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The 2017 B-A BluePrint Teacher of the Year has been teaching at Bellwood-Antis for the past fifteen years after starting in 2002. Prior to working at BAHS, Mrs. Frank spent time teaching at Hollidaysburg Catholic School from 1992-96 and then at Bishop Guilfoyle from 1997-2002.

Mrs. Frank graduated from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 1988 and then graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1992 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mathematics. She has her teaching certification in Secondary Mathematics.

She is also very active with students as the Junior Class Advisor. In this duty, Mrs. Frank is responsible for the amazing proms that B-A has held over the years.

While setting up the prom each year, Mrs. Frank gets the chance to work with the elected class officers. This year’s Junior Class president Beau Potter had some kind words to say about working with Mrs. Frank.

“Mrs. Frank is a wonderful teacher who truly cares about the growth and success of her students. She is extremely intelligent and works very well with students,” said Potter.

Mrs. Frank has a big role in the Math department as its chairperson and has been a mentor teacher for several new teachers. She currently teaches Algebra I, Algebra II, Advanced Math, and Calculus.

Fellow math teacher Mrs. Allison Stinson shared how Mrs. Frank has taken a leadership role as the department chair. She said, “Mrs. Frank is a great department chair. She is a natural leader who is organized and detailed and helps keep the rest of us on track.”

Mrs. Stinson went on to describe the delight of working with Mrs. Frank and the value of the relationship that they have formed.

“Working with Mrs. Frank has truly been a blessing to me,” said Stinson. “She has helped me learn and grow as a math teacher. She continues to be the person I go to when I have questions. She is an amazing teacher and mentor.

“The friendship that we have developed over the last 10+ years is something I value most about working with Mrs. Frank,” continued Stinson. “I am blessed to call her my friend!”

Calculus student and senior Lindsey Southworth enjoys Mrs. Frank’s positive attitude in class and how ready she is to help her students when they need her.

“She is a really nice person and is very willing to help,” said Southworth. “I can come to her outside of class and she helps me with no questions asked.”

Colleague Mrs. Alice Flarend expressed how Mrs. Frank is willing to work with students beyond the call of duty.

“She works very hard at giving her students feedback and takes work home daily,” she said. “Even with that workload, she is still cheerful, personable and willing to lend a helpful ear to a student or colleague.”

Continuing to describe how Mrs. Frank has gone out of her way to ensure her students’ success, senior Brayton Coover and sophomore Alivia Jacobs had comments about how Mrs. Frank has helped them whenever they needed her.

Jacobs said, “She has taught me to love math, and if I need help she is always there. She was always so helpful when ten of us would crowd her room the day of a test to ask questions.”

“She has improved my math skills, but,” said Coover. “She has also helped me with other decisions throughout high school!”

Southworth also said Mrs. Frank has taught her other important lessons besides limits or derivatives.

“She taught me to never underestimate myself and I really thank her for that,” she said.

Mrs. Flarend went on to say she admires Mrs. Frank’s ability to improve the quality of education for her students.

“Mrs. Frank is a role model for me. She challenges her students while being supportive,” said Flarend. “She cares deeply about their well-being and knows success in school will be a large contributor to that well-being.”

Mrs. Flarend also described Mrs. Frank’s ability to work with the students abilities to help them achieve success in the classroom.

“She knows math and she knows how to help kids learn math. This includes knowing where students will have difficulty and knowing how to apply it to scenarios that are useful and relevant,” she said.

When she is not at school, Mrs. Frank enjoys watching her son’s athletic events and spending time with her husband Dale and two sons Noah and Ryan.

Mrs. Stinson went on to say she aspires to be like her colleague even outside of the classroom.

“Not only is she a fantastic teacher and colleague, but she is a dedicated mom and a devoted wife,” she said. “I aspire to make the same positive impact on my family and students as she has.”

Congratulations Mrs. Dawn Frank the 2017 Teacher of the Year!