The St. Mary’s Elementary School in Melrose was bustling with excitement on Wednesday afternoon, March 7, as a ceremony was held to present the third annual diversiCOM Teacher of the Year Award to Sue Pundack, a sixth grade teacher at St. Mary’s. Students cheered as they discovered that one of their teachers was the recipient of the award that was presented by Dean Mohs, chief operating officer at diversiCOM. Pundsack is a “very special teacher that is described as being a very empathetic listener. Her positive attitude propels students to thoroughly enjoy learning as much as she enjoys teaching. She believes that a positive self-esteem will help any student to be successful academically”. Pundsack uses a variety of games in her classroom in an effort to make learning fun while teaching students to work together on challenges that benefit all. Pundsack is a gifted musician who shares her talents with St. Mary’s School, as well as the community during her free time. She also spends a lot of her leisure time and summers biking or hiking to raise money for worthy causes such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cystic Fibrosis, AIDS awareness or the environment. diversiCOM Melrose Telephone Company has been in existence for more than 75 years. diversiCOM Mainstreet Communications, LLC has served the city of Sauk Centre since 1998 and diversiCOM Wisper Wireless Solutions, LLC began in 2006. diversiCOM has long been a strong supporter of educational opportunities, whether it is Internet classes to senior citizens, donating to elementary projects, presenting scholarships to college bound high school seniors or any of the other educational programs. In 2005, diversiCOM extended their current scholarship program to include a diversiCOM Teacher of the Year Award, in an effort to reward excellence in teaching. The diversiCOM Teacher of the Year award is a yearly award presented to a teacher working within the diversiCOM service area, who demonstrates an excellence towards their students. The winning teacher receives a granite trophy that reflects their commitment to teaching and a $2,000 cash prize to use as they see fit.
