Teresa Norman, Hispanic Achievement Liaison, Oakland Mills Middle School

November 2nd, 2016

Teresa Norman brings together her experiences as an international parent, and her love of cultures and helping others to her Hispanic achievement liaison position at Oakland Mills Middle School. Her dedication and ability to connect have helped her students realize their full potential while fostering an engaged school community.

Originally from Buenos Aires, Norman studied and worked in Argentina, South Africa and the Caribbean before moving to the United States for her children’s education. Throughout her career, whether she was working at the Argentinian embassy, in public relations, as an interpreter or in her current role, she has always followed her interests in working with people and celebrating differences.

As Hispanic achievement liaison, Norman collaborates with students, school staff, families and community members to accelerate the academic achievement of all Hispanic students. She serves as a communication link, support and problem solver to ensure students show up to school, take challenging classes and conduct themselves with positive learning behaviors. At the same time, she educates the school community toward a deeper understanding of Hispanic students and their families, while encouraging Hispanic family involvement through a range of supports.

Both Norman’s principal, Megan Chrobak, and Hispanic Achievement Specialist Elisa Montalvo describe Norman as a “model liaison.” Montalvo continued, “She has a lot of great qualities that combine to make her the star that she is: she has great sense of humor, is extremely dedicated, works collaboratively with every staff person in the building and connects very easily with the families. She’s a true servant leader who leads by example.”

A key to Norman’s success is making herself readily available to her 96 families, students and staff colleagues. She said, “I make myself visible as much as possible, so students know they can always talk to me. Parents come a lot to find out how their kids are doing. If they need help or have a question, they’re very welcome. And the whole school team wants to help the school close the achievement gap, so I assist with monitoring the kids’ academic performance and talk with teachers on how things are going.”

Norman fosters her relationships with the students, families and staff through an involved activity schedule. She oversees Ritmo Latino, an after-school club that encourages student academic achievement. During the bimonthly sessions, students identify their strengths and goals, discuss the importance of education, as well as participate in games and crafts. She also hosts parent and community nights, and parent workshops throughout the year.

Norman prioritizes attendance and constantly works to ensure each student “feels welcome and comes happily to school every day.” Her efforts have seen impressive results: last year Oakland Mills had the highest attendance rate for Hispanic students out of all HCPSS schools, and two years ago Oakland Mills had the highest attendance rate at the middle school level. The parents are also very active, as Norman said, “Whenever the school has an event, my families are always here. I just need to make a call, and they will be here to help.”

Montalvo credits Norman for these successes, saying “Teresa delivers. The families really respond to her. Her families have stellar attendance at events, and understand the importance of being at school and on time.” Norman, in turn, loves seeing the progress of her students and families, explaining, “I take a great joy in seeing my kids and parents moving forward and learning how to do things on their own. I enjoy giving them the tools to do things by themselves.”

Norman’s family decided to settle in Howard County specifically for the school system, when they faced a move to Maryland for her husband’s job. She has actively taken part in the HCPSS since 2000, first as a parent volunteer and International Parent Leadership Program participant. She joined the staff 10 years ago as a Spanish interpreter, then a scheduler for Spanish special education interpreters before entering her role as Hispanic achievement liaison at Deep Run Elementary School. She joined Oakland Mills Middle School in her current capacity in 2011.