Camdenton School District “Volunteer of the Year” Nominations 2011-2012 It takes volunteers to make tomorrow better than today. Thanks for improving our world in your most exceptional way. Camdenton R-III School District Volunteers Exceptional People Extraordinary Hearts
VOY Booklet:Layout 1Nominations 2011-2012
Thanks for improving our world in your most exceptional way.
Camdenton R-III School District Volunteers
Exceptional People
Extraordinary Hearts
Dogwood Elementary
Jonna Kenniston written by Kindergarten Teacher Katy
Cunningham
Diane Knoll written by 2nd Grade Teacher Kelly Mooney
Mag Leahy written by Kindergarten Teacher Kim Palomo
Jori LeMay written by Kindergarten Teacher Jackie Job
Jori LeMay written by 1st Grade Teacher Laura Stewart
Carol Lynch written by 1st Grade Teacher Vicki Luber
Earline Medcalf written by Kindergarten Teacher Amber Keeney
Ingrid Niemann written by Kindergarten Teacher Kim Pool
Kathy Peery written by First Grade Teacher Marcia Hutchinson
Jeni Simpson written by Kindergarten Teacher Karen DenHartog
Ronda Stehle written by Instructional Coach Lucinda Varner
Ed & Nancy Wedig written by First Grade Teacher Marcia
Hutchinson
Hawthorn Elementary
Jodi Hanner written by 3rd Grade Teachers Desta Franklin, Tami
Moulder, and Literacy Coach Cindy James
Jonna Kenniston written by 3rd Grade Teachers Barb Anderson, Jamie
Hedrick, and Allison Jolly
Rhonda Wilkening written by 3rd Grade Teachers Shelley Atkins,
Beverly Eichholz, and Jaclyn Johnson
Oak Ridge Intermediate
Michele Brother written by 6th Grade Teachers Lynette Franklin and
Lolly Whittle
Erin Price written by Art Teacher Mary Kay Roofener
Jackie Moore written by 5th Grade Teachers Christina Calvert and
Diana Riley
Jeni Simpson written by 5th Grade Teacher Eric Cook
Camdenton High School
Patti Lear written by Speech and Drama Teacher JoBeth Nicklas
2011-2012 Volunteer of the Year Submissions
Amber Akers This school year began with many new changes to the
structure of Dogwood Elementary. We all moved into new hallways
that became ‘communities’ within each hall. Keep in mind I had been
in the same room since I came to Dogwood 16 years ago! I was
feeling VERY overwhelmed with a new classroom, a new storage
area (less storage ) and a new group of colleagues. I was having
trouble finding materials and activities and then was running out
of time to complete the necessary prep work for my
lessons/activities. Once again my outstanding volunteer program was
able to provide an answer to my prayers! My volunteer has been a
lifesaver. She makes a good day great and a bad day better. I look
forward to her smile each week. No matter the task at hand, she is
always willing and able to complete her basket of work. Many times
there is copying to do, activities to cut, hot glue to dispense,
and things to put together. She is always up to the challenge.
Without her, I would not be able to make learning in my classroom
exciting and challenging. I would also be spending countless hours
after school or on the weekends to complete the prep work.
Due to the nature of my schedule, I’m sometimes not as prepared as
I should be when my volunteer arrives. She arrives each week with a
smile on her face and enthusiasm that is contagious! She is always
patient with me and waits for me to finish compiling her “basket”.
I appreciate her time and patience with me!
Submitted by Reneé Dyer Dogwood Elementary 1st grade teacher
Michelle Brothers Once in a while a person comes along that you
know is going to be just what you need at just the right time. Our
volunteer is that person. It has been so wonderful to have someone
who is always dependable, competent, and willing to help out in any
way. No matter what we ask of her, how much we ask her to do, how
sketchy the directions are, or how unprepared we are for her visit,
she is always smiling, willing to wait for us to gather materials,
and happy to do
whatever we ask. Many times she is coming straight from the
hospital, right off her shift, still in her scrubs. She never
misses, lets us know ahead of time if there’s a schedule change,
never, ever interrupts our classes, but just waits patiently until
we are finished with whatever we are doing. Our volunteer takes the
initiative to organize things for us, so that it will be easier the
next time, or next year. One of the most wonderful things about her
help is that everything is always done correctly. The way we ask
for it is the way we get it. There are no surprises when we go to
use the materials she has prepared. We truly don’t know what we’d
do without her. Thank you, many times over! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you!
