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It sure seems like divine intervention that Charlene
Coulter, born and raised near Worchester, MA and a self-described
"traveler" who has lived in places as divergent as Guam and
Indiana, should end up at Miami Christian School.
Miami Christian School's Charlene Coulter
"I was working for my father's company in Indiana
when I received an application from Miami Christian. Attached was a
letter from the principal saying that they were expecting me to work
the upcoming school year but I would have to complete the application
first. I never sent a letter to them, never contacted them in any way,
and when I spoke to them about it they had no idea how they found out
about me. But I came and visited and I loved it, and I've been here
ever since," Coulter said.
That was thirteen years ago and Coulter, a computer,
art, and yearbook teacher, has distinguished herself as an outstanding
member of the faculty ever since.
Most recently, Coulter was selected to be the Teacher
of the Month by the Coral Gables Rotary Club; Angel Buick nominated
her for the award for her work as a teacher and service club sponsor.
"It's a family atmosphere here--everybody is so
nice, so close, so friendly. It really is a great place to work,"
Coulter explained.
Last year's yearbook staff at Miami Christian received
the first yearbook awards in their history from the Association of
Christian Schools (ACS). They won two awards: first place in their
division (II) for overall yearbook and the best cover in any division.
Coulter originally was just a yearbook teaching
assistant, but after only two months at the school the yearbook
teacher departed and she's been in charge ever since.
"I love working with the yearbook--thankfully I
have a great staff and the best Assistant Yearbook Advisor (Cindy
Viggiani--ESOL and Creative Writing teacher) you could ask for,"
she said.
She has also overseen the growth of the school's
computer department. During her tenure it has grown from one
relatively primitive lab with dated Atari computers for elementary,
middle, and high school students to two sophisticated labs with the
most modern equipment and programs. The school's office is now
networked and will soon be linked with the computer labs as well.
When Coulter first came to the school she taught art
and computers for all levels-- now there is a dedicated art and
computer teacher for the elementary and middle school and she deals
almost exclusively with high school students.
Coulter also sponsors the Delta Sigma organization at
Miami Christian, a responsibility she shared with Miami Christian
Principal Teri Logan until two years ago. Delta Sigma currently has
fifty-four members and is involved with a variety of
charitable projects. They participate in Operation Christmas Child, a
project that fills shoeboxes with care package items that are sent
overseas to needy children. This year, Delta Sigma was able to send
out nine boxes. Delta Sigma also is an ad litum sponsor for an
underprivileged local family, making sure that they have gifts for the
Christmas season. Additionally, the organization gives gift bags to
neighborhood homeless shelters--this year, Coulter estimates they will
give 80-85 bags to a homeless shelter in Hollywood. Soon they'll be
staring a drive to send bottles of vitamins to families in Latin
America in conjunction with Miami Christian faculty member Ed Seibert.
Every year for Valentines Day the club send valentines to the troubled
teens at Sheridan House in Broward. Beyond that, every Delta Sigma
member must do a mandatory two hours of community service every month
outside of school above and beyond what they do for other groups. And
that's not to mention the services they provide to the school
itself--whether it's assisting with field days, or grandparent visit
days, they are constantly helping out.
As if that weren't enough, Coulter is also the senior class advisor
with Logan. They are currently holding a "Gingerbread Shop"
which sells everything you could need for the holidays, a project that
is organized with the help of the Holiday Company. The senior class
also sponsors a student abroad through the Association of Christian
Schools International (ASCI).
As a Miami Christian Facilitator, Coulter has the
added responsibility of keeping track of some of the teachers at Miami
Christian, whether it's checking their lesson plans or helping them
with their scheduling.
Coulter, who received her BA in Visual Arts from
Franklin College in Indiana and her Masters in Computer Science from
Nova, taught night school until recently at Trinity College but can't
see herself leaving Miami Christian anytime soon.
"I love everyone here--I really can't single
anyone out. The faculty, staff, and students here are all so
great," she said.
And no small part of that team is Teacher of the Month
Charlene Coulter.
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