My name is Gilbert D. Pimentel and I am the new principal at Weed Elementary School. I have the pleasure of nominating Susan Waller for the "PORTRAITS OF SUCCESS" Award. I have had the honor of working with Ms. Waller for the past four months and have been enriched by what I have witnessed. She truly is one of those teachers who love what she does. Her passion, compassion, and understanding of her students are tremendous. Not only does she teach a community day class but she also organizes a meeting of all the community day teachers throughout our region. This is an opportunity for all the CDS teachers to get together to discuss problems, successes, and find new ways to reach the challenging youth that enter our schools today. Ms. Waller was also jointly responsible for bringing the Peace4Kids training to Siskiyou County and was warmly received by its attendees. In fact, Weed Elementary is trying to bring the principles of the program into the school with assistance from Ms. Waller. Another aspect on how Ms. Waller has impacted our school is in her ability to help young people that are not in her program. There were a few 8th grade boys that were being challenging in their regular classes and their teachers were frustrated. Ms. Waller volunteered to work with these young men along with her own students using the Peace4Kids curriculum. So far this has been helpful for the teachers, staff, and most importantly, the students. One other thing before I close; this fall she planned, organized, and pulled off a county-wide community day school play day at Weed Elementary. This was well done and well received by all schools who participated. These are just some of the things that Ms. Waller does to help and enrich the youth she works with. She is incredibly dedicated and committed to the success of our youth today and it is my honor to nominate Susan Waller for this award.