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Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_10.03.08 - Index

OCTOBER 3, 2008 EDUCATION BRENTWOODPRESS.COM | 11A
Bristow music man takes top teacher honors
by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
Mark Morello might not be a superstitious
man, but it’s hard to deny that
Sept. 25 was his lucky day. On that cosmically
aligned date last week, the Bristow
Middle School music director not
only celebrated his 35th birthday; he was
also named Contra Costa County Teacher
of the Year.
“Talk about karma,” laughed Morello,
who received the offi cial nod during
a gala awards ceremony in Pleasant
Hill. “It was a magical evening and an
incredible honor.”
Known for his passionate approach
to education, the news that Morello had
grabbed top teaching honors came as
no surprise to those who work with the
dedicated music man.
“Mark has a committement to his
students that is very rare,” said Bristow
Principal Russ Cornell. “He listens to
his kids and he learns from them every
day. That’s what makes him such a great
teacher. We’re all very jazzed for him.”
Morello’s also jazzed – and classicaled,
contemporaried, popped and
gospeled. For him, directing an eclectic
music room is an important component
of his teaching syllabus.
“We do it all,” said Morello of his
musical play list. “Kids love all kinds of
music and when we mix it up a little bit,
it makes things more interesting. They
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(students) work very hard.”
And so does their teacher. Growing
up in the North Bay with his parents and
older brother and sister, music has always
been a part of Morello’s life despite
his less-than-calculated musical start.
“My older brother took up the
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Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lance
Bristow Middle School teacher Mark Morello, left, poses with his mom, Jane
Dreeszen, and County School Superintendent Joe Ovick at the recent Contra
Costa County Teacher of the Year awards event. Morello took home top honors
as County Teacher of the Year.
trumpet in elementary school but didn’t
stick with it very long,” said Morello.
“So when he put it down, I took it up,
and since then it has always been music
for me. My parents weren’t musical, but
the rest of us (siblings) were. I guess it
skips a generation.”
Morello and his wife Holly are currently
raising the next musical generation
in their 1-year-old son Giovanni. Life for
the Brentwood resident is “pretty sweet,”
both personally and professionally.
Today, Morello is master of his musical
domain, organizing and keeping
track of a formidable number of ensembles,
from the school’s two jazz bands to
the wind ensembles as well as the sixth-,
seventh- and eighth-grade choirs. And
while he admits teaching is a tough job,
it’s the little moments that make it all
worthwhile.
“Seeing the little surprises mixed in
with the steady improvements are such
a reward,” he said. “It’s more about the
process; watching them get that solo they
didn’t think they’d get, or fi nding the
courage to stand up and sing, or fi nding
that note they didn’t think they could hit.
It’s the little milestones that make them
shine and give me the biggest rewards.
It’s all a lot of fun.”
And for Morello, the fun continues.
His win for Contra Costa County automatically
puts him in contention for the
state honors, to be decided in November.
If successful there, Morello will move
onto the national competition.
“It’s been such an honor, and I’m just
proud to represent the Brentwood school
district,” he said. “There are so many
awesome teachers with so many inspiring
stories. Being chosen (as Teacher of the
Year) is just the icing on the cake.”