The September Rotary Teacher of the Month is Alisa Fernandez, First Grade teacher at Camino Grove Elementary School.  Alisa earned her BA in Liberal Studies with a specialization in child development from San Diego State.  She has been teaching for 12 years and with Arcadia Unified for the last 8.
In the classroom, one of Alisa’s favorite activities is “Step Thru Reading,” a collaborative grade level program that meets the needs of all students by forming a supportive and nurturing learning community.  She loves teaching writing and art and bringing out the creativity in her students.  Her class publishes a book which documents the year through writing, art, and photographs.
At Camino Grove, Alisa is on the School Site Council and Leadership Team, is a trainer of trainers for “Thinking Maps”, and helps organize and facilitate staff development activities.  She was selected for the District’s “Profile in Excellence” award and has earned classroom grants from both the Arcadia Educational Foundation and Foothill Federal Credit Union.
Alisa says “Teachers can have such a profound impact on a child’s life.  Teachers encourage and inspire a love of learning and can make a life-long difference in a student’s life. It is also especially rewarding to work so hard with a child who may be struggling with a concept and then see the enthusiasm in that student’s face when the magic ‘light bulb’ goes off and they realize they comprehend something new.”  A co-worker commented that “Alisa always approaches every situation from the perspective of what is best for the child and how she, or all, can work together to help them be successful.  Her caring attitude makes students love her and parents respect her.”
Alisa is married to Marcus, an Arcadia High School grad, and they live in the Highland Oaks area with 2 year old son Michael.  She enjoys cooking, parenting activities with other new moms and is in the process of remodeling their home.

The October Rotary Teacher of the Month is Susan Lersey, Kindergarten teacher at Longley Way Elementary School.  After being a stay-at-home mom, Susan earned her BA and Masters from Azusa Pacific University and has been teaching in Arcadia Schools for 7 years.
In Susan’s classroom, students learn about plant growth, ladybugs, butterflies, and parts of the plant that can be eaten.  Her little ones learn about the five senses, learn to use the computer and  Thinking Maps, and by the end of Kindergarten are writing sentences. 
Susan says she loves working with very young children. They are enthusiastic, energetic, and eager to learn.    She enjoys the openness and honesty of the age group, and loves it when she can see their learning progress and growth.  A co- worker commented that in the classroom, Susan is driven, straight forward, and an innovative teacher.  She has high expectations and standards, yet is empathetic and understanding of those students who need the special attention.  All of her students love her.
In addition to classroom activities, Susan is on the Longley Way field day committee, is the teacher liaison to PTA, and is an ATA representative.  She also administers ACT and SAT tests at AHS.  In pursuit of one of life-long goals to learn another language, Susan has started taking Mandarin classes and has already used it to help her limited English students.
Susan has three sons who attended Arcadia schools.  She enjoys international travel and her most recent trip was to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco this summer.  She loves reading, needlepoint, hiking and horses.  As a youth, Susan grew up in the Palo Alto area and had a horse in the Stanford Barn.