News Releases
 February Employee of the Month:
Zandra Cardenas, Program Assistant, Virginia Lake School
A cheerful smile and an upbeat approach are just two of the many assets that Zandra Cardenas brings to her MMI classroom at Virginia Lake each day. Zandra, who has been a program assistant there since the 2000-01 school year, is currently acting as a long-term substitute in the classroom while the regular teacher is on maternity leave. “Her transition from program assistant to teacher has been seamless,” her nominator said.
Zandra’s first job with District 15—and her first job in the United States—was as a personal assistant to a wheelchair-bound student during a summer session in 2000. That experience led to her present job. Zandra holds an advanced teaching certificate from Moisés Sáenz in her native Mexico, and she taught kindergarten and junior high in Mexico before moving to the U.S. She learned to speak English while in college, and her bilingual capability is a real asset at Virginia Lake, where she often does translations for parent-teacher conferences, written materials that go home to parents, in the office, or for teachers who need assistance.
“Zandra is always enthusiastic and flexible when it comes to fulfilling her day-to-day responsibilities,” said her nominator. “Whether it is translating a phone call for parent meeting for a bilingual student, teaching an after-school Spanish class, or supervising students during the noon hour, Zandra is always a team player. Her positive attitude and love for children is evident in the way she encourages and supports all children at Virginia Lake. The students are truly benefiting from her patience and understanding of how to meet their needs.”
She loves working with the students in her classroom, Zandra says. “My heart is always with them. I love to see them develop. It makes my work and my life happy. I can talk about my students all day!”
Zandra and her husband Lino are the parents of two children: son Lino is a junior at Palatine High School and daughter Kassandra is a seventh grader at Walter R. Sundling Junior High. Both attended Virginia Lake. When she’s not in her MMI classroom, Zandra keeps busy with other activities. She has taught a beginning Spanish-language class for children through Harper College that meets at Virginia Lake, and in her “spare time” she sells life insurance. “I do a little bit of everything,” she says. “I’m a happy person!”
Zandra will be recognized at the February 8, 2006, Board of Education meeting, to be held at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, at 7 p.m.
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