Teaching a 'calling' for honored New Kensington-Arnold kindergarten instructor

A small painting of a tree hangs in Alissa Szewczak’s kindergarten classroom at New Kensington-Arnold’s Martin Elementary School.

Its leaves don’t look like leaves, and most aren’t even green.

The splotches of color are actually the thumbprints of her past students — one year of first grade, two years of third grade and now three years of kindergarten. They pressed their thumbs on the canvass at the end of the school year.

“It helps me remember them,” Szewczak said.

Now that school is out for the summer, Szewczak has the painting with her at the Penn Hills home she shares with her husband, Ryan, and their two labradoodles, older and calmer Heinz and young and precocious Kelby.

She was at first reluctant, but after a few days of thought agreed to talk about being honored as 2021 elementary teacher of the year by The Education Partnership, a nonprofit based in Pittsburgh’s West End that supports teachers at schools in Allegheny County and seven surrounding counties with free supplies and other resources.

Public recognition isn’t why Szewczak, 34, loves teaching, which she called her calling and what she is most passionate about.

“I just want to keep teaching kids how to read and showing them they can do hard things,” she said. “I just really enjoy teaching, especially at New Ken. I have the most impact there, and they have the most impact on me.”

Szewczak was one of six teachers honored in The Education Partnership’s second annual awards program, called “Teppies” as a play on its name and awards like the Grammys and Emmys, said Kiki Reis, director of advancement.

Szewczak says all of New Kensington-Arnold’s teachers deserve recognition.

“They move mountains at New Kensington,” she said. “We don’t have all the technology and resources other districts have. We have creative and caring teachers that go above and beyond.”

Acting Superintendent Jon Banko said Szewczak’s recognition is well-deserved.

“Over the past several years, I have watched her develop into an exceptional kindergarten teacher — no small accomplishment as our youngest students represent quite a unique challenge for teachers,” he said. “Alissa does an excellent job of structuring her classroom so that it provides the type of structure that new students need so that they can learn how to ‘do school’ while, at the same time, her lessons are engaging and interesting for the kids.”

In addition to Szewczak, Abbe Ward, a teacher at Roy A. Hunt Elementary in New Kensington-Arnold, was a finalist for rookie teacher of the year, reserved for new teachers with a year or less teaching experience in any grade level.

“We are very excited about what Abbe Ward brings to the classroom and her potential for growth as an educator,” Banko said. “A teacher’s perspective has significant influence on their ability to get the most out of their students, and as a former NKASD student, she understands the community. She can relate to the challenges her students face, and she easily adapts to meet needs of students in her emotional support classroom.”

A total of 85 teachers were nominated by the public, Reis said. A panel picked the finalists in each category, who were then put up for public voting daily over a month to select a winner. More than 7,000 unique votes were cast.

Winners received a $200 Visa gift card, a $50 gift card for Lakeshore Learning Materials and have their name placed on the partnership’s trophy cup, Reis said.

Szewczak was nominated by five people, who spoke of how giving she is and how invested she is in making sure her students are successful, even more so during the covid pandemic.

“All of that was really compelling to our nominating committee,” Reis said. “Alissa has put in so much of her own time and money toward supporting her students. This has been the most difficult time for teaching in modern history. To do an exceptional job during a difficult year is certainly a feat.”

Nicole Bitar, principal of Martin and H.D. Berkey elementary schools, has known Szewczak since she started teaching at New Kensington-Arnold as a substitute.

Kindergarten is a difficult grade to teach, as children arrive at school at different levels of development, with varying levels of skills and abilities, Bitar said.

“Her class is always well-behaved. They enjoy being there,” Bitar said. “As friendly as she is, she’s no-nonsense. She’s not mean, but the kids know what’s expected of them. They want to perform for her.”

Bitar said Szewczak’s classroom has a very warm feeling.

“She’s like your neighbor next door you feel very comfortable with,” she said. “She goes the extra mile for the children, which is really nice. Sometimes you don’t have people who do that. She doesn’t brag about it. I find out accidentally that she did it, and it’s not a big deal.

“You can tell she really cares about the community, and she really cares about the kids.”

A native of Allegheny Township and 2005 graduate of Kiski Area, Szewczak got her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Westminster College in 2009 and a master’s in K-8 math and science at Slippery Rock University.

She is a daughter of teachers, Darlene and Michael Cochenour. Her mother taught kindergarten at New Kensington-Arnold and was teaching third grade there when she retired in 2006; her father retired in 2012 from Burrell School District as a learning support teacher.

Michael Cochenour worked briefly at New Kensington-Arnold, but long enough to meet Szewczak’s mother there. When she was hired as a first grade teacher, Szewczak’s first classroom was across the hall from where her parents had met at H.D. Berkey.

Helping her set up her classroom “was emotional for my mom,” she said.

Szewczak enjoys the challenge of kindergarten.

“It’s such an important year for them. It’s how they learn to be in school and how to socialize in that setting. They never stop growing in kindergarten,” she said. “No day is the same. I can teach the same lesson three years in a row and the fourth year will be completely different. It makes every day different and new for me, too.”

During the covid pandemic, Szewczak had to teach in all forms — in person, partially remote, fully remote and hybrid.

“Finding ways to keep them engaged was definitely challenging,” she said. “We all learned what worked and what didn’t very quickly and adjusted.”

The doodles got involved in virtual lessons all the time, showing up in the background. Szewczak would use them in lessons — such as, if a student read a word, the dogs got a treat.

“We were family at that point. We were in each other’s houses,” she said. “It made it easier to have that community.”

Szewczak said her kindergarten students did great with virtual learning and definitely learned.

“They didn’t know that wasn’t normal,” she said. “They just adapted.”

Szewczak hopes that, come fall, she can be back with her students in the classroom.

“That’s the best way to spend the day,” she said. “My song and dance isn’t as good on the computer as it is in person.”

The tree Szewczak has her students place their thumbprints upon was painted by one of her own elementary teachers, Cindy Shaner. On those hard days, when Szewczak wonders if she’s made a difference, she looks at it.

“It’s a good reminder,” she said.