This year FLENJ has had the pleasure of recognizing three distinctly different World Language teachers who span various years of teaching experience, languages and levels taught.
Luz Alvarez is a teacher of Spanish at the Schuyler Colfax Middle School in the Wayne Public School District. She is described as a collaborative worker who extends herself to other department members through the sharing of materials, resources and ideas. Luz was recognized and honored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, who supported her financially to attend the first-year, alternate-route mentoring program. She was also chosen by the leadership of the National Foreign Language Resource Center to attend special summer elementary language training at Princeton University. Luz has also presented her work to World Language teachers at FLENJ conferences. We look forward to her continued successes and efforts as a teacher in the promotion of language study in New Jersey.
Judith Fredman is a newly retired Spanish and French teacher of forty years in the Millburn Public Schools. Judith received her advanced degree through a masters program at Rutgers University preparing her to direct honors programs in both Spanish and French. She also studied abroad in Argentina and Mexico from which she achieved her impeccable command of the Spanish language. As an early trend setter in 1976, Judith took on the challenge of offering language study to the Millburn Middle School program and over a twenty-year period directed student trips to Spain, Mexico and Costa Rica. She also initiated a World Language Festival for the benefit of the entire school community. From her experiences in the Middle School program of Millburn, Judith then lobbied the Board of Education to become committed to an early World Language program in the elementary schools along with her former supervisors Erwin Petri and Kenneth Rizzuti. Aside from her contributions as a teacher in the public schools, she also organized a school for English instruction in the 1960’s for Cuban refugees in Elizabeth, NJ. In addition this public service she also became an instructor of ESL at an adult school in Millburn. In 1976, “Sesame Street” children’s program invited her to serve on a committee at the start of its Spanish programming. More recently after “9/11” she volunteered on weekends at the Newark Academy to provide professional counseling to Spanish speaking survivors in NJ. Judith has exemplified a deep fervor for her knowledge and love of languages and the cultures that surround them both inside and outside school. FLENJ offers many thanks to Judith for so many years of such commitment and dedication to our profession and beyond.
Alice Ennis-Simonson is a high school teacher of French and ESL at the Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch, NJ. Alice completed her studies as a French teacher at Rutgers University, later earned her Masters of Arts in French from the University of California and is now enrolled again at Rutgers to complete a doctorate program. She is no stranger to academics and has shared many of her educational experiences with other teachers through workshops offered by AATF and FLENJ. She participated in a student exchange as a youth in Japan and later studied in France to deepen her knowledge of French and its culture and attended one summer at the Universidad de Costa Rica to hone her Spanish skills. One of her most unique opportunities was her year abroad as a Fulbright scholar in a teacher exchange in Senegal. She has since brought back many her cultural experiences to invigorate others in the World Languages teaching profession. Alice has also served as an assessor for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and as a standard setter for the ETS Praxis. FLENJ looks forward to her future contributions as a consummate professional in the field of World Languages.