In 2004, Theresa Cameron, then an eighth grader at Wellington Landings Middle School, was assigned to Mrs. Mary Baldwin as a student assistant. Most student assistants completed classroom tasks for their assigned teacher. However, because Baldwin was the director of the after school program at WLMS, she frequently gave Cameron after school program assignments to complete.
From the beginning, Cameron was a self-starter and extremely helpful with the many tasks that needed to be completed. She handled activities such as making posters, counting surveys, gathering the materials for the activities of the day, preparing the snacks, and any of the other many jobs that are required to run the program.
In 2005, as a freshman in high school, Cameron volunteered in the after school program at WLMS every day. She earned the required community service points she needed to graduate before the first semester of her freshman year was complete. Cameron was such an asset that she was given more and more responsibilities. She knew the program well and didn’t hesitate to complete whatever task needed to be done.
In 2006, Cameron continued her volunteer work with the program. During her sophomore year, she began interacting more frequently with students. The students loved her and she was such a positive role model for them. She took a special interest in the Step Team members, who looked up to her. They shined as representatives of WLMS in competition, as a result of Cameron’s efforts.
She was offered a position as a staff member for the after school program late in her sophomore year of high school, and she has worked in the program ever since. She went on to graduate from high school and college without ever taking a break from working in the program. Cameron majored in education and received her degree in 2012. After witnessing firsthand how wonderfully she interacts with the students and her tremendous work ethic, WLMS Principal Blake Bennett hired Cameron as a science teacher shortly after her graduation.
Cameron continues to mentor students both during and after school. Because of her experience with the after school program and her work ethic, she functions as an assistant director. She continues to be an extremely valuable asset to the program and the teaching staff.
In 2014, she was nominated for Middle School Beginning Teacher of the Year and won the prestigious award from the Palm Beach County School District.
ABOVE: Theresa Cameron
