November 1 Nominees

“Mrs. Brough is incredibly kind and encouraging. My son was in her 3rd grade class and now 4th grade. He’s thrilled to be her student again! We appreciate her positivity and how she builds upon her students’ strengths. She’s great at communicating concerns along with praise. She knew early on areas he needed help with and gave us ideas for how we could support him at home. She built his confidence and helped him improve his attitude with subjects he was frustrated with. She has a lot of patience and does all she can to help her students shine.“

Nominated by: Rachelle Leiter, parent

“My daughter came to Viewpoint from a charter school and had always struggled with reading and writing with her ADHD. Mr. Healey has helped her to love English class. We talked with him about her struggles and he helped make reasonable accommodations that gave her confidence in her reading and writings skills. In addition to helping her enjoy English class more, Mr Healey noticed that my daughter ran for the schools cross country and track team and talked with her during class about her successes outside of school. It may be a small thing but it was a big deal to my daughter and her learning.“

Nominated by: Lachelle Bodine, parent

“As a mom with major anxiety, Camie has always made me feel seen and heard with any concerns I may have, she’s incredibly kind and patient, she goes above and beyond every day. You can see she truly loves all the kids! Bonneville wouldn’t be what is without Camie and all she contributes.“

Nominated by: Kayla McChesney, parent

“Mrs. Burnham helps us with math and she is always patient when we do something wrong. She is helpful when we don’t get something. And she really encourages us and motivates us to learn. She is awesome!“

Nominated by: Anderson Shirley, student

“She is selfless caring and has a great work ethic.“

Nominated by: Lauren Lavery, district employee

“Reon Cowan is the person tasked to help diabetic children at Black Ridge. Reon loves each one of the children under her care. She makes their difficult times easy by making the kids feel important, normal and smart. She addresses each need with the child in mind. When my son has to go to the office with a low blood sugar and needing help, Reon is there with a smile on her face and reassurance to calm the fears of my kiddo. She makes him feel safe and loved. She is a blessing as our diabetic son is navigating his way through school. He knows he has someone he can count on and trust!“

Nominated by: Koriann Bateman, parent

“Ms. Taylor works tirelessly to help and support other teachers at her school. We are starting a new homeroom program, and she goes above and beyond to share the content she makes with everyone. I have not seen many teachers who are as invested in student well being as she is. Larissa is passionate that each student feel seen everyday. She makes a remarkable difference for everyone she works with.“

Nominated by: Taralyn Holmes, district employee

“Mr. Coxson has always been a teacher who teaches his students. I have always appreciated that he’s always aware and offering help to his students so they can understand. His room is always full of kids who need help. Even students from other teachers end up going to his room for help.“

Nominated by: Dorys Pino, parent

“Polli is always helping me as a fellow 4th grade teacher. She has given me amazing resources to help improve my teaching. Polli is really great at intervening with students and she was able to give me a plan and materials to help me do interventions for one of my students. Polli is also an amazing classroom manager. I am using her “Goal Tracker” parent communication sheet with a few of my students to help them be successful at school. I am so grateful to have Polli on my team.“

Nominated by: Lindsay Malouf, district employee

“Marie is an amazing team leader. She had to take on three new team members by herself last year and help us navigate how to teach 4th grade successfully. Marie is always supportive and an amazing resource for any teaching skill. She is always sharing her ideas and what has worked best for her students along with her rich library of school materials and resources. I am so lucky to have Marie on my team and as our team leader.“

Nominated by: Lindsay Malouf, district employee

“Carolyn is an amazing friend and cheerleader for all of the teachers at our school. She is very good to check on everyone and help in any way she can. I always know when I’ve had a hard teaching day that I can safely vent to Carolyn and get good advice for how to turn my day around and be a better teacher. Carolyn is an amazing teacher and her students love her. I’m so glad she is at our school.“

Nominated by: Lindsay Malouf, district employee

“Miss Mills always puts her students first. She works hard every day to build loving and caring relationships with her students. Kelsey makes sure she can reach all of her students needs by differentiating all lessons. She works with parents to ensure they feel included in her classroom and they know they have a voice. Kelsey works with her team to make sure they feel supported and important. She is always there to help and listen to others. Kelsey is always happy and positive throughout the day, creating a positive atmosphere around the school. She makes everyone feel welcome and appreciated.“

