Press Releases

MANSFIELD, PA - We’ve all heard stories of the lasting impact a great teacher can have on a child’s life. But committing to teaching means more than caring about education. Great teachers give it their all to help their students succeed. And when the pandemic turned the world upside down, the dedication of good teachers became more apparent than ever.

May 7^th is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and to recognize some local teaching stars, First Citizens Community Bank (FCCB) took to social media to ask the community about a deserving teacher who inspired them or their child. The prompt reached over 6,000 people, and the Bank selected three outstanding teachers from the submissions who each won $500 for their classroom just in time for National Teacher Appreciation Day. 

Ms. Nichole Ambruch, a teacher at the Canton Head Start Center for pre-school children, received multiple submissions. “She set the foundation for how an educational experience should be,” wrote one participant. Ms. Ambruch includes parents every step of the way and works hard to prepare her students for moving on, not just intellectually but emotionally. “She is such an amazing and caring individual who treats her students like her own children,” wrote another parent. When a student developed an allergy, Ms. Ambruch examined her classroom for safety and made modifications without hesitation. During the pandemic, Ms. Ambruch and her co-workers packed school supplies, paperwork, games, and toys and drove them to each child’s home. “She even FaceTimed with my son at 10 PM because he was upset that school was closed,” said a parent.

Ms. Susie Cornell, from Southern Tier Traveling Teacher, Inc., was nominated for her reputation of going above and beyond to help students acquire their G.E.D. One submission read, “She makes every student feel worthy! She will become a mentor and confidant, helps with rides, goes into homes to work on lessons, motivates with her laughter and upbeat personality, holds babies while moms work on homework, takes students to road tests, brings clothing when needed, teaches cooking skills, helps find jobs, and becomes a lifelong emotional support to many!”

Ms. Charissa Mascho is a Kindergarten teacher at the Charlotte Lapla Elementary School in Wellsboro. When one family made the difficult decision to enroll their son in remote learning, Ms. Mascho made them feel fully supported. “The strain put on teachers this year to provide in-person learning and a separate fully-remote curriculum could have easily become a reason that our son fell through the cracks. Nothing is further from the truth with Mrs. Mascho,” wrote one family. “She drives around on Sundays delivering the week's supplies, paper assignments, and new books to all of her remote students. She provides even the smallest materials and extras with detailed instructions. She purchases weekly prizes to keep our son motivated and she cares enough to give him special awards for achievements tailored to his interests. I highly suspect she purchases most of these things out of pocket. Through family challenges, illness, and the myriad of difficulties imposed by the altered landscape of education, she remained available to answer questions, quell our fears, and offer support. Our son loves his teacher and feels she is invested in him and wants him to succeed.”

First Citizens Community Bank would like to thank ALL of our local teachers for their unwavering commitment, and would also like to thank everyone who submitted stories for the contest. Be sure to follow them on Facebook for more contest opportunities this summer.

First Citizens Community Bank (FCCB) offers a strong line of mortgage and real estate loans, high-interest rewards checking, trust and investment services, and cash management services that help businesses save time and money. They are headquartered in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and currently operate 31 offices throughout Tioga, Bradford, Potter, Clinton, Centre, Union, Lebanon, Lancaster, Schuylkill, Berks, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania, Allegany County, New York, and New Castle, and Kent Counties in Delaware. For more information about First Citizens, call (800) 326-9486, visit www.myfccb.com or find them on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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