West Midland Family Center

Plewa Honored at Annual United Way Meeting Wendy Plewa Wins Strosacker Award Congratulations to our very own Wendy Plewa for winning the Strosacker Award! Wendy heads up the West Midland Preschool as a classroom teacher and Early Childhood Director. She is passionate about providing the best learning environment for the children at West Midland. "I would like to first start by thanking you for giving this award to a teacher", began Plewa at the recent United Way Award Breakfast, "Teachers impact lives." "I can still remember two of my teachers in elementary school who made a lasting impact on my life. They made me feel included, loved and cared for. I can also remember a few teachers who didn't make me feel that way, in fact, they made me feel much the opposite...but in the end, those teachers also made a positive impact on me and my future role as a teacher because I vowed that I would never make a child feel the same way that they made me feel...I would always strive to make sure that the children in my classroom felt that they were important and loved and cared for." Wendy believes that engaged parents and families are a crucial factor in a child's success in school. She is very proactive when it comes to building relationships with the parents of her students. She visits their homes, uses parent volunteers in the classroom and even takes a personal interest if she finds a family to be struggling. "Wendy has personally provided clothing, including hats, mittens and boots, for some of the children who would go without had she not stepped in andhelped," stated Sheleigh Nicolai, WMFC Preschool Assistant. Plewa is thankful for the community that she serves, "The efforts of our community members to work together and help all residents is incredible,"said Plewa. Plewa who just completed her Masters degree, hopes to continue her education by returning to Italy where she has learned many of the things that she uses in the classroom when she is working with her students, "Having a safe place where the children can learn and flourish and blossom and grow...that is my mission," concluded Plewa.