Having a strong passion to connect with her students that have physical or mental disabilities, Allison McIntyre comes to Revere Middle School (RMS) every day to create a constructive environment for students alike in her intensive needs classes.
For fifteen years, McIntyre has worked at RMS. Originally from Michigan, McIntrye began her teaching career at Brecksville Middle School and then came to Revere. Last May, her colleague, Mike Gannon, nominated her for teacher of the month through the Ohio Lottery.
The nomination is what led to RMS receiving the first ever Ohio Lottery School of the year award. Up against 328 schools, RMS won out of a random selection, the award gifted the school with various prizes. RMS principal Bill Conley spoke about the prizes they earned.
“We received a crystal trophy from the Ohio Lottery as well as . . . Different memorabilia from the Ohio Lottery that we can raffle off as like a fundraiser for our school . . . And we got a 1,000 dollar gift card to spend at OfficeMax,” Conley said.
Since McIntyres nomination is what led to the middle school receiving this award, Conley gifted her the 1,000 dollar gift card to OfficeMax. Since receiving this, McIntyre spent it on supplies to help improve her intensive needs classroom.
“We used it to just buy a few different things that we needed for our coffee cart business, and then also just some extra supplies. For the classroom some educational tools and manipulatives and things that we needed for some of our students. So, it was kind of nice to pay it forward back into the classroom,” McIntyre said.
Alongside being a part of RMS teaching staff, McIntyre and her students work to give back to the other teachers in the building with a coffee cart. This cart runs every other Friday where her students pass out coffee and breakfast to the RMS staff. McIntyre explained why she feels the need to give back to RMS.
“Revere’s all I’ve known in my adult life, and so, I try to bring as much as I can to the table every day because I feel very fortunate to be at Revere. I kind of landed here in Ohio not knowing anybody. To be able to have one of my first jobs be at Revere…is a blessing,” McIntyre said.
Since she teaches students in intensive needs classes (classes that aid students with learning or physical disabilities to learn life skills), McIntyre explains her teaching experience as humbling and rewarding.
“I get to be a part of some really cool first time experiences with my students and be a part of them learning some things that I think a lot of kids this age take for granted, simple things that just come naturally to everyone else that my students really have to work hard for. That’s a really humbling experience and I think it kind of gives you a different perspective on what’s important and what really matters,” McIntyre said.
Micki Krantz, the Assistant Superintendent at Revere, who helps overlook all schools in Revere’s district, explained that McIntyre works hard to build skills that students will need for the rest of their lives.
“She goes over and above making sure that they have experiences outside the classroom with real life learning skills like interacting with the community and other people,” Krantz said.
Even when not in the classroom McIntyre pushes to be involved in her students’ lives and build relationships with them. Loving sports, she goes out of her way to go to her students’ individualized sporting events.
“A lot of my students do Empower Sports, which is a program that we have at Revere, but they actually go all over Northeast Ohio. It’s for kids with disabilities specifically. I go to all of their games as much as I can or choir concerts, whatever my students are participating in outside of the classroom,” McIntyre said.
The award the middle school won provided them an assembly hosted by the Ohio Lottery. The students won several prizes and the teachers had ways of describing that day. Lots of people showed up to support the middle school.
“It was a pretty big deal. . . . We had a state representative here. The Ohio Lottery Commissioner was here. And the other communications coordinator from the Ohio Lottery,” Conley said.
Although McIntyre did not win her nomination, her hard work and dedication to her students and the Revere community, led to Revere Middle school earning a valuable award. Winning “school of the year” brought in members of the Revere community to celebrate the school’s accomplishment as one.
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