Mrs. Laura Westerman, a
veteran educator who has worked in West Irondequoit her entire 14-year teaching
career, is the new Director of its Evans & McGraw Learning Center. She succeeds
Mrs. Tracey Savine, who is a new Assistant Principal at Penfield High School.
“Laura has a terrific work
ethic and is dedicated to being a lifelong learner,” said West Irondequoit Central
School District Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Tim Terranova, who led the search
committee. “She has expertise with our curriculum, instruction and assessment
and has an exceptional ability to build collaborative relationships with
stakeholders. All of that makes her a great fit.”
A Rochester native who earned
her Bachelor of Science in biology and science education from Syracuse
University, Mrs. Westerman also earned her Master of Science in Teaching of
Reading and Literacy from SUNY Geneseo in 2010. She has taught general science and living environment at Dake Junior High School and Irondequoit High School
since 2005. As Director of WICSD’s learning center for teachers, she will play
a critical role in the professional development of her colleagues.
In addition to earning this
year’s Beverly F. Engel Excellence in Education Award, Mrs. Westerman has held
New York State’s Master Teacher designation since 2015, presented at multiple
local conferences and in 2011 was a finalist for the Rochester Area Colleges
Center for Excellence in math and science and Excellence in STEM teaching
awards. Mrs. Westerman has mentored many probationary teachers in West
Irondequoit and already has significantly impacted the integration of
technology in classrooms as part of Dake’s Implementation Team.
Mrs. Westerman is expected to
start her new assignment in August. She and her husband, Jeff, live in Penfield
with their two daughters, Grace and Abigail. Thank you to all of the
professionals, including the TLC Policy Board, who made her recommendation for
hire.