Outstanding English Language Arts Educator Excerpts from nominators' letters...

"As a social studies teahcer And Scholars' Circle instructor, I have known Eileen for four years and have marveled at her ability to drive an already successful student body and faculty to new academic heights... When it comes to spiraling her goals for academic success into all areas of academic life, Eileen is no Jay Gatsby; hers is neither a facade nor a paper agenda... Like classic tomes with dozens of characters and plot twists whose lives suddenly connect at the climax, Eileen strings together all of the characters in her novel. Generations of students, teachers, and administrators have followed Eileen to achieve academic rigor through intense self-reflection, examination of human nature in literature, and a sense of community and shared purpose." ~Jessica A. Wang "As a life long resident of Cranford, I would frequently encounter former students of Eileen's who would sing her praises and recount the invaluable skills that she taught them in high school... Eileen Dachnowicz is a woman of integrity and commitment to education. Her great love of literature and language have inspired many and taught many the value and importance of great works and excellent writing in today's world. In her current role as Supervisor of Academic Affairs at Cranford High School, she is an academic leader who strives for personal excellence and encourages this same type of excellence in both faculty and students. As her colleague and successor as the English department supervisor, I cannot imagine a more worthy candidate." ~Barbara Carroll "Eileen has brought unprecedented distinction to Cranford high School. Her guiding principle has been "excellence for all" and in this spirit she has created and guided many programs... Three of her lessons were the subjects of articles published in our NJEJ and one, on critical thinking, appeared in Focus. As a teacher of AP English, her students had a consistently high success rate, the unsurprising outcome of their day-to-day experiences with Mrs. D-- inspried as they were by her command of literature and language, energized daily by her agile and ample mind. How many teachers actually take the timed tests with their students and write and then model all the essays?" ~Julius Gottilla "About eight years ago, when Eileen was a fulltime teacher in our English department, a small group of female students approached her for help in founding a club that would deal specifically with the problems of growing up female. More importantly, the fact that this group of young women looked to Eileen for leadership speaks volumes about the esteem they had for her as a teacher, and a trusted mentor. The club made its official debut in the fall of 1994, and it was appropriately named the Visible Woman... Yes, indeed, due to the superior efforts of Eileen Dachnowicz, not only is Cranford High School on the map, but also it is quickly becoming an educational landmark! I believe, the respect and admiration she has earned from her students, colleagues and friends is her true tribute. However, when one looks back at her career- her undeniable influence as a teacher and her powerful leadership as an educator- one cannot help but wonder if the world may truly be different because she was important in the life of a student or inspired a teacher to greater heights." ~Joan Puma