The district is pleased to announce the December 2018 Staff in the Spotlight recipients. Every month, each of our schools honors a staff member at their building for going above and beyond their regular duties or for doing something special. Join us in celebrating these outstanding employees!

	PELC	Josh McGraw is honored for stepping up, being a team player and doing what is best for kids! He takes every challenge with a positive attitude. Josh makes incredible connections with kids and his use of Conscious Discipline is amazing and admirable!
	McKay	Aimee Gunter is always helping kids be successful, as well as helping our staff be successful with difficult students. She is always positive and eager to do what it takes to help students reach their full potential.
	Sherwood	Kirk Case is such a positive light for our students. He helps kids problem solve, creates an atmosphere of respect and fun in the gym and partners with staff members to take on different roles. Kirk does the school announcements with student leaders, partners with Mr. Boots to bring Lacrosse to PE and offers extra PE for classes who are well behaved. What a GREAT teacher and role model.
	Washington	Erica Schmidt goes out of her way to not only provide support to her students, but to ALL students at Washington and to also provide support to her colleagues.
	Sunridge	Jenny Lantz is celebrated this month for her positive attitude and patience with students, putting students first and always being willing to assist students when needed.
	PHS	Karen Demianew is always advocating for & helping students. All the students at PHS are “her” kids. Karen dedicates countless hours to work with students and support them, checking transcripts, writing letters of recommendations, etc. Her efficiency & positive attitude help PHS to be a better school.
	Hawthorne/ Homestead	Kelly Simpson has diligently become a mentor to students, while still holding them accountable for their actions. He is a welcome addition to the team here at Hawthorne!
	Nixya’awii	Fred Hill is honored for his dedication to the Nixya’awii Community School drum and dance group. Fred took students to many different performances including trips to EOU, Tri-Cities, Weston-McEwen, Portland and our local schools.
	District Office/ Maintenance	Tim Gilbert does an outstanding job communicating with staff in a positive and humorous manner. He is always willing to take on new challenges and is a great help to others in the office.