-Leon, Broward, Japanese
Caroline Lebet, Duvall, French

58. Louise Boucicaut, Lee, French
Judith Cintron, Lee, Spanish

59. The Irving Wershow Award
Gudrun Martyny

60. Thank you to the Host Committee
Sylvia Amaya
Pam Benton
Jeanette Chavez
Theresa Delphonse
Nilsa Gomez
Robbye Griet
Sara Kolhoff
Jan Kucerik
Christina Liu
Linda Markley
Kristen Parks
Linda Santiago
Esther Gonzalez-Wright
Gudrun Martyny
Chair
President
Donations chair
Member
Member
Member
Exhibit hall chair
Parliamentarian
Member
Teacher of Promise chair
Secretary
Hospitality chair
Awards chair
Executive Director

61. Executive
Committee
Associated Leagues
Representatives
Board of Directors
President/ACTFL Rep
Past President/JNCL Rep
President-Elect/SCOLT Rep/Grant
Coordinator
Executive Director/Internet
Coordinator
Recording Secretary
Parliamentarian
Local Committee Chair
AFTJ (Japanese)
CAF (Latin)
Pam Benton
Cheryl Thingvold
Vivian Bosque
Gudrun Martyny
Kristen Parks
Jan Kucerik
Sylvia Amaya
Mako Nozu
Dr. Susan McDonald
FAATF (French)
Dr. Lauren Doyle-McCombs
FAATSP (Spanish)
Gale Jones
FASLTA (American Sign Language) Alysse Rasmussen
FATG (German)
Dr. Nancy Decker
FCTA (Chinese)
CJ Ginger Lin
FFLICU (College Instructors)
Fernando Mayoral
FLAME (Supervisors/Coordinators) Melissa Morgado

62. Regional
Directors
Special
Appointees
Board of Directors
Region 1 Director
Raul Vellos
Region 2 Director
Angel Rios
Region 3 Director
Janet Robles
Region 4 Director
Grisell Santiago
Region 5 Director
Melissa Morgado (acting)
Region 6 Director
Sara Kolhoff
Region 7 Director
Louis Lillard
Region 8 Director
Sheila Mansier
Region 9 Director/Technology Frank Kruger-Robbins
Region 10 Director
Mayra Merced-O'Neill
Region 11 Director
Dr. Vivian Bosque
Region 12 Director
Linda Markley
DOE Representative
FASA/FAISA Rep/Grants
Independent School Liaison
FFLAN (Newsletter) Editor
FFLJ Editor/Historian
Member Emeritus
FLVS
Chane Eplin
Vivian Bosque
Deanna Scheffer
Jacquelyn Cinotti-Dirmann
Dr. Betty Green
Dr. David Gurney
Audrey Irias