Natalie Lewis

Natalie William Lewis began her professional career on December 15, 1980 as a long-term substitute for the Chester-Upland School District, the day after her graduation from Cheney State College. In July of 1981, she was hired as lead teacher at Cheek Children’s Center in Philadelphia. Natalie taught in the Philadelphia School District for many years, where she worked at several schools throughout the city. Natalie decided to accept a position at Springfield Township High School in October of 2000 as the Family and Consumer Science teacher. She quickly became a favorite with many students and gained the respect of her colleagues and administration. She was asked to create new classes for the district, where she allowed her students to assist in naming them and even invited community partnerships into her classroom. She took students to the city of Philadelphia to develop an urban and suburban mentoring and tutoring program. Her efforts were recognized as a feature on "The 10 Show" and the PBS network "Religion, Ethics and Newsweekly" programs for the Department's originality and proactive approach to teen drug and alcohol use and teen pregnancy.  In 2001, Natalie’s daughter was diagnosed with Lupus. Andraya, Natalie’s daughter, and the students in Natalie’s Child Career Studies Class started “Youth in the Loop for Lupus”, where they invited local dance schools to perform and raise money for the Lupus Foundation of America. The name was later changed to Youth in the Loop for Life, where students raised awareness of autoimmune diseases and sponsored programs to raise money for the foundation. Natalie was the co-creator of "Voices of Excellence ".  The group’s highest scholarship award is given in her name. Natalie retired from Springfield Township School District in 2014. Natalie has received many awards during her career at Springfield Township High School including, • Springfield Rotary Community Service Award • SDST School Board Recognition • Super Spartan Faculty Award • National Honor Roll Teacher • Who's Who Among American Teachers • National Liberty Museum Teacher as a Hero • Classes Noble Educator of Distinction.