By: Maria Allard | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published April 6, 2023
MACOMB COUNTY — For more than 30 years, Nancy Buccilli has made a difference in the lives of the students who have learned inside her Eastpointe Community Schools classroom.
With her current role as a Forest Park Elementary kindergarten teacher, she is known for building bonds with her students and their families. In addition, Buccilli mentors new teachers and is a member of the school’s leadership team.
According to Forest Park Principal Heather Agueros, “Nancy Buccilli is the consummate professional that works daily to lift up our students and staff. She shares her love of teaching with everyone that crosses her path.”
Buccilli is one of the Macomb County educators whom the Macomb Intermediate School District has named as an Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the 2022-2023 school year. The teachers will be honored during a dinner scheduled for April 20 at the Mirage Banquet Hall in Clinton Township.
For 37 years, the Macomb County Association of School Administrators and the Macomb Association of Curriculum Administrators have honored outstanding teachers at the elementary, middle and high school levels in each district.
From there, a countywide outstanding teacher is chosen. The teachers were nominated by their peers, parents and students. Nominated teachers are evaluated in 10 categories including teaching style, motivational expertise, lifelong learner, passion and community focus.
Richard MacDonald and Katie Belemonti were named as ECS middle school and high school Outstanding Teachers of the Year, respectively.
MacDonald, who has taught in the district for more than 30 years, is a science teacher at Eastpointe Middle School. He started at the former Oakwood Middle School. With his energy and passion, MacDonald has succeeded in bringing science to life for the students.
According to district officials, when it was announced via social media that MacDonald was named as an outstanding teacher, “He had dozens of comments from former students remembering their time in his class. At least one of them even said he became a teacher and a coach because of Mr. Mac’s influence.”
Over at Eastpointe High School, health teacher Belemonti is making an impact as well. According to a district press release, she uses kindness and compassion to make her classroom an inviting and safe space for her students.
She also has a reputation of being “a great listener” and provides students with techniques to help them solve problems, cope with emotions and talk things out. Outside of the classroom, Belemonti started a yoga club for students and staff and has taken on leadership roles at the high school.
Roseville Community Schools
Roseville Community Schools is also celebrating its Outstanding Teachers of the Year: Karen DeMers at the elementary school level, Evan Leuenberger at the middle school level and Dan Chesher at the high school level.
“We have a lot of really good teachers that care about the kids, which is No. 1,” Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski said. “A lot of our teachers go above and beyond the four walls of the classroom for students to be successful. These are three examples of that.”
DeMers came to RCS in 1996 and has held different positions throughout her tenure. The tech savvy teacher who is always smiling started in the English department at Roseville High School, teaching the newspaper class and serving as yearbook adviser.
Five years later, she moved to Kaiser Elementary School. After 10 years, DeMers took on a new role as Steenland Elementary School first-grade teacher. She now splits her school day teaching third grade English language arts in the morning at Steenland and serving as an instructional coach in the afternoons at Steenland and Fountain elementary schools.
Leuenberger has been an educator for six years. For the first two years, he taught character education, U.S. history, and world history at both the middle school and high school levels at Bradford Academy in Southfield.
Four years ago, Leuenberger came to Eastland Middle School and is currently teaching sixth grade social studies and Exploring Careers for eighth graders. Knowing some students need a little extra help academically, the middle school teacher tutors after school. And it’s “game on” for Leuenberger, who sponsors a video game club twice a month.
Band students who attended Roseville High School within the last 22 years probably had Chesher as a teacher. Chesher has been the school’s band director during his entire tenure, teaching cadet band, varsity band, symphonic band and jazz band, as well as the extracurricular marching band and jazz ensemble. Chesher’s dedication to the school’s music program has not gone unnoticed.
“He ensures that all students in his class succeed by creating a classroom culture where students take ownership of their learning. Students in his bands are motivated and proud of themselves and their accomplishments,” Roseville High School Principal Jason Bettin said in a prepared statement. “He involves his bands in many school activities that support a positive school environment and takes an active role as a leader in the building to help build a culture that recognizes and celebrates student success.”