Diana
Heatwole, who volunteers at Mineral Springs Elementary School, received the 2014
Governor's Volunteer Service Award in the senior category for Forsyth County
from HandsOn Northwest North Carolina.
“We cannot thank Mrs.
Heatwole enough for all of her contributions to our school,” said school
counselor Mike Nuckolls. “She truly cares for our students and staff. Whether
she is tutoring a student, copying papers for the grade level, or bringing
homemade cupcakes for her class, her humble and loving presence is an
inspiration to us all.”
Here is an excerpt from the
nomination form:
There is almost nothing that Diana Heatwole enjoys
more than spending time in the classroom with her students.
A volunteer for the past three years at Mineral
Springs Elementary, Diana spends 8 hours each day working to assist teachers in
the classroom and providing numerous kinds of student support services.
A retired state employee, Diana has already provided
910 hours of service to the school in the 2013-14 school year and will probably
match the 989 hours she gave last year! Working within a specific fourth- grade
classroom, she does everything from tutoring students to copying and compiling
teacher and student work materials.
Diana’s biggest impact, however, probably comes from
the relationships she builds with individual students, as she provides personal
attention to at-risk students, and leads small group tutoring sessions in
reading and math.
For one specific student, Diana has even become a
surrogate grandmother, supporting him by buying school clothes and supplies,
helping him with school projects, taking him on outings and sharing her love of
board games.
The
presentation was made May 14 at Salem College. HandsOn is an organization that
connects volunteers with nonprofit organizations that could benefit from their
help. For more information, go to HandsOn
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