Submitted by Lolly Whittle and Lynette Franklin Oak Ridge
Intermediate 6th grade teachers
Lynn Crawford As my school year began my
eager 1st graders arrived ready to embark on the new year together;
we settled into our routine of learning how to read. Each child
takes a book home to read each night to practice
his/her reading skills. I quickly discovered a couple of kids were
not completing their reading each night. I asked if there was a
volunteer who would be willing to come in to read with these kids.
That’s when I was introduced to my volunteer. She arrives each and
every Tuesday morning, faithfully. During this time, she listens to
several kids read so that they can maintain their reading skills
and she works with kids who are struggling with other skills. These
skills may include reading, writing or math. She is always ready
for the challenges that lay in front of her. She brings her own
notebook to take notes on how the kids are doing from week to week.
She shares her observations of the children she is assisting at the
appropriate times so not to interrupt instruction. She is
encouraging and cheerful with the kids she is working with by
giving them positive feedback and re-teaching the skills they are
missing.
One particular student rarely reads at home and my volunteer fills
out his reading log so he can earn his rewards. Without her, this
student would not be making progress in his reading skills and
reading levels. When her schedule allows, she drops by to spend a
few minutes reading with this particular
Lynn Crawford continued: student. This is above and beyond her
volunteer duties! I feel without her this child would not be
maintaining his reading skills.
If my volunteer did not volunteer each week I would have to find
the time within our packed schedule to re-teach individual
students. Her dependability has freed my re-teaching time
considerably this school year. She has given that little boost to
those who need someone to “watch” them complete their work and to
help them when they were struggling. Her time is priceless and
invaluable to me and to my students.
Submitted by Reneé Dyer Dogwood Elementary 1st grade teacher
Kelly Diehl My Volunteer - Helper In All Areas!
My volunteer is definitely Volunteer of the Year, in my book! She
works nonstop for me and several other teachers in several
buildings! You never know what building you will find her in! If
she isn’t volunteering
for a teacher, she is often working on PTO projects for our
district!
She stops by my room almost every day to check on me! Often she
brings me a treat! Having her help me is “treat” enough for
me!
No task is too much for my volunteer! She will do whatever you ask
and often does it in a better way then what you ask! She always
knows what I’m thinking and jumps on every project!
She is a wonderful person to be around and to have in your
classroom working with the kids! She makes them feel loved and
praises their efforts. She pushes them to do their best.
As you can see, she does much more than volunteers, she takes care
of my students and me! She is the “happy spot” in most of our
days!!
Submitted by Stefanie Wirths Dogwood Elementary 2nd grade
teacher
Linda Frymyer Often I find myself thinking, “What would I do
without Ms. L.?” She is such a valuable asset to our classroom and
students’ learning! Ms. L started volunteering in my classroom last
year and I’m SO thankful she did!!!
Ms. L. does a wide variety of things to help us! She helps me
prepare for lessons by making copies, cutting shapes out of paper,
cutting lamination, gluing pages in our poetry books, and much
more. She has sharpened hundreds and hundreds of pencils for the
kids so they don’t have to spend valuable learning time waiting in
line for the pencil sharpener. She helps me with organization by
filing papers and she didn’t even complain when I gave her yet
another large stack of papers to file after she had already spent
hours on this task. The students are always so excited to see her!
She is a part of our classroom family! Ms. L. always has such a
positive outlook and a smile to greet us with when she comes!
Dedicated is an excellent word to describe my volunteer. When it is
time to leave, if she still has things on her “to do list,” she
will often take them home with her. She also came in over the
summer to help me get my classroom ready. Ms. L. was working hard
on cutting some papers for me and she accidentally deeply cut her
finger on the paper cutter and had to go to the doctor. (She
probably wouldn’t want me to tell you about this!) After this
accident happened, she still took the time to bring her finished
jobs back to the classroom and was concerned about the items that
weren’t completed. Then she came in the next day to finish. This is
true dedication! She will do whatever it takes to get the job
done!
Diligence is another word that describes Ms. L. She always wants to
do things just the way I want them. She does not just rush through
a job to get it done. Instead, she works very thoroughly to get
them done right!
Consistency is another adjective that describes my volunteer.
Whenever I request a volunteer, I ask for someone who will come
consistently every week. They matched the request excellently
because my volunteer does! I really appreciate this quality in her
because it helps me when planning out the week.