Nominated by: Brandi Rosenlund, district employee

“Kathy is the oil of the Thunder Ridge Elementary machine. She keeps everything running smoothly, through admin transitions, school splits, new teachers, and LOTS of new students almost daily. She is one of a kind. Super capable, highly deserving of this award (and any other awards out there!).“

Nominated by: Erica Groneman, parent

“Kathy contributes to improving the overall quality of life at Thunder Ridge. She is a rock for our students and teachers through her reliability and always willing to sacrifice her time for us. I know I can count on her. I am so grateful for her and it truly a pleasure and honor to work with her.”

Nominated by: Andrea Durrant, parent & district employee

“Kathy has been at Thunder Ridge since the doors opened in 2011. She has gone above and beyond since day one and our school would not be the same without her. She is involved and supports so many areas of the school like the musical, PTA, etc. She does so much but never cuts corners when it comes to students and teachers. She always goes the extra mile. Kathy has served with multiple principals, over thousands of students, parents, and teachers, we are always amazed by her. I don’t know how she does it all and does it so well. Kathy is truly talented and 100 words isn’t enough to describe her.”

Nominated by: Jenna Smith, parent & district employee

“I have known Kathy since the day Thunder Ridge opened. She works from sun up to well past sun down to make sure students and staff alike have everything they need. She took great personal care of my son while he was in Kindergarten before he had his heart surgery. When my oldest son was given his first job as a sweeper she took him under her wing. She cares about people deeply. We have undergone many changes and massive growth, but Kathy has remained our one constant. She is the face of our school. She keeps our traditions going.”

Nominated by: Elise Kipp, district employee

“Mr. Carter helps each student recognize their musical potential and apply that to every aspect of their lives. He helps the shy and loner kids find a place to belong and excel.“

Nominated by: Carol Kingston, parent

“Skyler Carter deserves ALL the RISE awards for what he was able to do with the beginning band. I was very hesitant to attend the first band concert last week because I knew how my son sounded on his trombone and I could only imagine what 150 more of those sounds would be like. Mr. Carter must be some kind of “band whisperer”, however, because what those kids were able to do was truly amazing. They played with emotion, dynamics, and even some syncopation. I was impressed beyond words. Thank you for all you do for the band program!”

Nominated by: Jeff Peterson, parent

“Mrs. Baird was an absolute inspiration for my daughter. My daughter has struggled with math for as long as I can remember but with Mrs. Baird’s hard work and dedication my daughter now understands and loves math. My daughter also had to change schools and Mrs. Baird made that transition so easy for her. I am forever grateful for the loving teacher she was to my daughter.“

Nominated by: Stephanie Herrera, parent

“Mrs. Sare is amazing in all aspects! Her amazing personality lights up a room. Every student she teaches loves her. She taught my son (autistic) and did more for him in one year than anyone else has. He came into 2nd with a kinder level and ended the year at grade level. She is incredibly special and her personality lights up a room and leaves a smile on everyone she has contact with! Mrs. Sare is an amazing person! And deserves to be honored!“

Nominated by: Randi Hansen, parent

“Linda is one of the amazing secretaries! She knows everything! She is very organized and a great person to work with!“

Nominated by: Raquel Pedraza, district employee

“Miss Julie is a favorite of ALL the littles at Central Elementary! She goes above and beyond to help the kinders feel special. She is dependable and often jumps in at the last minute to substitute a class. In the lunchroom and on the playground, many of the kids at Central come to say hi to Miss Julie and tell her all about their day, show her their new shoes, or tell her about what they did over the weekend. She makes all the kids feel loved and important and always has a kind smile to share with them every day!“

Nominated by: Jaymie Holdaway, parent

“We are so blessed to have Maestra Alisia as part of our first grade team. She is the DLI spanish aide for first grade and she is incredible! She is creative and fun – she brings the most engaging activities for our DLI classes to do. Alisia never stops – every moment that she is at work she is working with the kids or preparing something for them to learn. She greatly benefits our team by always having amazing insights into what our students need. She is brilliant at remembering so many specific things about our students and the teachers she works with. Our team is beyond blessed to have her!“

