Silver Wolf Award

Dina Jay

Dina Jay is amazing! She enthusiastically steps up into new challenges to help students of Eastlake, both in our art department and school as a whole. She LOVES Eastlake and it shows. This year she took on Yearbook for the first time, as it became an art class. She worked hard to develop a community within her yearbook crew as they tackled the extraordinary challenge of creating a memorable yearbook during an exceptionally tough year. She is also a fantastic department chair for Fine Arts and supported the department during this difficult year. She advocated for our students to get them the supplies they needed at home to be able to engage creatively in our art classes through essential hands-on learning opportunities. She is also pursuing her National Board certification to continue to grow and be the best teacher she can be.

Alpha Wolf Award

Jennifer Simon

Seventh period AP Calc AB with Mrs. Simon was never a class I didn't want to go to, even online this school year. It was by far my favorite class due to Mrs. Simon and the outstanding work she did for us. Mrs. Simon brought a contagious energy every day to class that got me excited to be there and learn. She took time in the beginning of class to talk with us and share upcoming events and encouraged us to share the accomplishments we achieved in our lives. She praised me for making mistakes and offered countless resources to aid me in my learning. I have never had so many resources curated for me before by a teacher. Either created by her or handpicked, they continuously improved my understanding. They were never general but always specific to a topic with ways for me to check my learning. When I was struggling with online testing she noticed and aided me in switching to a format that worked best for me with no complaints even though it took her more time to grade. She even provided me with personalized feedback on each problem which was something none of my other teachers have done or do. I've gotten multiple notes throughout the year from Mrs. Simon in the mail or on quizzes. She writes personalized birthday cards for every kid in the class and sends out random cards of encouragement that made me believe in myself and my abilities. She notices when I succeed on past troubling problems and writes notes like "I'm so proud of you!" or "Yay!" or "amazing" on my work. Those little messages have drastically increased my confidence in calculus and also encouraged me to be proud of myself and how far I've come. Mrs. Simon makes herself available for us not just for one office hour a week but two, totaling to 3 hours worth of drop-in time. Not to mention she quickly responds to any email questions, even on days she's not working (since she's part time). I have never felt more prepared or confident for an AP test before than this year with Mrs. Simon's help. She truly goes above and beyond for us and even though I wish she taught AP Calc BC she has given me so many tools, learning, and confidence, that I know I will always succeed. 

Outstanding Educator Award

Gregory Emerson

Gregory Emerson has been a pillar of support for both his AP Statistics students as well as for the Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honors Society) organization these past couple of years. I have had the privilege of working with him as an officer for the Math Honors Society for the last 2 years. During this time, I noticed how he managed to balance his school classes while also always being there for our club whenever we needed his help. He spends several hours beyond school hours to support our crazy ideas we have for our organization. In fact, he restarted the STEM & Leaf program at Eastlake, which is a program that provides mentorship and connections for female-identifying students at Eastlake with those in their careers (Eastlake alumnae). Through my involvement in this program, I feel more ready to take on my career aspirations in computer science despite the male majority in the field because of the difference the mentors had on my career choices. It is incredible to see Mr. Emerson's dedication, passion, and commitment to make Eastlake a better place and more at home for those in the organization as well as in his Statistics class.

Suzanne Chamberlin  

Suzanne Chamberlin has been a fixture of Eastlake since the beginning, starting as a sub and part time teacher, and has been a full time art teacher, for almost 25 years now. If you know Suzanne, you know that technology and computers are not really in her wheelhouse. But, when it comes to kids she will do anything, ANYTHING, to help make sure she can be the best teacher she can be for her students. She put in an INCREDIBLE effort this year to get through the steep learning curve in technology with remote learning, in order to be able to effectively teach her classes this year. For her, it was all about being able to connect with her students, engage with them in art, and support them as students. She is super welcoming and patient with her students, trying to develop community and connect with students in remote and in-person classes on a daily basis. She continually worked this year to get stronger tech skills so she could provide her curriculum in this new, unprecedented environment - she even learned new skills in how to create and edit videos so she could provide recorded demonstrations of her art lessons! Suzanne bent over backwards throughout the year to help her students, making sure to give flexible work that students could achieve regardless of their circumstances, even dropping off materials for them if that's what it took.  She seeks to support students as individuals and will always go above and beyond to help out anyone who needs it. She is equally as supportive of her fellow teachers and will always show up to help if you need it, no matter how much she has on her own plate. Suzanne is that teacher who provides a safe space for students, a listening ear, and words of encouragement and positivity just at the right time. Whether it is Wolf time connections, introducing students to each other to help them make friends, or just being a lunch buddy for students who need it, Mrs. Chamberlin truly makes a difference to her students and is simply beloved! She embodies Wolf Strong, Pack Strong! 

Continued Connection Award

Akshai Srinivasan 

As a tutor, Akshi Srinivasan has been an incredible helper and ally to my son who has been struggling with the distance learning caused by COVID-19 during 2020 and into 2021.  My wife has been in education for more than 15 years and told me she has never seen a more natural educator than Akshai.  I completely agree with this sentiment.  His approach maximizes my son's strength and gives him confidence, through positive feedback and constant encouragement.  For math, Akshai quickly analyzed where my son was struggling and gave him practice worksheets for these areas that he created using his own algorithm and corresponding answer key.  This not only helped my son, but me as well.  Akshai also explained to my son about the importance of using a planner for his time management and scheduling in order to succeed now and in the future.  For social studies, he helped guide my son in putting together his slide deck on Ancient Egypt, and he is also helping prepare my son to present this information to his class.  In addition, Akshai is always punctual and a great communicator.  His suggested edits to my son's presentation deck were respectful and thoughtful.  He treats me and my son with great respect.  He changed my son's learning experience during COVID-19 for the better.  Akshai deserves this award and so much more.   

"Look for the Helpers" Award

Karen Guinasso, Lori Rowe, Cathy Kilborn - Eastlake High School Main Office 

Karen Guinasso literally works with every single student at Eastlake, and with community members and business owners of Sammamish with kindness, patience, and a sunny positive attitude. She cares deeply about equity for all students and actively works to make sure that students are treated with dignity and respect. Karen amazes me with all the “little” tasks that she does that add up to making her job appear seamless and so successful! From parking passes, fees, club budgets at each year’s beginning to yearbook sales and sign-out at the end, Karen does her job with a cheery, genuine, heart-felt smile that shows the students that she truly cares about them! Karen is wonderful and I hope she will be recognized for her hard work!

Lori Rowe kept the entire Eastlake High School building running through all of COVID. She was here every day without choice or ever working remotely and managed every detail of operations to keep our students, teachers, staff and families safe. She had support from Cathy Kilborn and the Custodial Staff, but it is remarkable how much she does to keep us all running at Eastlake.  

Cathy Kilborn is always positive, kind and helpful. She works so hard to make Eastlake a welcoming place and greets everyone with a smile. She’s friendly to everyone—adults, students, staff and she treats all students with respect and kindness. We appreciate her hard work and dedication during remote learning and the transition to in-person learning at Eastlake High School!