Linda Frymyer continued: Not only does Ms. L. volunteer for our
class, she also volunteers in the library a different day of the
week and then stops by my room to see if I have anything for her to
work on. She also volunteers for a variety of other activities. She
loves to help others, which shows through the amount of time she
volunteers at our school and also outside of school!
These are just a few of the numerous things my volunteer does for
us. She has truly been invaluable! She is VERY worthy of the
“Volunteer of the Year” award to recognize all that she
does!!!
Submitted by Cindy Clift Dogwood Elementary 1st grade teacher
Jody Hanner What would you like to do when you
retire? Play golf, travel, or watch TV? Well, our volunteer loves
all those activities but she also loves working with kids. So,
every Tuesday and Thursday she comes in and works with students
that need extra help or some special attention.
How wonderful it is to see her smiling face two days a week knowing
that our students are in good hands when they need assistance. Our
teachers also love the fact that she is a retired teacher so they
don’t have to write out directions; they just send the student with
their assignment and she knows exactly what to do!
We are very blessed to have such a gracious and dedicated volunteer
and friend. We feel she deserves to be named the Volunteer of the
Year.
Submitted by Cindy James, Desta Franklin, and Tami Moulder Hawthorn
Elementary Literacy Coach and 3rd grade teachers
Jonna Kenniston I have had the privilege of working with the same
volunteer since 2003. I never even have to turn in the request form
for her each year, she just says “I’ll be your volunteer next year”
when the current year is over! I am so lucky to have her. She also
volunteers for two other teachers in my grade. She has been a
volunteer for one of them for three years and the other teacher for
five years.
Our volunteer is more of a “behind the scenes” volunteer. She does
not help in my classroom but she does jobs that make my classroom
run more smoothly. She shows up every Wednesday without fail ready
to do whatever task needs to be done. Most weeks it is running off
papers - lots of time spent standing in front of the copy machine!
She has gladly sharpened hundreds of pencils, set up bulletin board
displays, and torn many math workbook pages out for us. We no
longer do swish, but when we did she was helpful in getting it
ready for the kids.
This year the 3rd and 4th grade teachers attended a math workshop
which had a great idea for teaching place value. The 4th grade
teachers had a volunteer make these place value activities for
them. Third grade wanted the same activity so we asked our
volunteer to make them for all ten of us. Unfortunately, we
weren’t exactly sure how the place value activities were put
together. Our volunteer took on the challenge! It took her three
weeks, but like always, the job got done! We were so thankful that
she didn’t quit on us but worked until the job was finished. She is
a lifesaver!
Our volunteer sorts and organizes materials, makes and binds books,
prepares many manipulative activities for better student
understanding, and will even copy work for all the teachers in our
grade level if the need arises.
Our volunteer has been with us for many years and knows exactly how
we like things done. She takes pride in every job we ask her to do
and makes our jobs a little less hectic. She is always friendly, is
quick with a smile, and very professional. We couldn’t do our jobs
as effectively without her help. She definitely deserves the title
“Volunteer of the Year!”
Submitted by Barb Anderson, Allison Jolly, and Jamie Hedrick
Hawthorn Elementary 3rd grade teachers
Jonna Kenniston I don’t know where to begin when it comes to my
wonderful, dedicated volunteer! She has been with me for many years
now, and I have come to know her very well.
She is here for me pretty much every day. She always comes down to
check on me and see if there is anything I need her to do. She is
here long hours, and then, often takes my projects home to finish
if she runs out of time. She is willing to do whatever I need done,
and more! The work she does is always done in a timely manner. I am
always surprised how fast she gets it all finished! Not only does
she get it done, but she is very organized and thoughtful about how
she gets it back to me.
My volunteer does so many jobs for me; I can’t even list them all!
She copies, die cuts, takes pictures, decorates my hallway space,
works with some of my students, organizes my memory books, and so
much more! She also volunteers in Hawthorn and still manages to get
my work done too. She is a gem!
I sing her praises! What a great volunteer as well as friend. Over
the years, I have gotten to know her and have seen the super person
she is and all that she takes on. She is also our lunchroom
monitor, which only puts more pressure on her busy day! She is very
dedicated and I feel very fortunate to have had her for so long
now. I only hope she sticks with me for many more years to come. My
school life would not be the same if I didn’t get to see her each
day because she makes me laugh, when sometimes it’s hard to do
so.
