Marina Viteri

“How can I add Value & Purpose”

Marina Viteri came to Valley View in 2015 (one of Principal Bell’s first hires!), and by her own account, Principal Bell knew she had found someone very special. Mrs. Viteri does whatever it takes to make learning a great experience for her students and her positive attitude, strong work ethic, and collaborative demeanor are invaluable. Mrs. Viteri is inspired and driven each day by both her own kids and the children with whom she works. Simply put, she loves what she does and truly cares for her students. With each activity she plans and lesson she teaches, she begins by asking herself: “how can I add value and purpose?” Mrs. Viteri is certainly adding both to the educational experiences of our district’s students.

Her list of accomplishments prior to the challenges of the pandemic is astounding:

A few highlights: she re-envisioned the Enrichment Program at Valley View to include all school enrichment activities and pullout groups for ELA & Advanced Math; she helmed and collaborated on STEM and STEAM clubs and classes; she wrote grants that resulted in the acquisition of a 3d printer, STEM materials for Valley View and the development of the Valley View Gardens; and, organized numerous community & school activities like the Exxon Mobile Science Day, The Spring Bio Blitz and Point Mountain Hiking Trip. That’s just scraping the surface.

But let’s talk about this year. As an Enrichment teacher, Mrs. Viteri was always on the move, transitioning between classrooms, but all of that changed in Fall, 2020, when she was asked to take over her own classroom for the first time. Subsequently, she became responsible for the entire 4th grade curriculum, all of which she had to learn - a massive expansion of her role and competencies. However, while the circumstances of her role greatly changed, the values of kindness, collaboration and dedication that she instills in each day of learning remained the same. Grounding her educational approach in these values created the foundation upon which Mrs. Viteri has built a vibrant, respectful, open and fun environment for her 4th graders.

She has introduced and integrated multiple technologies and platforms to the learning experience, and encourages her students to “click around”, building the trust in her students that it’s OK to experiment and play and make mistakes. In our ever-increasingly interactive world, and Mrs Viteri is outfitting her students with the confidence to explore. As a fan of learning, Mrs. Viteri sees the challenges of our virtual/hybrid/social distanced learning environments as a journey she is sharing with her classroom, and so continues to create a safe, stable space where students are empowered by the tools with which she is equipping them. And she has, admittedly, become a work-a-holic in the process.

She’s particularly inspired not only by the resilience of her students, but the resilience of our district parents and families, juggling households and jobs and all of the other challenges this crisis has thrown in everyone’s laps. Mrs. Viteri is grateful for and appreciative of the partnership and support she shares with both the parents of this community and her colleagues. Mrs. Viteri, that gratitude and appreciation is certainly reflected back by your students, their families, our staff , administration and Board of Education. Thank you!