Teacher of the year honored for her dedication to Catholic education
“Total shock.”
Ann Slonina, a kindergarten teacher at Saint Dominic Academy in Lewiston, says that was her reaction when she heard Bishop James Ruggieri announce that she had been chosen as the Maine Catholic School Teacher of the Year.
“As the bishop was reading, I thought that it could have been any of us,” she says, thinking of her colleagues who were gathered with her at the March 10th school assembly during which the award was presented.
Slonina was praised by the bishop for fostering a Christ-centered environment in her classroom, for maintaining high academic standards, for the ways she meets the individual needs of her students, and for her professionalism and dedication.
Slonina, who accepted the award with tears in her eyes, expressed gratitude for the honor but, most especially, for the opportunity to work at St. Dom’s.
“I can’t express it. I feel very fortunate. I’ve never taken that for granted because I’ve always felt that I was the lucky one to be here, to have a place to go to work that feels like home, to have had supportive staff and supportive administrations all the way through, the priests, the sisters that were here, and the sisters that are here,” she says.
Slonina is in her 40th year of teaching, and except for one year early on, when she left to teach speech therapy, all of them have been in the same school building.
While studying at the University of Maine at Farmington, she did her student teaching in Lewiston, describing it as a perfect match because it had a French-speaking community, and, growing up along the Canadian border, she had learned French before English. After graduation, she applied for jobs in the city, including at what was then Holy Cross School.
“I came to visit the school, and right away, it reminded me of home. It reminded me of the school that I went to,” she says. “This was the place I wanted to be, and it has felt like that ever since.”
Slonina taught sixth grade that first year, switched to second grade for the next three, and then, after her first child was born, the principal at the time suggested she move to kindergarten because it might be a little easier.
“Kindergarten then was not what kindergarten is today. Back then, it was focused more on social interaction, that kind of thing,” she explains.
For Slonina, it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
“My plan was always to be a nun and to teach kindergarten. I would play that I would give out Communion, and then I would play school afterwards,” she says. “I truly feel God guided me here! I grew up in the small town of Frenchville, the youngest of six, with very loving parents whose faith was unwavering. Our parents taught us by example, with faith, family, community, and service to others being a part of everything they did, God always being at the center of our home. And in my nearly 40 years of teaching, I feel so blessed that God has also been at the center of my work with my students.”
The ability to bring God into the classroom is one of the great gifts of a Catholic education, Slonina says.
“It gives the kids that opportunity to have God be a part of their world every day. That’s what is missing in our world for some of these kids,” she says. “It’s amazing the sense of belonging that they get, and it becomes part of their day. They look forward to talking about God, to learning about God, to learning about Jesus, and about how important they are to us as humans. To know that God is in their hearts just gives them a sense of peace, and you can see it. Part of why I’m still here in year 40 is that it never gets old. To be able to offer that, a special part that they wouldn’t get in a public school, I think is a gift that these kids are given. The parents who send their kids here really are giving them a gift.”
From the start, Slonina says kindergarteners attend Mass and have an opportunity to visit the church. She says morning classroom discussions are also often centered on Jesus.
“What did Jesus teach us? What would Jesus say in this case? Or if someone’s having a bad day, if they came in and there are problems that they’re bringing in, we can reassure them and remind them that God is there with you, no matter where you are,” she says. “You can see a sense of relief in them. They say, ‘Wow! You mean He’s with me all the time?’”
Slonina says she has always loved spending time with kids, which is why she enjoys her job so much.
“This is a way to make a difference and to be part of that growth that they do. Yes, they learn academically, but even more importantly, they grow as little humans who are finding a place in this world. What more could there be than to be a part of that?” she says.
Slonina says what she especially loves about the kindergarten children is their eagerness to learn.
“Their eyes are so untouched, and the world is great. That just gives energy to you as a teacher,” she says. “You see the world through their eyes, and it’s a totally different world, so it’s awesome. It just really changes any perspective.”
Slonina says there have been quite a few changes over the past 40 years. She points to technology, remembering the days of the mimeograph machine, to kindergarten now having an increased focus on academics, and to changes in families and society.
“When I started, most families had one parent at home, whether it was for the whole day or they worked part-time. At the end of the school day, parents were home. Now, parents have to work, and families look different. There are all kinds of different varieties, and they all still send their kids here, so we really need to work even more so as a team with parents to help to support them, not just their kids but them, too,” she says.
The partnership she builds with parents, through newsletters, emails, parent-teacher conferences, and volunteer opportunities,
was among the many reasons Principal Dawn Theriault nominated Slonina for the award.
“Ms. Slonina organizes various events that encourage parent participation and foster a sense of community. From classroom volunteer opportunities to learning project opportunities, these events allow parents to actively engage in their child’s learning experience,” Theriault wrote.
Service has long been a hallmark of Slonina’s classroom. Students have sung Christmas carols in nursing homes and made crafts for residents there as well as for participants in the Meals on Wheels program, a project especially dear to Slonina because her parents ran a Meals on Wheels program during their retirement years.
Slonina says she realized the difference those kindergarten crafts could make for people after her mother fell and was hospitalized a few years ago.
“I had the kids make a Meals on Wheels project for her, and she had that up in her room. She kept that up even after she was released and was home. That always stayed on her refrigerator, and that brought more determination to her that she was going to get back on her feet,” Slonina says, tears coming to her eyes.
Although her parents have now passed away, 13 family members and a close friend were present to see Slonina win the Maine Catholic School Teacher of the Year Award. Among those in attendance were two of her three children, two grandchildren, her godson, and four of her five siblings, including Father Dave Raymond and her brother John, who traveled from Florida to be there.
“Having my family here and then being given the rest of the day off to go spend with them, it was everything. It was everything because they’ve been my support, too,” she says.
Although her other siblings are now retired, Slonina says that is not in her immediate future because she still loves going to work every day.
“It’s new every year. You get a new group of kids. They come with their own experiences. They come with their own personalities, so it’s like it’s always new. It never gets old,” she says.
The new faces she sees today are sometimes the children or, in a few cases, the grandchildren of former students. Slonina even recalls, during her first year, having now-Principal Theriault as a student in her reading class.
“I remember her handwriting, her cursive,” says Slonina.
For being named teacher of the year, Slonina received $500 for herself and $500 for her classroom. She plans to use the latter to purchase more faith-based books for her classroom library so that the kids will be able to bring them home to read.
