ALC’s Dunmire is a Golden Apple finalist
“It’s like being nominated for the Academy Awards or the hall of fame in sports,” said North Fort Myers resident and long-time teacher Richard Dunmire. He was recently picked as one of the finalists for the prestigious Golden Apple Teacher Award.
The distinction of being chosen as a finalist is a big one for teachers.
“There were over 3,000 nominations this year of deserving teachers, and only 31 finalists chosen,” said Marshall T. Bower, Esq., executive director of The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools Inc. The foundation heads up the Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Program, now in it’s 22nd year.
“It’s a tough choice, all of them are absolutely deserving,” Bowers said.
Dunmire agreed.
“There are so many wonderful teachers that really deserve the honor,” he said. “Just to be one of the 31 is so humbling, when you think of all the great teachers out there. I’m thrilled just to be nominated.”
Dunmire has been an educator for the last 50 years, and now teaches at Alternative Learning Center Central in Fort Myers, under Principal Ray Bowers.
Bowers said Dunmire is an excellent choice for the honor.
“He’s so multi-talented, a very smart, competent, experienced educator, who has his student’s best interest at heart,” Bowers said. “One of the things I like best is his timely wisdom on any subject, it’s remarkable.”
He said he was very happy to be part of the group that announced to Dunmire that he had made the top teacher list.
“He’s so very well deserving of it all,” Bowers said.
In March, the field of 31 will be narrowed down to only six actual formal recipients. The process of determining those honorees is a lengthy one, with multiple classroom observations and interviews.
“The selection committee will be looking at a lot of things, including how they engage students in the classroom, whether or not they are keeping up with current teaching standards and their ability to communicate subject matter,” said Bower.
The announcement date is kept a secret.
“We keep it a secret because we like to surprise teachers in the classroom,” Bowers said.
That isn’t the only “surprise” tradition with the awards. The foundation announces its selections to the finalists in surprise visits to their classrooms.
“I was completely surprised,” said Dunmire. A congratulatory group of school administrators and selection committee members came in quietly to his room. “As I teach, my back is to the door so I face the students, but they were looking past me, not paying attention.”
Upon turning around and hearing their news, he said, “I don’t know what to say except thank you and I’m so privileged.”
Dunmire said his students were thrilled with his nomination.
“They were excited for me, they held up a #1 sign. I’d say they are equally thrilled as I am,” he said.
The finalists were recently pictured on tray liners at local McDonald’s Restaurants.
“I picked up one this morning, it was exciting to see my pictures there,” Dunmire said. “I frequent the local McDonald’s and the servers behind the counter pointed it right out. Even they were excited for me.”
Dunmire said he let the students have some fun with his nomination.
“We had an art competition with my picture on the tray liners,” he said, noting that he let students draw and add caricatures to his picture on the liner, picking the funniest parody of him by one creative student.
Dunmire was born and raised in Punxsutawney, Pa.
“I could see Gobbler’s Knob from my bedroom window, and I even had a pet groundhog as a child,” he said.
An extremely active member of the community, Dunmire has one particular project he looks forward to every year – serving as head of the North Fort Myers branch of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. For the last four years on Groundhog Day, he’s been joined by community leaders like Sheriff Mike Scott and County Commissioner Tammy Hall in the festive celebration of the spring tradition at the Shell Factory’s Nature Park.
Donning a “Florida tuxedo” (top hat, tails and shorts), he’s the one who translates “groundhogese” from his charge, Mona the groundhog, who lives year-round at the park.
Along with teaching, he owns and operates the Shell Factory Flea Market and sits on the board for the Palmetto Park Civic Association. He has helped coordinate numerous fund-raising events in North Fort Myers for the Shell Factory and Nature Park, the American Cancer Society and New Testament Baptist Church.
He presently lives in North Fort Myers where he moved to in 1974 with his wife, Sandra. He is the father of Pamela Cronin, Robert Dunmire and Richard Dunmire Jr. and the grandfather of eight and has five great-grandchildren.
Concerning his educational background, Dunmire graduated from Buffalo State University with a bachelors degree in education science. He then went on to get his masters in education administration from Nova University.
He started teaching in 1959 and is currently celebrating his 50th year as an educator. Besides teaching at ALC, he was a long-time teacher at Fort Myers High School.
“My desire as an educator has always been just to make a difference in one more life,” said Dunmire. “I believe education is the key to opportunity.”