Educator Spotlight: Emily DePauw of FSO
Educator Spotlight: Emily DePauw of FSO
Congratulations to January Educator Spotlight honoree Emily DePauw of Franklin School of Opportunity! Emily has been singled out by her peers as an outstanding employee and colleague. Click on Read More below to find out more about this fabulous staff member!
EMILY DEPAUW
Each morning when students come into Emily DePauw’s classroom at Franklin School of Opportunity, they are asked to “check-in” with Emily and let her know how they are feeling that day, good or bad.
“I want to understand what they are going through, to help them as much as possible,” Emily says of her empathetic approach.
Whatever small or big gesture she can do to help ease the stresses her students experience, Emily is on it. “Emily strives to meet the whole student's needs- social, emotional and behavioral as well as academic,” says FSO principal Terri Bornino-Elwell, Emily’s nominator.
Besides her teaching, Emily, who joined FSO and the District in 2017, participates in the District’s DEIB efforts through the Equity in Action program. She also is part of FSO’s Reset and PBIS teams. She created a PBIS rewards store for the students that she personally stocked with items such as blankets, water bottles, hair accessories, earbuds, etc.
Terri says the store is typical of Emily’s care and concern for her students. “(The) store is a motivator and another way Emily pushes students to work above the goals they have set for themselves,” Terri said.
Emily preaches a growth mindset to her students, who she feels “learn most through their mistakes.” She also pushes herself to reach outside her comfort zone. An example is when she teamed with FSO counselor Andrew Maruk to create a new, engaging course, forensic science for FSO students.
According to Terri, Emily is always looking to be involved in new instructional practices and reaches out to stakeholders for new ideas to improve student learning and success. Emily is truly an embodiment of our Vision of a Lakewood Educator!