LIMESTONE — Officials at the Loring Job Corps Center in Limestone have announced Pat Tounzen of Caribou as Staff of the Year.
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Contributed photo Reading students of teacher Pat Tounzen at Loring Job Corps pose beside a mural Tounzen painted in her classroom. From left are Shymere McCullough, Manikqua Mcgowan, Slade Michel , Vincent Self and Jerrell Brodie. Tounzen was recently named the local Job Corps Center’s Staff of the Year. |
Tounzen is no stranger to the Job Corps community and has been an instrumental part of the academic team since 2007. She is a reading instructor and takes pride in helping students learn and grow while also demonstrating to them that learning can be fun.
She achieved her formal education from both the Mohegan Community College in Norwich, Conn., and Eastern Connecticut State University, where she earned her bachelor’s in education.
Center officials said Pat’s love for teaching shows through the success of her students. When asked what she likes most about teaching, Tounzen said, “It’s that ‘Aha’ moment when the student finally understands something new.” The look of pride from a student who learns to be all they can be is the motivation that drives her to want to do even more than the day before.
Tounzen said she believes every success of the student should be applauded, and that even the smallest success may have a huge impact on the student knowing that success takes hard work and sacrifice by everyone.
Tounzen is described by others as a humble and a quiet professional who gives much of her time in the pursuit of making those around her want to be better.
In her spare time when not tutoring or spending time coaching students, she enjoys painting and gardening, and her students can confirm her painting abilities through the murals she has painted on the classroom walls.
Tounzen expressed her thanks to everyone on center for their support in her being recognized as staff member of the year, and challenged everyone to reach out and help someone else, “because sometimes the little things can make a huge difference.”