Nominated by: Leslie Casper, district employee

“Ms. Makenna is such a thoughtful and enthusiastic teacher. She is always finding opportunities for our SpEd kids to prove how capable they are. It is obvious that she cares and is so willing to put in the work to help our kids be successful. Being a parent of special needs children, it can sometimes feel like a full time job advocating for our kids, but Ms Makenna is the kind of teacher who makes things happen before we even have to ask. She is tireless and dedicated, she works so hard and it really shows in the progress my student has made! I can’t think of anyone more deserving!“

Nominated by: Kaitlyn Handley, parent

“Mrs. Jackson is a superwoman! She makes time to connect with each student. She sends home emails every day to keep parents informed. She is a huge reason my daughter loves school and I will always be grateful to her for that!“

Nominated by: Allison Dockstader, parent

“Empowering and amazing influence for the kids!“

Nominated by: Stephanie Anda-Valdivieso, parent

“Ms. Bourne is amazing! Thoughtful kind loving and deserving of this award before she retires this year.“

Nominated by: Paige Nelson, parent

“Mr. Maddocks is a great teacher that is hard on students but not too hard. He makes sure to teach students how to work hard and not procrastinate and also helps people to see how far they’ve come.“

Nominated by: Sophie Snow, student

“Mrs. Jensen has gone above and beyond in literally countless ways. She did everything in her power to resolve the situation when my daughter was bullied, being fair to everyone involved. She has done this for countless families. She makes personal sacrifices to accommodate my family’s immune-compromised health needs and that means the world to us. She constantly does things to ensure students from all different cultures and backgrounds feel welcome and celebrated. Under the monumental amount of stress that comes with being a principal she’s managed to rise above seemingly insurmountable odds.”

Nominated by: Karlie Alldredge, parent

“If I could hand pick out all the qualities and traits of an amazing elementary principal it would be Mrs. Jensen! She creates such a fun, respectful, kind atmosphere and the kids love and respect her as do her colleagues. As a parent I love to see someone making the school a fun learning environment because that’s what it’s all about!”

Nominated by: Callie Pollock, parent

“She is an amazing teacher and a wonderful person.”

Nominated by: Alla Nielson, district employee

“Mrs. Gurr is a dedicated & enthusiastic educator who creates an engaging, safe learning environment. She goes the extra mile to ensure her students are challenged & supported. She designs creative, competent lessons to engage her students & help them understand challenging concepts. She gets to know her students on a particular level to comprehend their specific needs, learning styles, & outside stressors. They feel uniquely cared for. She is an expert at differentiating instruction & modifying curriculum to meet needs. Her enthusiasm, care & leadership are inspiring. She has a heart of gold.“

Nominated by: Mallory Christensen, parent

“Mrs. Whitney has gone above and beyond to make my son feel comfortable, confident and excited to go to school. It has been a big adjustment for our son starting preschool, and being away from his mom and dad. We would have to walk him into the classroom and sneak out in order for him to stay. It’s heartbreaking to see our son scared to be left with people he doesn’t know. Mrs. Whitney helped us and our son to the point where he is now holding onto the rope and walking in alone. He is now excited to go to school to see his friends and Mrs. Whitney.“

Nominated by: Aries Goss, parent

“Whitney is quick to step up to help any student in need. She lifts others with her kindness and positive attitude. She goes above and beyond in all she does.”

Nominated by: Serena Laird, district employee

“My son is a Type 1 Diabetic & Melissa helps me/my son SO much! (Earlier this year) his blood sugar dropped dangerously low (47) around lunchtime & then his CGM disconnected. I texted Melissa and she ran out to the playground to find him and make sure he was ok & gave him enough fast acting carbs to help him get his blood sugar back up to a safe level. I don’t know what we’d do without her!“

Nominated by: Chelsea Webb, parent

“Mr. Langlois has been supporting, he’s funny, he always made students day when things were rough, he didn’t care about perfection when doing plays, and even making a mistake he was so understanding.“

Nominated by: Aeslyn Evans, student

November 1 Nominees

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