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February is Parent Recognition Month. Strengthening Families Washington, of the Department of Early Learning for Washington State, believes there is no better way to recognize a parent, grandparent, foster or adoptive parent than by acknowledging the numerous and impressive things they do to strengthen their family and those around them in their community.
Seattle's Child is proud to sponsor the Washington Unsung Hero Awards, recognizing our everyday heroes and honoring the important role caregivers play in children's lives. There are 28 nominees for the 28 days of February, and Seattle's Child will highlight each and every one.
Congratulations to the Unsung Hero for February 5:
Alice Anderson – Selah
I would like to nominate Alice Anderson of Selah Washington as an Unsung Hero.
Alice is the program lead teacher for the Deaf-Ed program at Whitney Elementary in Yakima. This program services anywhere from 6 to 15 students at the elementary level, who are all on IEPs with different levels of need. She supervises from three to seven interpreters at any given time who facilitate communication for the Deaf-Ed students in the mainstream. She works with the Deaf-Ed children in small groups in her room filling in gaps in their education that have occurred because of their disability and lack of language at home.
Alice comes up with very creative means of helping the children learn. For example, when reading with fourth and fifth graders, she will act out the action of the characters to engage the kids and also to clarify vocabulary. She came up with a skipping game to help a student who had a hard time with borrowing in math. The children are now breaking-down vocabulary they use in class into morph graphs in order to understand their meaning. She has been teaching for 28 years and yet each year she still comes up with creative new ways of dealing with the various learning curves among her students.
Alice is also a mother of two children, one of whom has Asperger Syndrome. Alice has had to be very proactive about her son's education as there is still so much misunderstanding about autism in general and Asperger in particular. She has had to advocate every school year for her son's needs and has had to do the same for him this year as he enters into the college environment. Her son is highly functional and excels in his studies due, in large part, to his mother and father's advocating and supporting him through his challenges. Alice has had also to act as community educator concerning Asperger among her family, friends and neighbors. She is truly a hero to her successful and independent son.
Alice is highly involved in social groups within her community. Yearly she is involved with the Breast Cancer Walk here in Yakima. She interprets for deaf patrons at her church weekly and has been asked back each year to interpret for a local Christian mega-concert known as "Creations". She has held positions as union representative, building representative and actively advocates for all things having to do with improving educational opportunities for all, but especially for the deaf community.
Alice has been a quiet, behind the scene, positive influence for good within our school district and an involved member of her community. She truly is an Unsung Hero.
Nominator: Carri Byers
