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PEMCO is a company that is committed to education and committed to educators. We are a company
that was founded by an educator for educators. We are committed to them and we are committed
to the community. PEMCO insurance, a Northwest company, is proud to be a longtime supporter
of the KCTS Golden Apple Awards that honor Washington’s best teachers and programs.
Some of which are a lot like us. A little different.
Speaker: The Golden Apple Awards usually go to teachers and principals. But our next winner
makes a unique impact even though students hardly listen to a word of what she says.
Here is Josephine Cheng to explain. (Children talking)
Josephine: Most classrooms in most schools (Child saying: Let’s put some fishies in
it) Josephine: are full of sound.
(Girl: It can be like a little foot) Josephine: But at Evergreen High School in
Vancouver, Washington, some students only hear this
(Silence) Josephine: The Sound of Silence.
Teaching comes alive because of Debbie Renner. Debbie: Perfect.
Josephine: Every day Debbie goes far beyond her title as Sign Language Interpreter for
Evergreen’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. She is their lifeline.
Mary Brophy: Every student needs a reason to come to school. Every student needs somebody
to connect with and Debbie is Connor’s reason to come to school.
Josephine: Mary Brophy is talking about her son, Connor, who was born with cerebral palsy
and a variety of developmental issues. Teacher: There is going to be some pizza and
some candy. Connor: Pizza and candy.
Josephine: He is an example of how Debbie serves, as interpreter, tutor, friend and
mentor, even in this case as driving coach. Debbie: Did you say hi Jason?
Connor: Hi. Josephine: You see when Connor first got his
scooter, he was downright dangerous. Debbie: He would run into things. He might
run into people. Don’t hit the metal. Mary Brophy: It was sort of like a typical
teenage boy learning how to drive. I will just push harder and go faster to get through
this obstacle. Josephine: So Debbie made Connor his very
own Driver’s Guide, made him learn how to drive, and he eventually earned a Driver’s
Permit, which includes traffic violations and their consequences.
Debbie: It did make a difference. Mary Brophy: Oh Huge! Oh!
Debbie: Nice job, Connor! Mary Brophy: She just made it a rite of passage,
like a 16-year-old would getting their license, which is so appropriate.
Josephine: With new wheels and newfound confidence, Connor took leaps in his learning. He even
got a job, shelving library books at a nearby elementary school.
Connor: I Spy a freight train. Debbie: Now you are going to have to put them
in order alphabetically. Mary Brophy: I am so grateful he has her in
his life. That he comes to school. It is like I know when Ms. Renner is out.
Josephine: That kind of connection, Debbie says, motivates students to get to the next
level, which is what Debbie is really after, getting her kids to listen to their internal
voice. Debbie: Inside.
Debbie: The kids are the reason that I want to do more and do better in my job. They are
the reward. They are the ones that put the hard work into each and every day, and their
success is the best reward I could ever ask for.
(Audience clapping and cheering) Debbie: Thank you. Well we don’t get to
pick and choose the students that we work with in any of our programs. I am thankful
for all the Connors in my world, not only at Evergreen High school, but I also have
a job at Washington School for the Deaf, so I am blessed to work with a number of deaf
and hard of hearing students, and they have taught me to think outside of the box. Working
with those individuals has been a highlight and is a highlight in my life and will continue
to be a highlight in my life. I am just a vessel. I am a willing person that will step
outside of the box to help meet their needs and reach them at whatever level they are
at. Each one of those individuals. Each one of those Connors in our world have a future
and they are part of our future. So I am thankful again that they are in my life and have taught
me so much. When you work with these kids, and you see the light bulb go on, and you
see the sparkle of excitement in their eyes, and you see them, you watch them teach other
students that are like them, or maybe not like them, how to do something, how to learn
something, how to step out and take a risk. Each one of those situations, those are the
Golden Apples that I hold in my heart each and every day. So thank you.
(Applause)