I hope this expresses how valuable my volunteer is to me and how
happy I am to have been blessed with such a great helper and
friend!
Submitted by Katy Cunningham Dogwood Elementary kindergarten
teacher
Diane Knoll My volunteer is a very special person. She is
dependable, efficient, and helpful. She is always willing to do
whatever I need her to do! She is also dedicated to my students
because she does everything for them!
She comes every Tuesday to help me be ready for the next week. She
is cheerful, funny, and always makes me smile. We always check with
each other about our family news and health. My volunteer is so
dedicated to helping us that even when she was facing some serious
medical issues, she would not stop volunteering; but for a few
weeks. She is strong, hopeful, thoughtful, and determined to be
helpful and dependable to my students.
She begins helping me before school even starts with all the
projects to get my classroom ready. She comes every week during the
year and helps me wind down the year as consistent and dependable
as I could ever hope to have a volunteer be.
My volunteer is my friend and my lifesaver. She sometimes knows
what I want or need before I do. She truly cares for and about my
students and myself, as we care about her too. My class is excited
and happy to see her each week as well!
My volunteer helps out around our building with other projects as
well. She is so caring and concerned about how she can help
students and teachers all the time.
I hope this helps you know how special and valued my volunteer is
to my students, our school, and me!
Submitted by Kelly Mooney Dogwood Elementary 2nd grade
teacher
Mag Leahy A great thing happened to me five years ago - I met my
perfectly amazing, reliable, devoted, loving, patient and caring
volunteer. It is very hard for me to refer to her as a volunteer
because I consider her a team member and a friend.
At the beginning of each year she brings in school supplies that
she has purchased in case I have students that can’t afford them. I
also have something called “The Giving Tree” which are items that I
ask parents to donate that are
Mag Leahy continued: related to special projects through the year
(for example, candy to decorate gingerbread houses, cereal to
graph, etc.) The items that parents don’t pick off of “The Giving
Tree” are always picked up by my volunteer.
My volunteer started out working with my students every other week
for two hours and for the last four years she comes every week and
works with my students for almost four hours. She greets each
student by name with a smile and a helping hand. She helps my
students get ready for the day and talks to them about their
morning. Each morning that she comes to our classroom she comes
down the hall and enters our room with a big smile and a blue bag
filled with her “supplies.” If we are working with coins, she
brings her own coins to work with the students; she brings her own
notepad to take notes on each child’s progress, so that I know how
they did.
Submitted by Kim Palomo Dogwood Elementary kindergarten
teacher
Patti Lear My volunteer came to me about
half way through the year after hearing that I was struggling
keeping up with things due to my mother’s broken back and my own
major surgery leave of absence. She asked if she could come in and
help me out
in any way she could, which is exactly what came to pass.
During her short time so far as a volunteer, she has gone from
coming in one day a week to, sometimes five days a week depending
on how much work there is to be done. She has done a variety of
different tasks such as setting up and keeping track of
spreadsheets, compiling event programs, sorting and doing school
laundry, and organizing all sorts of things that I don’t even begin
to know how to organize. She is detail oriented and meticulous
about all of the tasks she takes on. She sees what needs to be done
and how my classroom works and has to ability to just “know”
what
needs to be done without me making suggestions. She is already
talking about “next year” and how she thinks she can make things
run more efficiently. She does this all with a smile on her face
and an open heart.
Without her, this year might have not have been the best for me, my
students, or the activity I sponsor. I owe her a debt of gratitude
that cannot be expressed through this or any words. With her help,
my classes, and my extra-curricular activity reached heights we
haven’t reached before. Without her, I cannot imagine how we could
have undertaken such a massive project is such a successful
fashion.
I would love to see her as “Volunteer of the Year” for all of the
reasons listed above.
Submitted by JoBeth Nicklas High School speech and drama
teacher
Jori LeMay I don’t think I can express in words how grateful I am
to have my amazing volunteer! Over the past few years my volunteer
and I have formed a wonderful relationship. Each year, the students
in my class also have the opportunity to form a relationship with
her. We are so lucky! I feel like she knows me so well and
understands my needs and the needs of my students. She does all she
can to take care of us in many ways!
