1. March 10, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
Ms. MaryKate Mela has been a valued art teacher at the Benjamin Franklin High School, in Center
City Philadelphia. Her positive attitude and love of art and children are reflected in the outstanding quality
of the program of art instruction that she maintained at the school.
She has excellent rapport with her students, and shows a sincere interest in them as individuals. Ms.
Mela is consistently fair in dealing with them. She constantly searches for ways to make teaching art more
interesting, and has a creative imagination that allows her to make classroom work more fun.
Under Ms. Mela’s leadership, the art program at Benjamin Franklin included activities to meet the
individual needs of all children, inclusively. Her enthusiasm, her innovativeness, and her dedication to the
arts in education are exemplary. Her flexibility in working with students, and teachers, has earned her an
enviable reputation as an excellent teacher who truly cares about people and art.
Ms. Mela demonstrates the highest level of professional commitment and skill in her work with
students and colleagues. To carry out her professional responsibilities, she gives generously of her
valuable time, and often her work extends beyond the school day. She constantly broadens her
knowledge, and has shared with her colleagues workshops on art therapy, as a professional development
opportunity.
Through Ms. Mela’s hard work, and careful planning, Benjamin Franklin students have won many
awards in the School District of Philadelphia art competition. Her dedication has provided her students to
experience the vitality of artistic expression as it touches our everyday lives.
This unique melding of personal and professional qualities has enabled Ms. Mela to lead her
colleagues and students into a favorable involvement with artistic expression. It allowed her to share with
others her belief in the importance of art and its role in the school curriculum.
I consider her a capable and dedicated art teacher and an asset to any school. I find it difficult to find
young teachers with her teaching talent, ambition, and drive, and I recommend her without reservation for
the position she is seeking.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Beverly B. Jenkins
Retired Assistant Principal
Benjamin Franklin High School
215-390-0090