Barton Creek ES EANESpiration Winners, 2022
Left to Right. Top Row: Superintendent Dr. Tom Leonard, Kali Peichoto, Sara Cahill, Ellie Cross, Michelle Santos, Amanda Diaz and Principal Tiffany Phelps. Bottom Row: Megan Nyitray and Rochelle Brown.
Educational Impact
Those who display leadership and commitment to the district by making a positive, noticeable and significant impact.
Ms. Rochelle Brown, Pre-K Teacher
Ms. Brown will go above and beyond to help her coworkers. She loves what she does, and it shows in the children she teaches. Ms. Brown serves as a role model for our students and she always has the best interests of our students in mind. She has skills in communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy and patience. She has the ability to engage kids in any activity she presents in all age groups. She also keeps an open line of communication with her coworkers and her students’ parents. She is the type of person who if there is a problem, she’ll work to find a solution together.
Ms. Amanda Diaz, Infant Room Teacher
Ms. Diaz is a critical member of the Eanes Care program (formerly CDC) at Barton Creek. She is constantly coming up with new activities and programming for the youngest members of our school. She knows every one of her students so well as is evidenced by how calm all the infants are when they are with Ms. Diaz. Her consistent communication with parents is always appreciated. She makes beautiful pictures of all the babies to send home with parents as well as little crafts. She really goes above and beyond to make her classroom such a special place and has such a heart of gold! She has been a phenomenal teacher and has faced adversity in the form of staff turnover and a large number of new infants consistently coming in as the year has progressed. Ms. Diaz never complains and always has a smile on her face and a big hug for her tiny students!
Ms. Ellie Cross, 3rd-Grade Teacher
Ms. Cross has been at BCE during two extremely challenging years. She first stood out as an example of someone with a flexible and positive attitude when she juggled blended learning seamlessly. This was her first year as a teacher and she more than rose to the challenge. Ms. Cross has strong classroom control and is invested in the content and the way she helps students learn. Most importantly, she invests herself in each student, meeting them where they are and working with other staff members to make sure her students feel supported with their social and emotional selves as well.
Ms. Megan Nyitray, LSSP
From day one at our campus, Ms. Nyitray has used her positive attitude and impressive expertise to make our campus a better place. She is able to explain complicated things in a way that is easily understood and makes everyone feel comfortable. Furthermore, she takes the time to make every student and every family feel supported and safe. Ms. Nyitray is always willing to share resources and go the extra mile to help her fellow staff members. We are so grateful for all she does and are so thankful to have her with us at BCE!
Ms. Kali Peichoto, Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Peichoto is a master teacher. To be in her room is a privilege and a joy! She instills lifelong lessons to her little people daily. She makes learning an adventure and they hang onto every word and lesson she teaches. Not only does she go beyond for her students, she gives beyond for the school. She leads our sunshine committee to make sure teachers are taken care of throughout the year. She is also involved in the leadership with the district, our PLC team, team leaders, and more. Ms. Peichoto is patient, loving, kind, inclusive, creative and so much fun. BCE is lucky to have her!
Ms. Michelle Santos, Special Ed Teacher
Ms. Santos is a longtime Eanes ISD employee who has never wavered in her dedication to her students. She is someone we know we can trust to provide an exemplary education to our students. She excels in going above and beyond in making a connection with the kids by noticing those little things about them that make a difference and making them feel seen. This year, Ms. Santos has been an extraordinary help with students of multiple grades in multiple settings. She is always willing to jump in and help teachers in any way she can. Additionally, she has a lot of creative talents and uses them to create environments that make classroom events and student areas feel joyful. Ms. Santos is extremely hard working and the educational impact she has on our school is greatly appreciated.
Innovation
Those who implement a creative or innovative program, teaching method, cost-savings, etc.
Ms. Sara Cahill, 2nd-Grade Teacher
Ms. Cahill is easily one of our most extraordinary teachers. She is always looking to stretch her students with high expectations and immersive learning. Ms. Cahill continually implements Universal Design for Learning in her classrooms. During our biome unit, she transformed both the inside and outside of her classroom into a rainforest and tied the concept into our studies throughout the day while remaining tied to the learning standards. When the Winter Olympics came around, she used this concept in reading groups. She then had students create group presentations based on research they had done about an Olympic sport and had a "Closing Ceremony" complete with medals given and Olympic theme music playing. Ms. Cahill meets the needs of all students and is always considering how to keep all learners moving forward. She is one of our finest teachers and our community is so lucky to have her with us!