21-05-2025
Golden Apple: Congratulations to Lisa Oliver and Stacy Franzese!
Rochester, N.Y. (WROC) — Congratulations to our latest Golden Apple Award winners, Stacy Franzese and Lisa Oliver! They co-teach first grade at School #16 in Rochester. Parent Marshona Jones-Hymes nominated them for the award as a way to say thank you for all they have taught her twin boys this year.
'These amazing women not only made this choice of work their career, but they also made it a lifestyle. Their dedication and passion for each child individually doesn't go unnoticed. they made my first-grade boys not only love school but also give them a platform to show their talents and abilities, so I am forever grateful and thankful for that,' says Jones-Hymes.
Principal Ryan Clair adds, 'their success is deeply rooted in their passion for their kids. It shows, you can feel it, you can sense it. and you stack that with just a great instructional skill set and the children just flourish. You can see it in their results, you can see it in their body language it allows them to soar to new heights.'
Jones-Hymes adds, 'each teacher showcases their strength. One focuses on math and the other ELA and the boys come home with stories about each teacher.'
Combined, these two teachers have 50 years of experience. Mrs. Oliver has been teaching for 30 years. Mrs. Franzese for 25. Both have spent the majority of their careers in Rochester City Schools. 'We focus very hard on our learning and our growth. we work hard and we play hard and that's my philosophy,' says Franzese.
Oliver adds, 'they come to us at the beginning of first grade not being able to read very well, just learning their sounds being able to blend words and now they are reading books and writing paragraphs.'
They enjoy working together as a team and are happy to know that parents think it's working too. 'We love it. The students love it. And year after year it has been very successful. If it didn't work, we would stop. But we are just getting better and better each year. We find that we really like to teach together as well,' says Franzese.
Lisa Oliver adds, 'It's amazing especially when it is coming from a parent, it makes it 100 times more special because you know you have reached their child, or children in this case because we have both boys. It just makes everything amazing. It just makes it feel like what you are doing is making a difference and having those connections with families is amazing.'
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