Chisler wins David L. Madison Compassionate Educator Award
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
The nominees for first annual David L. Madison Compassionate Educator Award include (from left) Jane Naymek, Ben Franklin Elementary/Middle School; Angela Machesky, Lafayette Elementary School; Madison; Mary Chesler, St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School; Elizabeth Machesky, Laurel Highlands Middle School; and John Sharp, Laurel Highlands High School.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
The first annual David L. Madison Compassionate Educator Award was presented to Mary Chesler, a teacher at St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School in Uniontown. Chesler was nominated for the award by her student Allison Bilohlavek (center) and was presented the award by Mary Jane Glitz, advisory board chairwoman for Fayette County Children and Youth Services.
An eighth-grade teacher at St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School was honored as “quiet, every day hero for the youth in Fayette County schools,” and named the first recipient of the David L. Madison Compassionate Educator Award.
“I’m very humbled,” said Mary Chesler at the Thursday ceremony. “It just makes me want to do better tomorrow.”
Chesler said that she was most honored to receive the award because she was nominated by one of her students, Allison Bilohlavek, who told the crowd during her speech that Chesler was her hero.
“I always tell my mom that if I can grow up to be like her, then I’ve succeeded,” said Bilohlavek.
“Most people look up to people who are famous or are athletes, but she’s my hero and she means so much to me,” Bilohlavek said. “She is the most deserving teacher for this award and it would please me very much to see her receive credit for all she has done over the years.”
Chesler received $250 from the collaboration between the Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County (CVC) and Fayette County Child and Youth Services (CYS). She was also presented with a citation from state Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union Township, and the House of Representatives.
Each of the four remaining finalists also received $50 from CVC and CYS, and a certificate of recognition Mahoney. Those finalists were John Sharp from Laurel Highlands High School, Angela Machesky from Lafayette Elementary School in the Uniontown Area School District, Elizabeth Machesky of Laurel Highlands Middle School and Jane Naymek of Ben Franklin School in UASD.
The dinner and award ceremony was sponsored by the CVC, and was organized by the volunteer CYS advisory board.
Cindy Ridley, a member of the advisory board, said that the award was created to honor those educators who go above and beyond their mandated reporting requirement to meet the needs of a child or youth in Fayette County.
“It’s about those teachers who are at the forefront of the battlefield and use their love and compassion for education to go the extra mile,” said Ridley. “It’s about any child who has ever been lifted by a teacher.”
The advisory board created the award this year in honor of Madison, who retired recently after serving as the CYS director for more than 31 years.
Ridley said the teachers could have been nominated by anyone, whether it be a student, parent, community member or school administrator. She also said that there is no limit to the number of nominations the advisory board could receive.
“We would love to have more nominations for next year. We always say it would be great if our job was harder,” she said.
Ridley said that all of the nominations were reviewed independently and that the advisory board was unaware of the nominee’s names, years of work or location of work.
The evening came to a close as advisory board member Barb Peters summed up the evening with two simple words – ” compassion counts.”
“Thank you to Dave (Madison), and thank you to the award winner for inspiring us,” said Peters.
The ceremony was fittingly held in April which is the month dedicated to child abuse prevention and awareness.