2010-2011 Employees of the Year

Arnold Prudencio Monticello School

Arnold Prudencio is Monticello’s classified employee of the year. Arnold is the head custodian at Monticello Elementary and has been in our district for 22 years.

Mr. Prudencio’s work ethic is impeccable. He arrives to work each morning at least 30 minutes before his scheduled start time to open up. Our campus is clean and safe. Arnold is one of the main reasons it stays this way.

Arnold has vast knowledge of tools and "gadgets" and utilizes these tools to assist him with the repair and maintenance of our school. Arnold is also thrifty. He will locate and utilize materials we have on site to save district the cost to repair and maintain our beautiful campus. He completes preventative maintenance routinely and assists our grounds keeper by adding creative touches to the Monticello School grounds.

He takes pride with every task he completes. He sees it, he fixes it. Arnold had said, "I do my job, the best that I can and I always will, for my school". What a great example for us all.

Jennifer Garry Monticello School

Jennifer Garry is Monticello’s certificated employee of the year. Jennifer has been an educator for 22 years. Jennifer teaches third grade and said that “Third grade is a passion.”

Jennifer has made a positive impact on Monticello during her tenure here. This year, she created and implemented the RISE after school program at Monticello. She spent countless hours planning and overseeing this very successful program. She had a RISE graduation on March 31st to honor the students and the progress that they had made. To see the RISE students and their smiles after accepting their award said it all.

Jennifer has been on many school and district level committees. Some of these committees include: School Site Council, where she has been a member for several years, GATE representative, Grade level representative, Language Arts Adoption Committee, STAR Lab supporter and docent, RISE coordinator, Measure J Committee member, and Curriculum development team.

Jennifer Garry’s class, along with another third grade class, presents a musical every year to our student body. She brought square dancing to Monticello School several years ago and has incorporated square dancing with the third grade Pioneer School simulation. Jennifer will tell you that square dancing is an excellent way to informally test oral direction following.

Lauren Beith Jefferson School

Lauren Beith has been the secretary at Jefferson School for the past six years. She is one of those rare employees that spots a job that needs to be done and does it. In her position it is critical to be able to multi-task, set timelines, and handle whatever is thrown at her (literally). It’s amazing that Lauren has been able to put up with the intense demands placed on her.

She exemplifies great professionalism as an employee while maintaining great rapport and friendship with the staff. Lauren always takes the time to get to know each staff member on a personal level which in turn earns their trust. She is one of the first people that students, parents and staff members see when they walk into Jefferson, and it’s her smile, friendliness, and genuine personality that make them all feel welcome.

Jefferson School is a very close-knit family and Lauren is the mother figure that looks after everyone. She plays a large part in why Jefferson is such an enjoyable place to work and why it is so successful.

Christina Orsi Jefferson School

Christina Orsi has taught 8th grade science at Jefferson School for the past six years. She has been an exceptional teacher, innovator, professional developer and leader. Christina does a tremendous job developing rapport with her students and inspires each of them to accomplish great things.

She served as the Associated Student Body coordinator and in that time she improved the way the organization ran, fostered school spirit through rallies, and made the dances more inclusive so all students felt comfortable attending. Christina has also been integral in advancing science instruction at Jefferson. Her use of interactive notebooks and work with Science Fair dramatically improved the 8th grade STAR scores for all student groups. In addition, her involvement in Science Olympiad and other county led science programs has shown students the real-world importance of science.

Christina has also shown a tremendous amount of leadership at Jefferson through the Instructional Norms Team. She is constantly seeking out new knowledge to improve her own craft and help other teachers excel as well. Christina loves to try new strategies, refine them, and then share them with others. By example she inspires everyone to improve and provides the students of Jefferson School the best every day.

Mark Gottberg Hawkins School

Mark Gottberg is the 2010 – 2011 classified employee of the year for Hawkins School. Mark has been a part of the Hawkins School team for the last 6 years as the night custodian. The night custodian isn’t always the most glamorous job from starting your day in the midst of the busyness of school lunches in a crowded cafeteria to ending it on a quiet dark campus.

