CAMDEN, NY - The Camden Central School District is pleased to announce its 2022 recipient of the “Seed of Selflessness” award. The District’s “Seed of Selflessness” committee has selected Kate Donaleski, an English Language Arts teacher at Camden Middle School, as this year’s award recipient.
The purpose of the Seed of Selflessness Award, as established by the Camden Board of Education, is to recognize the individual who best represents one or more of the following criteria:
Has chaired or participated in community and/or school committees that help to improve our school district.
Has significantly changed the lives of youngsters while motivating them to realize their full character potential.
Has volunteered or performed these additional assignments inside and outside of normal working hours.
Donaleski has devoted over 17 years of service to the Camden Central School District. Over those years, the recipient has provided support, encouragement, assistance, and motivation to many students and staff, and has truly exemplified the standards of the Seed of Selflessness Award through her actions and example. Donaleski has admirably filled the roles of teacher, coach, department chair, National Junior Honor Society co-advisor, and yearbook advisor.
When not in the classroom, or at the track, she is seen attending other school activities or sporting events snapping photos for the CMS yearbook. She also finds time to volunteer whenever and wherever help is needed. She goes the extra mile, quite literally, to encourage her students or congratulate them for a job well done. Her devotion to our school district and its youth is unwavering.
She was nominated for this award by CMS math teacher Clair Pfeifer.
“Kate is the definition of selfless,” Pfeifer said in her nominating letter to the committee. “She is kind, hard-working, and a true inspiration for all teachers in the building.”
To Donaleski, it’s all about paying forward the experiences she had as a middle school student.
“It's not lost on me how fortunate I am to be honored for doing work that I love,” Donaleski said. “I'm grateful to teach in a district that values kindness and compassion. I loved my middle school years as a student and to think that I've had a chance to give back by creating some of these same experiences for students now is so rewarding.”
While earning the award is a huge accomplishment, the honoree also had plenty of people to thank for their contributions over the course of her tenure.
“I would like to thank Clair for taking the time to recognize me, Principal Brittany DerCola for her kind words, and all of my colleagues at CMS.” Donaleski said. “Teaching middle school is definitely a team effort. It is not a job I would ever attempt to tackle on my own. It is humbling to work with a group of professionals who care so much about their students as well as each other. I'm also grateful for so many wonderful families in the Camden community who have willingly shared their middle school students with me for all of these years. And perhaps most importantly, I'm grateful for this chance to thank my students, both past and present. Thanks for growing along with me! I realize I was hired by the district to teach, but I've also continued learning so much because of the people who have surrounded me.”
The Seed of Selflessness Award is presented by the Camden Central School District each Spring.