Donna Jimmerson has spent 18 years as a fifth grade teacher at Roosevelt School working with academically talented students. For Jimmerson, her reward comes every day when the first bell rings.
“I truly like watching the children grow,” said Jimmerson. “That’s what inspires me. I love the relationship I have with the children.”
Dorothy Helwig has taught at Webster School for 35 years, with the last 30 as a kindergarten teacher.
“It’s been so long now that I’m actually teaching the children of some of the students I once taught,” said Helwig. “But I love being with the kids. It’s why I still do it.”
Annette Nunziato has been a teacher at Weehawken High School for 17 years, teaching special education while also serving as the head volleyball coach and the assistant girls’ basketball coach.
“Sometimes, the special ed students feel like they’re somewhat left out, so we try to make them feel like they have a bright future,” Nunziato said.
The trio of dedicated teachers was honored in this year’s Hudson County Teachers of the Year presentation, which was held last Friday at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen.
Sponsored by the Hudson County Board of Education, each school throughout the county was allowed to pick one teacher as its representative. Jimmerson and Nunziato are first-time honorees.
“I was honored, of course, to be recognized by my peers,” Jimmerson said. “It’s a wonderful recognition, but the greatest recognition for me is the children themselves. I get private inspiration from them. It was a little awkward for me, because I don’t like to be singled out. It’s what I do every day. But it was really nice to be honored and I was glad to get the opportunity.”
Nunziato was shocked when she was informed that she was being honored. “I just never gave it any thought,” she said. “That’s why I was so thrilled. I had other teachers coming up to me and saying, ‘Welcome to the club,’ because they were honored before. I guess it’s a very elite club to be in.”
Other teachers in the high school sent Nunziato congratulatory cards for receiving the honor. She was busy last week coordinating a vocational expo for the students, with representatives from places like Lincoln Tech, Apex Tech, and Katherine Gibbs who train students to join the work force.
“We try to impress upon them that getting a vocation isn’t bad,” Nunziato said. “It’s a chance for them to see that there is a life other than going to college. We’re always trying to do a little something extra to help them.”
For Helwig, it was the third time that she was named Teacher of the Year.
“I didn’t know what was going on when [Webster School Principal] Art Palumbo was asking me all these questions about where I went to college and where I got my master’s,” said Helwig. She has been the coordinator of Webster’s Read Across America program and was influential in getting sports personalities like former New Jersey Nets center Jim McIlvaine and New Jersey Devils announcer Mike “Doc” Emrick to come to the school. “When he was asking me the questions, I wondered, ‘Where is he going?'” she said. “Then I realized I was getting the award again. It’s still a thrill and very exciting to be named. There are so many other teachers in our school that are capable and deserving.”