Hi, I am Ellie, a middle school student at The Newton School. For the “educator of the year,” I want to pick Ms. Deborah Parks, our social teacher, she has been here since the school opened, 10 years ago. I want to pick her because even though I get mad all the time she tries to calm me down and fix the problem. She also comes up with challenges like peeps on vacation and ice dancing contests for which we all have to work together. Some times these challenges are easy and some times hard but we get them done together as a team. She also works with me to become a better person by having me keep track of how many complements I give. She helps me mentally because when I get upset, she always has slime in her room to make me feel relaxed and calm. She helps me academically by having me keep track of how many times I raise my hand because I know the answer to a question. She gets us slime and putty and other fun things to help us. She is the best “educator of the year,” and I will keep her in my heart forever and ever.