An eighth-grade New Jersey boy once wrote an essay praising a teacher — who’s now accused of having sex with a student — for having a “personal” and “lasting impact on kids.”
“Orchard Valley Middle School social studies teacher Ashley Sulla Fisler is living proof that effective educators can have an immediate, positive and lasting impact on kids,” the eighth grader wrote in the essay, which won a contest in 2019, according to NJ.com.
Fisler, 36, was arrested Thursday for allegedly having sex with a student in her classroom and her car in 2021.
Her purported victim — now an adult — alleged the pair had a sexual relationship while he was her pupil.
Fisler, in 2019, went by her maiden name Sulla. Any connection between the student who wrote the essay and the victim is unclear.
“Typically, heroes tend to be superheroes, sports players, singers, actors, celebrities, or even a family member. Not everyone’s hero fits any of the categories listed above,” the then-8th grader’s essay continues.
“Sometimes people’s heroes are an ‘overlooked’ hero, simply because what they do isn’t ‘significant.’ But, my hero, Ms. Sulla, works at school.”
The 250-word essay on the subject of a “school employee who has had a positive impact” was one of four winners from 200 submissions.
The middle schooler repeatedly lauded Fisler for being “relatable.”
“Ms. Sulla always makes sure that she can connect with the students on a personal level,” the essay reads. “If someone is a quiet student, Ms. Sulla will find a way to relate to that student to make them feel comfortable.”
Fisler appears to have shared her home life with students — with one photo she posted on social media in 2018 showing her then-boyfriend proposing to her in front of her class, as she reacts with elated shock.
Students can be seen sitting at desks in the background, watching him pop the question on bended knee.
Another picture shows the couple beaming as Fisler flashed her new engagement ring with two other women in front of lockers on the same day.
Later, she posted a photo of her kissing her beau as they toasted with glasses of white wine.
“Ashley is a great teacher,” District Social Studies Supervisor Jeff Snyder said in the NJ.com report. “Not only does she make her lessons interactive and engaging, but she also prides herself in making personal connections with all her students.”
Fisler, of Washington Township in Gloucester County, was charged with six counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of second-degree official misconduct.
The author of the essay, whose name is being withheld by The Post, didn’t return a call on Friday.