My volunteer has a family of her own and I know there are many
other things she could be doing for herself or her family during
the long hours she puts in serving us here at school. She comes in
with a smile every week, ready to do whatever I lay in front of
her! She even helps me at the last minute if I’m in a pinch! She
has spent many hours running copies, making die cuts, etc., even
when it wasn’t her scheduled day to volunteer. I don’t know what I
would do without her!
My volunteer does a variety of jobs for me. She works with my
little kiddos, helping them and supporting them, just giving them
that little extra push to get over that hump, by practicing
counting, writing, recognizing their ABC’s and making their sounds,
recognizing coins and their value. My students grin
Jori LeMay continued from ear to ear when I call their name to go
work with my volunteer. She builds their self-esteem and makes them
feel special.
She makes copy after copy, sharpens hundreds of pencils, and cuts
tiny pieces of yarn, copies, cuts out and staples tiny booklets.
Hangs things and takes things down in the hallway, colors games
for
literacy centers… the list goes on and on. Her time spent doing
these things for my class allows me to spend time with my dear
family, rather than late nights and weekends at the school
preparing materials for my class. For this I am truly thankful,
more than she could know! Not only does my volunteer help my
students and myself, but she also helps other teachers in the
building. She steps up anytime our school needs help or manpower to
get a job done.
Every volunteer gives a very special gift to those they serve. My
volunteer has given my class, our school, and myself, her time, her
smile, and lots of love. And for this we thank her from the bottom
of our hearts!
Submitted by Jackie Job Dogwood Elementary kindergarten
teacher
Jori LeMay Wow! I cannot believe the end of another school year is
just around the corner. I have had another
wonderful year with my volunteer. She has been such a helping hand
and great friend throughout the school year. There are many
reasons why I believe she should be “Volunteer of the Year”.
My volunteer is very hard working and helpful. Before the school
year even began, she came into school for the day to help get my
classroom ready. She helped with decorations, putting labels on
books and around the room and getting folders ready. By the end of
the day, my classroom looked picture perfect for the school year!
She also volunteers for several other teachers and around the
school throughout the week. That shows me that she is truly
dedicated to volunteering at Dogwood Elementary and enjoys her time
helping others.
My volunteer is also reliable. She volunteers for me once a week,
and I know every week she will complete my work on time. I also
know that if I have any other work I need done through- out the
week, it will be completed with no problems. Even if I do not ask,
she will pop in and out of my classroom throughout the week and see
if there is anything I need completed. Having a reliable volunteer
is very important to me, so I consider myself very lucky!
Lastly, my volunteer is very kind and a wonderful friend. I feel
that she is someone at school I can always count on. She has always
been there to listen to my stories, answer my questions, and give
me helpful advice. She always asks how I am doing and will stop by
my classroom to catch up. I feel we have a great connection and
work very well together. She has volunteered for me for two years
now and I hope she will continue to do so for many more
years.
You should pick my volunteer for “Volunteer of the Year” because of
all these great qualities! She truly loves dedicating her time as a
volunteer and is always willing to go above and beyond. I cannot
wait to share many more memories together with her! Thank you my
volunteer for all you do!
Submitted by Laura Stewart Dogwood Elementary 1st grade
teacher
Carol Lynch My lovely lady is truly a volunteer that deserves
recognition.. and here are just a “wordful” of reasons why.
olunteers with a smile.
pportunities are afforded to me to dedicate my time and energy to
student instruction because I never have to run papers, laminate,
or do the tedious tasks of teaching. My volunteer does them for
me.
ove her consistency! You can count on her to be there when she
says. Even when duty calls (for being a grandma) she always let’s
us know and comes in another day to help out.
Carol Lynch continued ltimate motivator! Each week when my
volunteer enters my room she brings her smile and willingness to
work! It is contagious.
ever say NEVER! Her attitude is at your disposal. She works for two
teachers here at Dogwood and she never complains about the workload
in her basket. She never leaves with stuff undone either. She
either stays longer or takes it home to complete.
otally dedicated! She has been a volunteer since 1995! And she
keeps on giving of her time, talents, and positive attitude!
fficient! You can count on her to complete your tasks on time and
correctly.
xceptional! She can even read my notes. In all my “business” my
volunteer is able to read my chicken scratch on the post its and
know pretty much what I want her to do. We joke that she is lucky
that her other teacher is more particular; but she has learned to
read my style well and it works for us!!
eady to undertake any task! Even my filing folders that topple over
with papers that never fully got filed without her! She’s
amazing.
