By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

With 32 years of experience to her name, a nomination for the 2006 Disney Teacher Award shouldn't catch Colleen Wilusz off guard, but it certainly has.

Armand R. Dupont School teacher Colleen Wilusz reviews a Martin Luther King, Jr. day exercise with Jimmy Batchelder, 11, a sixth grade student at the school. “Preparing kids for a different school is one of the most important things we do,” she said. (Joseph Edgerton Photo)

The language arts teacher at Armand R. Dupont School in Allenstown has been nominated anonymously in recognition of her creativity and success in the classroom and joins an elite group of fellow nominees across the nation.

"I'm honored that a student was so thoughtful to take the time to submit my name," she said. "It is an awesome honor for the school and myself to have the opportunity to be a Disney honoree."

At stake is a $10,000 prize and a $5,000 grant for the school, and six days at a professional development institute for Wilusz at the Walt Disney World Resort. Regardless of the outcome, Wilusz is already happy to have been considered among the thousands of other nominees each year.

"The thing I love best about teaching is seeing the negative attitudes of students change," she said. "The majority of the kids are great, and they begin to buy into it. Seeing that light come on, when they get it - that.s the best."

One of hundreds of Wilusz.s students from 1971 to the present may have nominated her for the award, but Wilusz said she will not be told who submitted the nomination.

"It sometimes seems more like a secret society than an award," she joked.

Wilusz began her career in Allenstown in 1974 after receiving her master.s degree from Northeastern University in 1972. Her first 10 years at the school were spent with second- graders, and the next three with fourth-graders. She ran a remedial reading program and was the special education coordinator until 1978.

Wilusz said her motivation to teach was easy to trace.

"Some of the teachers that I met growing up were great role models," she said. "Reading was my favorite subject by far, which is why I'm teaching language arts now."

From 1978 to 1981, Wilusz taught grade 6, before working with seventh-graders for two years and second-graders for three more before settling in with the sixth-grade classes.

"I teach four classes a day with an average of 20 students per class. It can be challenging at times, preparing the students for other schools," she said. "A real big chunk of what I do involves getting family support and helping kids stay involved by helping with their homework."

The Disney Teacher Award was first presented in 1989, and since then has been presented to teachers who construct learning environments where students and teachers alike explore, imagine, and engage in a variety of stimulating ideas and experiences.

Wilusz said at some point last year, a student nominated her for the award, and she received an application from Disney asking for four essays and recommendations.

One of the recommendations came from a first grade teacher at Allenstown Elementary School who was one of Wilusz.s fourth-grade students.

"I wasn't allowed to see any of the recommendations. They were all in sealed envelopes and they were mailed in by January 3," said Wilusz. "In February, they let you know that your application was accepted."

In March, the top 40 teachers will be announced, and each of their schools will receive a $5,000 grant. In July, four honorees will be selected as Outstanding Teachers and one will be named the 2006 Teacher of the Year. Each of the honorees will receive a grant of $10,000, and Wilusz already has a plan should she be picked.

"I.d really like to get updated language arts books for the kids," she said. "The edition we are using now is from 1990, and the reading portion is novels. Lots of them are falling apart."