By Mary Ellen Zangara Special Writer
Michelle Sniscak a physical education teacher at Weston Elementary School has been named the New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Teacher of the Year for 2008.
Ms. Sniscak has been a physical education teacher in the Manville school district at Weston School for the past 26 years. She received a congratulatory letter for the award a few days ago and will be honored at a dinner on Feb. 25 at the East Brunswick Hilton Hotel.
”I opened the letter and going down I was thinking I would see ‘We regret to inform you’ and I kept reading it thinking that’s what it was going to say,” she said. “Then I read it again and it said I was the recipient of the award.
”It shocked me,” she added. “I told a couple of people about it and I was like wait a minute, let me go back and read it again. Did I really get the award?”
The NJAHPERD every year asks for nominations for about 12 awards. This one is for teacher of the year and they picked one for the elementary, middle and high school so there is one at each level. Fellow colleague Linda Liebedz nominated Ms. Sniscak for the award.
”The association informed me I was nominated then I had to fill out an application and Mr. Frank added a letter along with the application,” Ms. Sniscak said.
Ms. Sniscak graduated from Manville High School and went on to East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pa. When she graduated with a BS, she applied for a teaching position here and got the job right out of college. She began teaching at Weston in 1982 and continued her education at The College of New Jersey receiving a M.ED in 1988 and a Supervisory Certificate in 1990. Ms. Sniscak also coached at Manville High School as the varsity softball coach for 16 seasons from 1983-1998, varsity basketball for six seasons from 1985-1992, and field hockey for four season from 1982-1986. She also received Weston Elementary School’s Governor’s “Teacher of the Year” award in 1990, 2000 and 2002.
She also is a NJSIAA Field Hockey official from 1987-present, NJSIAA Swimming official from 1992-present and a US Women’s Lacrosse official from 1999-present.
Ms. Sniscak said she decided to become a physical education teacher because there weren’t many opportunities for someone who was athletic when she began her career.
”Now there are all different things, whether it’s sports medicine, athletic training, sports casting, sports graphics, things like that,” she said. “I was interested in athletic training but that didn’t work out for me that way so I kind of feel like I am supposed to be here.”
Ms. Sniscak added she really enjoys her work at Weston School.
”The kids greet you everyday with a smile, they have a story to tell and I feel like I learn so much from them too on a daily basis,” she said. “I feel blessed.”
”Ms. Sniscak is by far the strongest and most knowledgeable physical education instructor that I have had the pleasure to call a colleague,” Weston School Principal Don Frank said. “Her teaching skills and program now are even stronger than they were when I first me her 15 years ago.
”This is a long overdue honor and Ms. Sniscak has been appreciated by staff at Weston for the 15 years that I have been here,” he added. “She is one of the treasures of this school and this district. I am thrilled for her.”