I love my volunteer because she works with me to complete me!
Submitted by Vicki Luber Dogwood Elementary 1st grade teacher
Earline Medcalf Volunteer or Friend?
It almost feels like a disservice to call my friend my volunteer.
However, she is exactly that…. my kindergarten volunteer and my
friend. In both regards, she is the best there is!
My friend goes out of her way in every aspect of volunteering. She
comes two full days every single week. She does it all; works with
students, makes copies, changes out bulletin boards (her favorite),
gives assessments, and works on special projects for our classroom.
Many times, she has taken things home to work on in between her
days at school.
My friend truly cares about the well- being of our students. She
keeps a list of their names at home. When she learns something new
about one of them, she writes it down when she gets home. She
studies this sheet to truly learn all about the
kids. She knows what they like, dislike, their hobbies, etc. She
uses this knowledge as a tool to build a trusting relationship each
kiddo so they respond well while working with her.
Every holiday, my volunteer makes special treats and activities for
the students. For Valentine’s Day she made each student a
personalized card on her computer and printed them herself. She
does this for every holiday. The students absolutely love her and
look up to her. They always tell her how pretty she looks, that she
smells good and how they love her clothes.
One day, we did a writing lesson on friendship. For an example of
this lesson we wrote a writing piece about our volunteer. Here is
what the kids wrote about her as a whole class:
This is Mrs. _______. She is kind. She has a cute hairstyle. She is
nice to people. She has cute boots. She is pretty. She helps us.
She takes care of us.
I feel exactly the same way as the kids do in my kindergarten
class. If there ever was a person deserving of volunteer/friend of
the year, it is my very good friend, my volunteer. Please consider
her for this award; she really shines!
Submitted by Amber Keeney Dogwood Elementary kindergarten
teacher
Jackie Moore Our volunteer greets us on Wednesday mornings with a
huge smile and energy to match. She takes the time to inquire how
we are doing and genuinely seems interested. We definitely enjoy
when she has something to share about the world around us.
This is our first year for having her as a volunteer for our
classrooms. She is always punctual and communicates with us if she
is unable to come. Anything we need help with, she is willing to
do.
Jackie Moore continued She makes copies, laminates, and cuts out
materials. Not only that, but she laminates for our entire
school.
Even with all the assistance she gives in Oak Ridge, she also fills
in for the lunchroom monitors in Hawthorn. On the days she fills
in, she will still manage to find a short time to come to Oak Ridge
and assist us with making copies or laminating. As you can see, she
goes way beyond what anyone would ever expect out of a
volunteer.
Even with all that she does for us, she will show up at our
classroom doors with a special little gift or treat. How amazing to
be thinking of us when she is doing so much for all of us!!
Without her, we would be spending many more hours beyond what we
already do. We are so thankful that she is willing to give of her
time and talents to our school.
Submitted by Diana Riley and Christina Calvert Oak Ridge
Intermediate 5th grade teachers
Ingrid Niemann My volunteer and I have been together for ten years.
She comes in faithfully every Wednesday to work with my children.
As a retired kindergarten teacher, she has always known what I need
and how to best help me help my children succeed.
Our year together begins on Meet the Teacher Night. She comes in to
help greet the children and help them learn where to put their
supplies. She sorts and organizes all of the shared “community”
supplies the children bring in. Her work continues during the first
couple of days of school. While I am
busy getting our year started with the children, making
introductions, easing their fears, establishing routines, my
volunteer continues to sort incoming supplies, sort and alphabetize
the numerous information sheets parents are required to fill out
and return, and helps little ones find the bathroom. She is also
ready and willing to begin our pre-assessments.
Each Wednesday she comes in, smiling and ready to work. She
tirelessly sits with individual children to assess where each child
is academically at the
beginning of the year. She does individual assessments of
letter/sound recognition, rote counting, and number recognition.
She also works with individual
children or small groups to help them get caught up on work missed
due to absences or she is wonderful to help with interventions,
providing an extra dose of help to children who may be struggling.
Because of her many years of experience in the classroom, she is
also very astute in assessing situations early that I may initially
miss, not having the luxury to work one-on-one with children as
much as I would like. She provides insight to situations regarding
student abilities and provides possible alternate solutions/
interventions to best help the children.
