2010 Lewis Award Finalists Presented Awards
Mrs. Nancy Cooley receives her recognition from the Lewis Award at Our Lady of Lourdes Church
On Wednesday, June 2, Mrs. Nancy Cooley, of Our Lady of Lourdes School, Raleigh, and Mrs. Marilu Morse, of St. Paul School, New Bern, both Finalists for the 2009-2010 Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching, were presented their awards. The Awards consisted of a gift of $250.00 and a plaque stating each Finalist's honor.
Mrs. Cooley, long term 5th Grade teacher at Lourdes School, was presented her Award at the End of School Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Wednesday morning. Fr. John Forbes, pastor of Lourdes Parish presided at the Liturgy. Mrs. Anne Stahel, Chair of the Lewis Award Committee, made the presentation to Mrs. Cooley. Dr. Robert Scripko, Principal of Lourdes School, accepted the gift of $250.00 to the school in Mrs. Cooley’s honor.
Mrs. Marilu Morse with Msgr. Lewis and Bishop Emeritus F. Joseph Gossman at the annual Lewis Award Dinner in May
A special Mass was offered in honor of Mrs. Marilu Morse at St. Paul Church, New Bern, on Wednesday afternoon. Monsignor Gerald Lewis, Pastor of St. Paul, presided at the 1:30PM Liturgy. Mrs. Morse, a faculty member at St. Paul School for twenty years, teaches 6th-8th grade Religion, Math and Science. Monsignor Lewis joined Mrs. Stahel in making the presentation to Mrs. Morse; and Msgr. Lewis presented Mrs. Monette Mahoney, Principal of St. Paul School, with $250.00 to St. Paul’s in Mrs. Morse’s honor.
In her remarks at both presentations, Mrs. Stahel stated, “To be selected as a Finalist carries an honor of its own, and the Committee’s perception of any Finalist for the Lewis Award as that of an outstanding, talented, committed educator”.
Lewis Award Hosts Dinner
Mrs. Donna Frazelle, 2010 Lewis Award Recipient, with Bishop Michael Burbidge (left) and husband Allan Frazelle (right)
The 2010 Lewis Award Dinner was held Saturday, May 1, at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh, NC. The annual affair is hosted to celebrate the current Recipient of the Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching and to honor all past Recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Award and the Lewis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Catholic Education.
The 2010 Lewis Award Recipient, Donna Maria Frazelle, was the guest of honor at the Dinner. Mrs. Frazelle is the Middle School Science teacher at St. Mark School in Wilmington, a position she has held for the last 6 years. She is very active in athletics at St. Mark’s School, and heads the school’s annual Science Fair. Ms. Marguerite Miller-DiFulvio, Principal of St. Mark School, was also recognized at the Dinner.
Mrs. Lesley Ferguson, 2002 Recipient of the Lewis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Catholic Education
Special guests at this year’s Dinner were the two Finalists for the 2010 Lewis Award and their principals. They were Mrs. Nancy Cooley, 5th Grade Teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Raleigh, and Dr. Robert Scripko, Principal; and Mrs. Marilu Morse, Middle School Religion, Math and Science Teacher at St. Paul Catholic School in New Bern, and Mrs. Monette Mahoney, Principal.
Among the past Recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Award attending the Dinner were Mrs. Mary Jane Davis, Raleigh, 1994; Mrs. Rebecca Dason, Raleigh, 1995; Mrs. Deborah Haggerty, Rocky Mount, 2000; Mrs. Michelle Silva, Chapel Hill, 2005; Mrs. Laura Gallimore, Wake Forest, 2006; Mrs. Jo-Ann Colopy, Raleigh, 2008; Mrs. Susan Goethals, Raleigh, 2009. Also attending was Ms. Cora Bilano, Raleigh, the Inaugural Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
The Most Reverend F. Joseph Gossman, Bishop Emeritus of Raleigh, delivered the Invocation, and the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, gave the Benediction.
