OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Linda Kaminski, a teacher at Fredonia’s Wheelock School, is pictured while advocating for a full-time social worker at Wheelock at a Fredonia Board of Education meeting in June of 2024.

One of the most beloved teachers at the Wheelock School in Fredonia was selected for an honor that very few receive across the nation. Linda Kaminski was selected as a presenter for the annual conference for the National Association for the Educators of Young Children this weekend.

Wheelock Principal Amy Piper commended Kaminski at a recent Board of Education meeting, where she spoke to how proud she is that Kaminski will be recognized on a national stage. Piper also said in a social media post, “Linda is not only an absolutely incredible educator, but one who constantly looks to uplift her students, her colleagues, and the families she works with … not only while they are with her, but for years and years after they’ve moved on.”

Piper defined Kaminski as “kind, generous, positive, thoughtful, and forward-thinking.” Piper added on behalf of the Wheelock School, “We are so grateful to Linda for her commitment to children, to families, and to the education process. She is one of a kind and we are so blessed to learn from her every day at Wheelock.”

The recognition from Piper was not the first time Kaminski was in the spotlight at a Board of Education meeting, as she was one of a group of teachers who attended a meeting in June of 2024 to advocate for the students of Wheelock. Kaminski pleaded with the Board of Education to add a full-time social worker/counselor at Wheelock.

Kaminski said at that June 2024 meeting, “A child’s social and emotional health is just as important as their physical health.” The Board listened to Kaminski and her fellow teachers and added full-time support at Wheelock in the months that followed. Piper said at the time that she was proud of her colleagues for their efforts to support the students at Wheelock. Kaminski’s latest honor is just another reason for Piper to be proud.

The district also recently congratulated Natasha Kemp, a senior in the Criminal Justice program at BOCES, on her induction to the National Technical Honor Society. Kemp is one of only 32 students enrolled in Career and Technical Education at the BOCES LoGuidice location to be inducted this year.

Additionally, the district gave thanks to its school-related professionals, including support staff in all facets of the day-to-day operation of schools, at the most recent Board of Education meeting. The day of the meeting, Nov. 18, was School-related Professionals Recognition Day.

Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox and Middle School Principal Jamie Polhamus each thanked the district’s school-related professionals for the work that they do each day. Fredonia Teachers Association President Michelle Greenough also publicly recognized the district’s school-related professionals at the recent meeting. “We couldn’t do what we do without them,” Polhamus said.