2018 Teacher & Staff of the Year Awards

2018 Teacher of the Year, Frances Klein (left) and 2018 Staff of the Year, Kateri Whitley (right)

Providence Cristo Rey is blessed to have a talented group of employees that go above and beyond for our students. We are excited to begin a new tradition that recognizes the contributions our amazing faculty and staff bring to our school community.

Teachers and staff were asked to nominate their peers for a Teacher of the Year and Staff of the Year award. Award winners were chosen based on their demonstrations of love, mercy, and justice towards our students and their co-workers, as well as their contributions towards our mission of growing our students academically, professionally, and spiritually.

Our 2018 Teacher of the Year is Frances Klein!

Frances Klein (right) with Principal Leslie Napora.

Frances is a member of our English department. She has been with Providence Cristo Rey High School since August 2014.

In addition to her teaching duties, Frances is an instructional coach for the humanities department and a mentor for our school's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) and ECHO teachers.

"To me, winning this award is an incredible compliment because of the quality of teachers we have in our school," said Frances. "I’m humbled every day by the great work done by my coworkers, so to know that they think well of me is very rewarding."

A few excerpts from her nominations:

"Frances is the most kind and compassionate teacher. She supports her students and treats them with love and respect no matter what."

"Frances demonstrates kindness, rigor, and persistence with ALL students. I have observed Frances work with countless students on the core values of PCRHS."

"Frances is always willing to help other teachers succeed. She is always willing to listen and give advice. This year, she used her extra time to help print and organize final exams for the entire English department."

"Frances is always looking for ways to improve our students' level of learning. She makes herself very aware of their individual needs."

"She has a gift for capturing students' attention. She is an example of Christ's compassion for others. Frances sets an example of what a spiritual person should be like - fair, loving, caring, trustworthy, and faithful."

"Frances demonstrates justice towards our students by advocating for those who would often feel less empowered. She never fails to show compassion and understanding."

"I truly believe Frances has a gift and a calling for teaching. She is a wonderful educator, role-model, and mentor for our students. We are incredibly blessed to have her at our school."

Our 2018 Staff Member of the Year is Kateri Whitley!

Kateri Whitley (front right) and her junior retreat small group.

Kateri is our Director of Marketing & Alumni Relations. She has been with Providence Cristo Rey High School since June 2011.

"I am so proud of the work our entire staff and faculty do on a daily basis," said Kateri. "This award is meaningful to me because I am surrounded by creative, talented, and thoughtful people who always put our students first."

Her nominators had this to say about her:

"Despite not teaching them, Kateri always knows the students' names. She can address them personally and respectfully, and they know her as someone they can always go to for assistance."

"Kateri demonstrates love toward her colleagues by organizing countless details that make the school run more smoothly. I would guess that most people do not know even a quarter of the things she does for our school."

"Kateri is well informed about the difficulties faced by our students, and helps our school to craft policies that are best suited toward helping our families. For example, her knowledge of our families' transportation issues helped influence the creation of a final exam schedule that would best support them."

"As a practicing Catholic, Kateri supports the faith life of our students in many ways. She participates in student retreats, and I have seen her give inspirational talks to students on retreats. Her faith life is a good model for our students."

"She is always smiling and positive. She is kind and professional toward all of her colleagues."

"Kateri extends an amazing amount of care and compassion toward our students. She extends the same consideration toward all students equally, regardless of their background or behaviors."

Congratulations Kateri and Frances!