 Lewis Award Committee members Mrs. Caralyn House and Mrs. Helen Mosca |  Lewis Award Committee member Dr. Colleen Grochowski, of Durham, with Committee Emeritus member, Mrs. Petey Hicks, of Raleigh |
| Lewis Award Committee members Mrs. Caralyn House and Mrs. Helen Mosca | Lewis Award Committee member Dr. Colleen Grochowski, of Durham, with Committee Emeritus member, Mrs. Petey Hicks, of Raleigh |
Mrs. Donna Frazelle Presented with Lewis Teaching Award
Mrs. Donna Frazelle, 2010 Lewis Award Recipient
On Wednesday, April 28, Mrs. Donna Frazelle, a Science teacher at St. Mark Catholic School in Wilmington, was presented with the 2009-2010 Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Lewis Award is an honor designed to recognize, promote and encourage excellence in teaching in the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Raleigh. Nominations are submitted by individuals, groups, schools and parishes for classroom teachers deemed exceptionally skillful and dedicated and who possess the respect and admiration of their students, parents and colleagues.
Mrs. Donna Frazelle makes her remarks after being presented the 2010 Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching at St. Mark Church, Wilmington
Mrs. Frazelle has taught 6th, 7th and 8th grades at St. Mark’s for five years, and has over 10 years of teaching experience. Instrumental in initiating, organizing and facilitating development of the 6th – 8th grade athletic program at St. Mark, Mrs. Frazelle has coached girls’ volleyball, coed soccer and girls’ and boys’ basketball. Additionally she organized and planned the annual St. Mark’s Science Fair. Through her efforts, St. Mark has been initiated into the Southeastern Middle School League. Mrs. Frazelle lives in Wilmington, NC.
The award was presented after a Mass attended by the students and faculty of St. Mark’s Catholic School, and celebrated by the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh. Reverend Msgr. Gerald L. Lewis was the homilist. He spoke of the role that teachers play in imitating Christ by bringing light into darkness.
Mrs. Donna Frazelle, 2010 Lewis Award Recipient, with her 8th grade class
Mrs. Frazelle was one of three finalists for the Award selected by the Award Committee in January. During a three-week period in February, Lewis Award Committee members made unannounced visits to each Finalist’s classroom to observe and interview the Finalist. Three teams of two Committee members each observed the candidates at different times and different days to afford the whole Committee the best overview of the finalist.
In accepting the award, Mrs. Frazelle tearfully thanked her family, her students – “the reason I come to work every day” – and her colleagues at St. Mark’s.
The Excellence in Teaching Award includes an honorarium of $1500 to Mrs. Frazelle and $500 to St. Mark School.
Lewis Award Committee Announces 2009-2010 Excellence in Teaching Recipient
Mrs. Donna Frazelle with Fr. Steve Carlson, Pastor of St. Mark Church, and Marguerite Miller-DiFulvio, Principal of St. Mark School
The Lewis Award Committee has announced that Mrs. Donna Frazelle, middle school Science teacher at St. Mark School in Wilmington, has been selected as the 2009-2010 Recipient of the Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Mrs. Frazelle has been teaching for over eleven years, the last six of which have been at St. Mark School. An engaging personality in the classroom, Mrs. Frazelle’s strong interest in science and sports led to the establishment of an annual Science Fair and an active athletic program at St. Mark’s, among other innovations. In answering the question of why she teaches in a Catholic School, Mrs. Frazelle stated in her Lewis Award candidate form, “When I answered my calling for teaching, it wasn’t just to teach anywhere, it was to return to my roots (of Catholic education) and give back what helped shape me into who I am today”.
The Excellence in Teaching Award includes an honorarium of $1500 to Mrs. Frazelle and $500 to St. Mark School. Plans are underway for a celebration Liturgy at St. Mark Catholic Church scheduled for April 28, 2010. The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, will be the Presider at the Liturgy in honor of Mrs. Frazelle.