Because she is very aware of time constraints and continuing
pressures on teachers to make sure all curricular goals are met, my
volunteer delights in doing the fun “fluffy” stuff that all too
frequently gets pushed out of my lesson plans. She’s a great
believer in allowing children to explore their creative side, and
believes that children need to paint!! Each month she has a
different project for the children to create. From “Five Little
Pumpkins” and snowmen created to follow Lois Ehlert’s classic
“Snowballs” story, Thanksgiving hand turkeys and hand print
Christmas cards to Valentines, Easter bunnies, spring flowers and
water color Mother’s Day cards, she has the children loving getting
involved in her projects.
She is also a big part of our classroom social studies curriculum.
She and her husband are fortunate enough to be able to travel to
all parts of the United States and around the world. She is always
so wonderful about sending us postcards to let us know where she is
and how she is doing. The children always look forward to receiving
her cards so that we
can get out the globe and pull down the map and keep track of where
she is. Through the years, the children and I have learned about
many fascinating places, customs and people.
I will retire at the end of this school year, and will miss so many
different things about my many years
Ingrid Niemann continued in education, but I know that my
friendship with my volunteer will continue, and she is one person I
won’t have to miss.
She has been such a wonderful asset, help and role model to me
these many years, and I will miss our classroom collaboration, but
should she continue to volunteer in another classroom, the
receiving teacher will be working with a true gem.
Submitted by Kim Pool Dogwood Elementary kindergarten teacher
Kathy Peery My volunteer has become better
than my right hand. She is always so conscientious! She works so
hard to make sure everything is just
perfect…even when I forget to give her an important detail.
She
always comes back to make sure that she is doing exactly what I
need done. Besides making sure that I have given her everything
that needs to be done, she is always ready to laugh and help me get
past whatever “moment” is happening. Her sense of humor and concern
about my wellbeing goes far beyond just helping me out. I always
look forward to her stories and perspective on life.
She always worries about accomplishing what I have set up for her
and regardless of how many times I tell her that she is not
supposed to take the work home, she still does it! She just doesn’t
tell me and the next day she will pop in with the last load. Very
few jobs would pay for her work ethic, but she does it for free!
Every week! If her family is sick, she makes it up another day. I
am truly blessed to have my volunteer!
Submitted by Marcia Hutchinson Dogwood Elementary 1st grade
teacher
Erin Chindlund Price My volunteer is a beautiful young woman who I
met during the 2010-2011 school year. I had recently lost my
previous volunteer and had put in a request for a new one. When our
Volunteer Coordinator called she told me she had someone who knew
me that would like to help me in Art. She gave me a name I did not
recognize. I was anxious to meet her and find out how she knew me.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see
my volunteer when she showed up for the first day. She turned out
to be one of my former players on the high school tennis team! It
was so wonderful to see her and get caught up on the last 15 years.
She is now married and has three beautiful daughters in the
district. Every Tuesday she comes to my art room and helps me hang
student artwork
and works one-on-one with students who are behind on their
projects. She jumps right in and explains what to do and how to get
started while I continue to assist students with the second part of
their projects. She also completes many time-consuming jobs for me
such as filling glue bottles, cleaning and refilling paint trays,
hanging and taking down student art, mounting and tagging student
work in preparation for exhibitions and shows, making sample
projects, or simply, cleaning out my supply closet.
My volunteer is not only efficient and fast, she is able to see
what needs to be done without my direction, she is energetic, soft
spoken, and sincerely enjoys working with students.
Without my volunteer I would not have the time to display 650
pieces of student art and would spend many more evenings and
weekends at school trying to accomplish these tasks. We both feel
it is important for students to see their artwork on display. They
learn to appreciate art and see how other students approached the
projects.
My volunteer recently discovered she had breast cancer and
underwent surgery the first of March. She managed to come in and
help me right up to the last day. She is doing well and expects to
be back to help with upcoming art shows.
What a gift it is for me to have one of my former tennis players as
a volunteer and to be able to see what a responsible, caring, and
loving parent she has become. I appreciate my volunteer as a friend
as well as a person who gives my students and me her precious
time.
Submitted by Mary Kay Roofener Oak Ridge Intermediate art
teacher
Jeni Simpson I have had many volunteers over the years that
have
helped me out tremendously and have been an asset to my teaching.
However, this year my volunteer has gone above and beyond and
deserves to be the 2012 Volunteer of the
Year.
