St. Mark Catholic School is honored to be recognized as an Outstanding School, and we want to express our tremendous gratitude to those who nominated us and to Porto Charities for their tremendous generosity over the years and for this incredible award.  This award, though, is only possible due to the hard work of many people.  We would like to thank all of the families who advocated over 20 years ago for a school that would welcome students with intellectual disabilities.  We are grateful for all of the students who were part of the original Evangelist Program here at St. Mark, and all of our students today who are part of our expanded Student Support Services program.  We thank all of the families who had faith in us and supported us several years ago as we moved to a more inclusive model of education for students.  We also thank the Wilcox family and Hogan family whose generous donations to Porto Charities made it possible for so many members of our school faculty to attend the Porto Charities Awards Gala.  And as a school family, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Bishop Burbidge for making inclusive education a priority in our diocese.
 

I thank all of our faculty, both past and present, who have helped us along the way.  I would also like to express my gratitude to our entire Student Support Services team for all they do to support our teachers and our students, and to Cathy Wright who shared the vision of increased inclusion at our school and took the lead in making it a reality.  I also thank our pastor Father Pat Holroyd for his unwavering support of inclusion for the past 20 years.  Inclusion is a priority at our school, and a journey I have been blessed to take with the support of so many amazing people.

Thank you, all.

God bless,

Mrs. Kimberly Parker

Principal

I have been teaching for almost 20 years. I love what I do, but I love my students the most. Teaching is not an easy job, but if you open your eyes and see the lives you can touch doing your very best, then it is all worth it. I have had the opportunity to teach children of all abilities, students with Autism, Down syndrome, as well as handicapped. They belong to God, and God has sent me to this profession to teach all students. God created all children differently. We are taught to accept them all, and Jesus said to let the children come to us.

I believe all children should be taught in one classroom regardless of any challenges or differences they may be facing. Being an inclusive teacher has made me a better teacher in a way I never thought possible. I look at each of my students the same and teach them differently based on their needs. I feel their love, whether they are able to show it or verbalize it to me. My students are my “why”.

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Receiving the Educator award was an amazing surprise and I am extremely humbled to represent our school and the Diocese of Arlington with this incredible honor. I feel like I am rewarded daily when I see students love coming to school and learning in my classroom. This award brought attention to teachers who teach students with disabilities, and I hope that they can see the love that is received and the examples I have set to be willing and open to teach students of disabilities in their classroom. That is the best award.