Special to the Record
Fittingly bestowed during Teacher Appreciation Week, Chelsea High School teacher Monika Sulima received a Name, Strength and Story Award on Wednesday, May 7, at the regular meeting of the Chelsea School Committee.
A math educator at CHS, Sulima teaches Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus at CHS.
Rosalia Hernandez, a senior at CHS and Student Representative on the School Committee, shared at the
meeting, “As my AP Calc teacher during my junior year, she was not only an exceptional educator with an outstanding AP passing rate of 84 percent but also a deeply supportive and caring mentor. She consistently went above and beyond and connected with students on a personal level. I especially appreciate the moments we shared during lunch where we would both (talk) over our mutual love for hiking.”
Sulima was nominated for the award by the School Committee’s Student Representatives. As Hernandez referenced, Sulima, alongside other AP educators at CHS, have a history of AP
students with strong passing rates on AP exams. In 2022, for example, 41 percent of CHS students passed their AP exams, exceeding the Massachusetts passing rate (30.5 percent) and
national passing rate (21.6 percent). Last year, 31 percent of students earned a passing rate among the 535 tests taken at CHS.
Hernandez added, “Ms. Sulima’s strength as a teacher comes not only from her academic excellence but from the genuine relationships that she builds with her students.”
The final regular School Committee meeting will be on Thursday, June 5, at 6:00 p.m. Chelsea
Public Schools will present their Students of the Year at the meeting.