{"id":36377,"date":"2026-06-01T00:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/?p=36377"},"modified":"2026-06-01T00:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:02:10","slug":"optimist-club-recognizes-intermediate-school-educators-for-excellence-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/?p=36377","title":{"rendered":"Optimist Club Recognizes Intermediate School Educators for Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edison Intermediate School language arts teacher Jessica Mikovits and Roosevelt Intermediate School mathematics teacher Linda Morrison have been recognized as outstanding intermediate school educators by the Optimist Club of Westfield.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colleagues describe Mikovits as \u201cexceptionally organized, thoughtful, and incredibly collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer lessons are thoughtful, engaging, and purposeful, and the materials she creates, from polished worksheets to carefully designed presentations, reflect both professionalism and a commitment to student learning,\u201d writes a colleague nominator. \u201cHer classroom strikes the perfect balance between structure and warmth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikovits says, \u201cGrowing up in Westfield, I was shaped by the very educators I now have the privilege of teaching alongside, individuals who played a meaningful role in inspiring my decision to become a teacher. That full-circle journey makes this honor especially meaningful to me. I am deeply grateful to the Optimist Club of Westfield and the Westfield Public Schools community for this incredible honor! \u201d<\/p>\n

Morrison has been teaching for 30 years, 29 of those at Roosevelt. She is described by a student nominator as \u201ca great leader because she never lets us give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe always has a positive attitude, even on Monday mornings! She doesn\u2019t just teach us numbers and decimals; she teaches us how to stay optimistic when things get tough. Because of Mrs. Morrison, I\u2019m not afraid of math anymore. She is a leader who truly cares about her students and always looks on the bright side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply grateful for this recognition. It has been a true privilege teaching in the Westfield School District, where I have been fortunate to work alongside extraordinary colleagues who inspire me every day with their dedication, creativity, and commitment to our students, Morrison says. I thank my students and their families, past and present, for the countless moments that have made this journey so meaningful. You are the reason I love coming to work each day.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Edison Intermediate School language arts teacher Jessica Mikovits is the co-recipient of the 2026 Optimist Club\u2019s Intermediate School Outstanding Teacher Award. Pictured here with Edison principal LaNova Schall and Superintendent Dr. Raymond Gonz\u00e1lez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Optimist Club, a not-for-profit service organization that supports youth and the community, presents an award annually to two Westfield intermediate school educators – one each from Edison and Roosevelt. The Intermediate School Outstanding Teacher Award was established in 1998 by the Optimist Club to give deserving credit to intermediate school teachers.<\/p>\n

Superintendent Dr. Raymond Gonz\u00e1lez thanked the Optimist Club for its enduring commitment to recognizing educators who play a vital role in shaping students during their formative years. “On behalf of the Board of Education and the entire school community, I offer sincere congratulations to Ms. Mikovits and Mrs. Morrison for this well-deserved honor,” he says.
\nMikovits and Morrison will be honored at the Board of Education meeting on May 12 and at an Optimist Club dinner on September 9.<\/p>\n

The selection committee consisted of Optimist Club members Maria Fuentes, Marty Gulino, Gene Jannotti, and Victor Mankoski, along with Edison principal LaNova Schall and Roosevelt principal Brian Gechtman.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Roosevelt Intermediate School mathematics teacher Linda Morrison is the co-recipient of the 2026 Optimist Club\u2019s Intermediate School Outstanding Teacher Award. Pictured here with Superintendent Dr. Raymond Gonz\u00e1lez and Roosevelt principal Brian Gechtman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo Credit: Westfield Public Schools<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edison Intermediate School language arts teacher Jessica Mikovits and Roosevelt Intermediate School mathematics teacher Linda Morrison have been recognized as outstanding intermediate school educators by the Optimist Club of Westfield. Colleagues describe Mikovits as \u201cexceptionally organized, thoughtful, and incredibly collaborative.\u201d \u201cHer lessons are thoughtful, engaging, and purposeful, and the materials she creates, from polished worksheets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":36378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[151],"tags":[],"post_flags":[],"class_list":["post-36377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-westfield-local"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36377"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36382,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36377\/revisions\/36382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36377"},{"taxonomy":"post_flag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.localmedianj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_flags&post=36377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}