 Mrs. Donna Frazelle receives the balloon bouquet announcing her selection as the 2009-2010 Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient from Fr. Steve Carlson, pastor of St. Mark Church |  Donna gets a congratulatory hug from her Principal, Peggy DiFulvio |
| Mrs. Donna Frazelle receives the balloon bouquet announcing her selection as the 2009-2010 Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient from Fr. Steve Carlson, pastor of St. Mark Church | Donna gets a congratulatory hug from her Principal, Peggy DiFulvio |
Lewis Award Committee Announces 2009-2010 Finalists
The Lewis Award Committee has selected the three Finalists for the 2009-2010 Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Finalists are:
- Nancy Cooley, 5th Grade, Our Lady of Lourdes, Raleigh
- Donna Frazelle, Middle School Science, St Mark, Wilmington
- Marilu Morse, 6-8th Religion, Math and Science, St. Paul, New Bern
Mrs. Nancy Cooley
Mrs. Nancy Cooley, fifth grade teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Raleigh, has been teaching for 27 years, 22 of them at Lourdes. She has taught in both public and Catholic schools. Mrs. Cooley is active in her school and civic communities, serving as faculty representative on the Home-School Association Board, and is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She has served on her Parish Council, as advisor to the school Student Council, and is active with the Safety Patrol and recycling programs at Lourdes. She resides in Wake Forest, NC.
Mrs. Donna Frazelle
Mrs. Donna Frazelle, Science teacher for the 6th, 7th and 8th grades at St. Mark School in Wilmington, has over 10 years of teaching experience, 5 of them at St. Mark. Instrumental in initiating, organizing and facilitating development of the 6th – 8th grade athletic program at St. Mark, Mrs. Frazelle has coached girls' volleyball, coed soccer and girls' and boys' basketball. Additionally she organized and planned the annual St. Mark’s Science Fair. Through her efforts, St. Mark has been initiated into the Southeastern Middle School League. Mrs. Frazelle lives in Wilmington, NC.
Mrs. Marilu Morse
Mrs. Marilu Morse, Religion, Math and Science teacher for grades 6th – 8th at St. Paul School in New Bern, has taught for 27 years, the last 20 at St. Paul. Before moving to New Bern, Mrs. Morse taught in several Catholic schools in New England, and was active in Scouting programs, parish affairs and school math and science competitions. In New Bern, she continues her active school, parish and community involvement. With photography as an interest, she is associated with the Coastal Photo Club and serves as an officer in the organization. Mrs. Morse lives in Bridgeton, NC.
During a three-week period in February, Lewis Award Committee members will make unannounced visits to each Finalist’s classroom to observe and interview the Finalist. Three teams of two Committee members each will be scheduled to observe the candidate at different times and different days to afford the whole Committee the best overview of the Finalist. In March, the Lewis Award Committee will meet to elect the Recipient of the 2009-2010 Award for Excellence in Teaching. Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, will be the Presider at a Celebration Liturgy honoring the Recipient in her school’s parish church in late April 2010.
Lewis Award Committee to Name Three Finalists in January
The Lewis Award Committee will name the three Finalists for the 2009-2010 Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching in mid-January. According to Committee Chair Anne Stahel, December is the month when the Committee reviews the packets for each candidate in preparation for the Committee meeting in early January.
“The Diocese of Raleigh is very fortunate to have such committed individuals teaching in its schools. It is a pleasure to read about their love and caring for their students, fellow faculty and others in their communities. To be selected as a Finalist is an honor in and of itself. The difficulty that faces the Committee each year at this time is having to select only three Finalists from a superlative group of educators,” Mrs. Stahel said.
During a three week period in February, the three named Finalists for the Lewis Award will be observed by the Committee members in the classroom setting, followed by a personal interview. The Committee visits in teams of two members each, and visits are scheduled with the intent that each Finalist will be observed on different days and times of day. This allows the Committee to learn about a teacher across the range of his or her classroom day and week.
The Lewis Award Committee meets in early March to elect the Recipient for this year’s Award. Presentation of the Excellence in Teaching Award is scheduled for April 28, 2010. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will preside at a Celebration Liturgy at the parish church of the Recipient’s school. The Award carries an honorarium of $1500 to the Recipient, and $500 to the Recipient’s school in his or her honor.