Through all of these different scenarios, Mark keeps the campus clean and appropriate for all our students and staff. One staff member notes that he doesn’t take any short cuts and completes all duties when asked. Mark interacts with the staff and students in a friendly manner and is always patient with those unexpected events.

Congratulations to Mark for this great recognition.

Fiona Bessette Hawkins School

Fiona Bessette is the certificated employee of the year for Hawkins School   Throughout her years at Hawkins, she has become an integral part of the first grade team creating a learning environment where every child can be successful.

Most recently Fiona has taken on the task of providing instructional coaching to our instructional aides who are working with our students in intervention. Through this capacity she has provided demonstration lessons, professional development and ongoing support that have increased the effectiveness of our intervention programs. Through her coaching we have seen many students over every grade level exit intervention and find success at their grade level standards.

Fiona has also shown a tremendous amount of leadership at Hawkins through providing professional development at staff meetings and being a part of the district Instructional Norms Team. She is a constant professional in all ways and is always striving to improve herself as a teacher and professional. She is enthusiastic, no matter what the challenge, and always puts the students of Hawkins as first priority.

Debbie Pereira Traina School

Debbie Pereira has been with the Jefferson School District since August of 1997. She was hired as the Anthony Traina School Secretary in April of 2004. Debbie has an established reputation as a hard working, do whatever it takes person, that stops what she is doing to help anyone in need. She has been known to take work home to make sure that the students and teachers at Traina are ready for the upcoming year. Debbie’s never timid about filling in where she is needed. All of this, mind you, with a smile on her face and a happy disposition.

  Debbie Pereira is a humble and essential member of our staff. She is one of the first to arrive in the morning and on many occasions remains well after the conclusion of her work day. Students and staff alike have come to depend on her to patch up scraped knees, take a temperature or two, offer a warm hello, or just run a cup of coffee down to a staff member.

  Debbie has the wherewithal to manage, organize, and perform the essential day to day activities of our office. She both trains and supports our office staff. She is often on the front line dealing with the pleasant and not so pleasant interactions with the public and does so in a manner that makes our parents and students feel valued and heard.

Lynda McCormick Traina School

Lynda McCormick has been with the Jefferson School District, teaching Kindergarten at Traina School since August 2005. She has been in the teaching profession for 41 years. Lynda is an insightful teacher who values academics, but realizes that for each child, a balance must be struck between academics and the social and emotional aspects of one's school experience. Her students love her and enjoy coming to school every day.

As one staff member stated, "She's the real deal and amazingly talented." Lynda McCormick has a natural and passionate ability to work with children making a positive difference in each child's life. She meets them where they are, and takes them where she knows, they need to be. She's firm but fair. After all, Lynda knows that everything we need to know to navigate through life we learned in Kindergarten.

  She has worked with her team diligently over the years to build the Kindergarten program at Traina School, instituting such events as the Kindergarten Bridge BBQ, Zaner-Bloser Parent Handwriting Workshop and Multicultural Month. Lynda gladly and with enthusiasm takes on numerous causes outside of the scope of her job, some of which have really benefited our community such as GECAC, Kindness Week and helping the homeless through her church. Lynda is well respected by fellow staff members. She has mentored several of the teachers on our staff and countless others throughout her career. Lynda is a school-wide team builder.

 

Janice Cook District Office

It has been a long time in coming; after Janice has helped to train four Special Education Directors; but it is always timely to praise an individual like Janice for her dedicated service to the Jefferson School District. Janice is at work early and often leaves late as she interacts with teachers, parents and administrators to keep them all on track when it comes to IEP forms and timelines. She is one of the kindest problem solvers you could ever meet in person or on the phone; leaving the listener encouraged with a problem solved or at the very least, on the way to a solution.

To many educators in the field, Janice is the home beacon in getting help for guidance in best practices for SEIS, receiving new forms, pamphlets, new federal and state requirements, and hand-holding for new Speech and Special Education Interns. She has a steady supply of chocolate to refresh the weary educator that is delivering IEPs to her desk for the permanent files. She is, in another’s words, “the epitome of a selfless worker, always striving for the best and helping others to do the same” and “Janice Cook exemplifies the type of employee any superintendent would be thrilled to employ.”