Desert Willow home to Teacher of the Year

CCUSD – A good teacher can have a profound effect on students’ lives.

And for the past 12 years, Wal‑Mart Stores Inc. has spotlighted such teachers by awarding a “Teacher of the Year’ award, recognizing that one special teacher who has made a difference.

This year’s Arizona recipient teaches at Desert Willow Elementary in the Cave Creek Unified School District.

Catherine Malina teaches kindergarten at Desert Willow, a job she takes very seriously. Malina was named teacher of the year in May and received a $1,000 grant for her school from Lance Yarmer, manager of the Wal‑Mart at the corner of Tatum Boulevard and Bell Road in Phoenix.

“The community nominates the teachers,” Yarmer told the assembled student body, staff and faculty at the Oct. 12 presentation at Desert Willow. “The letters we received were very inspiring.”

The gathered throng included dignitaries from CCUSD, former students, Cave Creek Mayor Vince Francia and Malina’s husband.

Francia proclaimed Oct. 12 “Catherine Malina Day” in Cave Creek and presented her  with a plaque honoring her accomplishments.

Malina received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic crowd.

In addition, she received a $10,000 grant to be used for the school’s projects.

“That’s why I like the Wal‑Mart awards,” a beaming Malina said. “A lot of awards go directly to the teacher. Theirs focus on the school. We have a great staff here. We all get a long really well, and each of us have different strengths. Our principal knows how to utilize those strengths.”

Deb Dusseau was on hand to represent Phi Delta Kappa, an education organization that helps Wal‑Mart choose the yearly award recipient.

Dusseau and Yarmer agreed that the nomination letters from the community had a large impact on their choice for the award.

“Wal‑Mart has 82 stores in Arizona,” Dusseau said, “and each one of them has maybe 15 nominations. She was asked to write an essay describing her teaching philosophy, and she was asked to state her professional objectives both in and out of school. She was chosen from literally hundreds of possible winners.”

Yarmer had a gut feeling Malina would win the whole shooting match, he said.

“These letters (nominating her) were the best ones we received by far,” Yarmer explained. “She was the hands‑down favorite.

I thought she would win all  along. The lady lives this job.

But it’s not a job to her. It’s like a calling.”

Among her accomplishments Malina noted that she had raised student achievement from one to three years growth.

“I commit to every individual child and continually check results to see that I am making a difference (in their learning process),” Malina wrote. “My greatest contribution is instilling a passion for learning and a desire for every child to do his/her best.”

A background in special education taught her the value of individual instruction.

“I focus on each child’s strength.”

Malina makes it a point to actively involve parents in the teaching process.

“I have parent volunteers almost every day in the classroom,” she said. “I host a reading night for kindergarten parents.

I have a Dad’s Night and a Mother’s Day Tea. I also send out a weekly newsletter. Each year we adopt an underprivileged family at Christmas. I think it is important for us to support our troops, too. We had a dad deployed to Iraq and we sent him little care packages and wrote him cards and letters.”

All in a day’s work for Catherine Malina, teacher extraordinaire.

“Actually, I’m not surprised she won,” Dr. Jana Miller said, Desert Willow principal. “She’s an outstanding teacher. All of our teachers are outstanding here, and I’m very proud one of our own was recognized.”