My volunteer keeps in constant contact with me and is always
willing to come in as many times a week to make sure we, as
teachers, are taken care of. The fact that she is just not devoted
to just one day a week, but all five days, shows a true commitment
to education and my classroom.
She currently is volunteering for my class and another teacher’s
classroom. However, if any of the teachers need something copied,
laminated, cut, etc… she will do theirs as well. Time is not an
issue with her; she is truly devoted to her job, the teachers, the
students, and education.
Lastly, I have had the privilege of having her two years in a row.
Words can’t express how lucky we are to have her in our District. I
am so thankful that she is with our school district. We truly have
a gem that makes our school run so smoothly. I will miss her for
sure next year, but hope that she will stick with us.
Submitted by Eric Cook Oak Ridge Intermediate 5th grade
teacher
Jeni Simpson I would like to recommend my volunteer for Volunteer
of the Year! She has worked with me for two years. She is wonderful
to be around and I love having her work with the kids. She is kind
and patient with them. She wants them to do their best and always
encourages
them. They can’t wait to work with her and always have stories to
share with her. She is always on the internet looking for great
ideas for our class. She also brings in some amazing treats and fun
surprises. She makes
copies for me, gets classroom projects and activities ready, cuts
lamination and many other things. She saves me countless hours of
work. If she isn’t able to
come in, she comes another day or takes things home. She never lets
me down. She is dependable and always goes above and beyond. I
cannot even imagine how many hours she has dedicated to this school
and the District. I feel so lucky to have gotten to know her and I
am proud to be her friend. She truly deserves this award!
Submitted by Karen DenHartog Dogwood Elementary kindergarten
teacher
Ronda Stehle My volunteer has played such a big part in my life
over the last several years. I realize just how much she
does for me each Friday when I reflect on my week and begin
planning for the upcoming week. There are no words to describe how
much she helps me.
She is a person I can always count on. It is very rare for me to
not see her every day or two. She is always checking on me to see
if there is anything she can do to make my job easier.
She is so very trustworthy that I have come to strongly depend upon
her and her expertise. She is very willing to learn and does an
excellent job at any task that I put in front of her.
As my role changed a couple of years ago, so did hers. I am so
blessed that she made the change with me. She helps me stay
organized and focused. She helps me prepare for meetings, staff
celebrations, and conferences. She helps decorate the room, set up
refreshments, and copy necessary paperwork. After- ward, she helps
clean up, reassemble the room to what it was before our meeting,
copy any necessary follow up paperwork, and file all of my handouts
from the meetings.
She always seems to know what to do even before I ask her. She is a
reliable, hard worker with a great attitude. She has recently
started helping other teachers in my area. She is the first to ask
if she can help and jump right into the task at hand. Her
enthusiasm is contagious.
Submitted by Lucinda Varner Dogwood Elementary Instructional
Coach
Ed and Nancy Wedig How wonderful would it be to know that once a
week you would have the undivided attention of two
wonderful “Grandparents”? My classroom has that privilege every
week. Each child signs up to work on
counting money or reading to or listening to a story. Well, you
know they don’t just sign up for one…they always have to sign up
for both!
This wonderful couple show what working together really means.
Their quiet demeanor and acceptance of every child is what so many
of these kids need. The kids always bound away from spending their
time counting money, or listening to a wonderful story, or
practicing reading their book. Each child is welcomed to their
corner with a smile and wonderful conversation that lets them know
they are cared about. They are always concerned and excited about
every student. Every child is special to them.
Submitted by Marcia Hutchinson Dogwood Elementary 1st grade
teacher
Ronda Wilkening 2, 4, 6, 8, Who do we appreciate? Our F-A-M-O-U-S
volunteer Because she is sooo great!
What makes her so special? What makes her so great? Open your ears
to listen, And you’ll hear her every trait.
She organizes the paperwork, She copies day and night, And her one
and only perk Is knowing she did it right.
She’s an ace in the hole, She’s dependable and tidy, Doing all that
we ask of her Makes her feel quite mighty.
She’s a movin’ machine On legs that never stop She keeps going and
going And doesn’t ever drop.
She has a sense of humor And makes us laugh each day “Wait a
minute, I need another copy” Is her simple, little pay.
As she leaves with a sigh A day well done Now is the time To have
her own little fun.
Submitted by Shelley Atkins, Beverly Eichholz, and Jaclyn
Johnson
Hawthorn Elementary 4th grade teachers