Woodmont Teacher 'Rocks'

Woodmont Elementary School teacher Danielle Stoveken rocks. It’s official.

Stoveken, a first grade teacher at in Pine Brook, was a 2012 winner of WDHA radio’s “Teachers Who Rock” Awards program and recognized for her achievement at a banquet on March 13 at Ravello’s in East Hanover. There were 18 winners nominated out of approximately 200 applicants this year. 

The "Teachers Who Rock" Awards program gives recognition to 24 full-time classroom teachers in northern New Jersey each year for their outstanding contributions to society and makes them lifetime members of the "Teachers Who Rock Class," according to their website. Winners receive an engraved glass trophy, a bag of gifts, and the honor of having their inspiring stories presented on the air and at the banquet by WDHA radio hosts.

Woodmont faculty members Jill Arslanian, secretary, and Lindsay Johnson, special education teacher, nominated Stoveken. 

Arslanian has known Stoveken for three and a half years, and initiated the nomination after getting an email from the radio station about the program. She said she had a good feeling about it from the start.

“I brought it up to the principal about nominating Danielle, and then I got Lindsay's assistance, because she works in the classroom and was able to fill that part. I did the personal part," Arslanian said.

Johnson works in the classroom with Stoveken every afternoon and was thrilled to help with the nomination.  

“Jill came to me and said, ‘I know you're with Danielle and I think she's a great teacher and energetic and this would be really good for you and great for her,’” Johnson said. 

Arslanian said they were confident Stoveken would win, mostly because of her personality.

“She is always upbeat and goes around singing and dancing. She never stops and she's never down,” she said.

Johnson echoed the sentiment.  

“She brings the classroom alive with excitement. The kids are not sitting down bored. She's always doing something entertaining, so the students definitely benefit,” she said. 

Stoveken is tall, talkative and effervescent, with a booming laugh and warm smile — the kind of teacher that makes kids excited about coming to school. She loves teaching first grade, especially math, and her students do well in the subject as a result.

“Math, especially, is my favorite. If you’re in here for a week, you can tell that’s where I light up and say, ‘It’s math time!' and get excited," she said.

She believes that constant movement enhances learning. 

“It’s the movement and the energy. We’re constantly up and moving around. I think a lot of people do that where they’re trying to get away from sitting at a desk. We’ll go to the carpet, we’ll go to the desk, different parts of the room," she said.

Stoveken said the honor of being nominated for the award brings her to tears.

“It’s always nice to be appreciated in anything you do, and it’s nice to be honored — especially hearing your colleagues say such wonderful things. I don’t know what’s more — hearing a parent tell you wonderful things that you’re doing for their children or a colleague telling you you’re doing a good job, because the respect of both is just an honor in general," she said.

The sign in front of Woodmont School said, "Congratulations," and it went into the PTA minutes. Stoveken attended a banquet with her family, accompanied by Arslanian, Johnson, and the school principal, to receive her award. She said it felt like getting a Grammy.

“They had a banquet with a cocktail hour, carving stations, full dinner and after dinner they read the nomination letter that was sent in. You got up there and stood so everyone could see you and were given your award by one of the radio personalities," she said.

Stoveken gave some thought to what makes her "rock."

“If there is one word, I think it’s ‘energetic,’" she said. “I don’t stop moving and I think it’s infectious. Everyone will tell you, ‘She is so wild, crazy and energetic,’ and it’s brought into my classroom. They probably would have diagnosed me back in the day, because I didn’t sit still. I was always moving. I still am moving all the time. It takes a lot to put me in a bad mood or get me upset."

She has found a more effective way to teach her students, which, she feels, makes her rock.

"A lot of students and most adults can’t sit and listen for hours and hours. In here, it’s the same thing — we’re talking about six- and seven-year-olds. We do dancing. We do 'Patty Cake.' We do stretching. We’re up on our feet. We do a lot of movement activities. The students are constantly engaged and not just sitting at a desk. They’re interacting with each other. And I think that’s what makes me rock."

Stoveken said she likes to be a little "outrageous" too.

“Besides singing in front of the class and having them sing and dance with me, I’m probably the most outrageous. I bring everything to a whole new level. On Dr. Seuss Day, I literally look like The Cat in the Hat. When its’ ‘crazy this day’ or ‘crazy that day,’ I take it to a whole other level. The kids are like, ‘Did you see what Miss. Stoveken was wearing today?’ Or when I turn the corner and they’re all lined up outside my room, and they’re like, ‘Whoa!’ it’s like seeing Mickey Mouse for the first time,” she said.

Stoveken grew up in Boonton and now lives in Clifton with her husband, Christopher, two-and-a-half-year-old son, Christopher Jr., and a black lab named Tela. She adores her son.

“He is the love of my life. It’s just the most amazing thing. I remember when I was pregnant, one of the women working with me in here said, 'I think you’re child’s gonna run out of energy before you will,'” she said.

Stoveken always knew she would be a teacher, like her two sisters. Besides her father, everyone in her family is involved in education. She attended William Paterson University and then came to Woodmont eight years ago to do her student teaching. She was hired as a personal aide before getting her own first grade class. She plans to get her master’s degree once things slow down.

Stoveken taught gymnastics from high school through college. She likes tutoring and cheerleading and has been volunteering as a cheerleading coach for the Michelle Sullivan Games, an annual charity event, for eight years.