School: Hill Top Preparatory School in Rosemont, where she is the assistant head of school.

Achievement: From April 2006 to July 2007, Falcone, 37, served as acting head of school while maintaining her responsibilities as assistant head of school. In recognition of her service and progression of school programs during the interim period, board of trustees chairman John Irwin and current head of school Tom Eundem honored the Bryn Mawr resident by renaming the school's College Room as the Cindy Falcone Room.

Falcone is in her ninth school year at Hill Top Prep, which prepares sixth- through 12th-grade students diagnosed with learning disabilities for higher education. The most common learning disabilities at the school, Falcone said, are ADHD, nonverbal learning disability, disorder of written expression, and Asperger's syndrome.

Question: What was most challenging for you as acting head of school?

Answer: The greatest challenge was having enough time to get everything done. E-mails, phone calls and meetings often filled my days, so I used vacation days, evenings and weekends to keep on top of everything else at Hill Top Prep, while also finding time for my kids, Ben and Genna.

Q: How did you keep the stress level down?

A: I worked to create reasonable expectations for myself and took one day at a time. Regardless, I was unbelievably thankful when Tom Needham came on board as the new head of school in July 2007.

Q: What changes did you make during this time?

A: There were many changes that occurred. However, the biggest change was the implementation of our 1:1 laptop initiative. Through this program, each student and faculty member received a laptop; classrooms were equipped with projectors, audio systems and Activboards; and a student information system was implemented.

Q: What did you learn from the experience?

A: The learning curve was huge during this period of time, given the laptop initiative as well as the additional duties that I had to assume. However, the importance of having a strong, unified faculty is the lesson that stood out the most. Without the rest of the Hill Top Prep faculty and staff, it would have been impossible to implement program changes, perform a head search and so much more.

Q: How many rooms are named after faculty or staff at Hill Top Prep?

A: There are no other rooms named after faculty or staff at Hill Top Prep.

Q: What does your plaque say?

A: "To recognize her efforts to 'hold us together,' for bringing faculty together with the administration and returning a strong sense of trust to Hill Top Prep, we hereby name the College Room in her honor to express our appreciation for her undying commitment to our school and its students. Cindy has made us believe in ourselves again and, as with the students who use this room, she has encouraged us to look beyond what we have been, to focus on what we can be and to plan with confidence the direction of our future."

Q: Why was this room named after you?

A: During the presentation of this honor, Tom Needham noted that I had helped Hill Top Prep to continue moving forward and secured its future despite all of the challenges I had faced. Since is where students go to look toward their future, it seemed very appropriate. This room is used daily by the students before school, during breaks and at lunch.

Q: Why do you enjoy working at Hill Top Prep?

A: I love working at Hill Top Prep for so many reasons, but what stands out most are the students. Yes, the students at Hill Top Prep have diagnosed learning disabilities, but they also have areas of amazing talents and strengths. It is always a pleasure to be part of the events that celebrate their many successes, i.e., academic awards, athletic banquets, the National Honor Society induction, commencement, etc. Equally as wonderful are the visits from Hill Top Prep alum, so we can catch up on their college experiences, employment and more.

Q: What advice do you have for college-bound students?

A: There will be challenges and unexpected events in college and in the future for which planning will not be able to remedy. Finding a balance between school, work and your personal life, coupled with your ability to appropriately advocate for yourself, will go a long way in overcoming any challenge that may present itself.

Q: The naming of a room is a lasting honor. How do you want to be remembered?

A: Having a room named in my honor is a wonderful legacy. However, when parents, faculty and students think about Hill Top Prep, I hope they remember the changes that occurred during my time as the assistant head of school that allowed their experience to be that much more positive.

What the head of school says: "I know from reliable sources that she worked 17- to 18-hour days and also most Saturdays to keep this school doing everything it should be doing," said Tom Needham, Hill Top Prep's head of school. "She came to the school at 2 a.m. when the fire alarm went off and the fire department called her. She was here at 6 a.m. to chip away ice or shovel snow with the maintenance folks to ensure that school wasn't cancelled. She made sweet treats for the faculty on special days. She decided that, since our Web site wasn't effective, it needed to be overhauled, and found the vendor to do it - and do it well. Cindy wouldn't use the excuse at any time throughout the year that she was only the "interim." There isn't a member of faculty or a single trustee who doesn't know how lucky they were to have Cindy Falcone available to step up to the challenge last year."

- Shannon Hallamyer