The district is pleased to announce the May 2023 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	Melissa Monkman – Congratulations to Melissa Monkman, this month’s  Pendleton Early Learning Center Staff in the Spotlight.  Mrs. Monkman is an intervention specialist at the PELC.  Mrs. Monkman keeps the Little Buck Room, the Kindergarten playroom, fun and fresh for students and staff each month.  Melissa changes out the activities and always has seasonal, fun, educational crafts and activities for students to work on in the Little Buck Room while building social, emotional, and personal skills.  Oftentimes, the activities Mrs. Monkman comes up with coordinate with a holiday or theme throughout the room.  Mrs. Monkman is also amazing at organizing family nights to involve parents, students, and families in the school.  Thanks to Mrs. Monkman, there were several book fairs at the PELC this year, and some of the funds collected were used to purchase new items for the Little Bucks Room, including some giant-sized building sets.  Finally, Mrs. Monkman is dedicated to helping every student learn to read. If you walk down the hall at the PELC, you’re sure to see Mrs. Monkman with a set of flashcards in her hand and a reader at her side.  We count on Mrs. Monkman to help our students grow and to help us keep data to make sure we’re all doing everything we can for our students.  Congratulations, Mrs. Monkman!
	McKay	Norrie Jones – Norrie joined our staff mid-year and jumped right in to teach groups, cafeteria duty, recesses, and making connections with students who sometimes struggle to make connections.  She has a kind heart and a positive, flexible attitude.  Norrie shows such grace in accepting an ever-changing schedule.  She truly values each student she works with.  She shows patience and skill with those students who need extra instruction with their behavior.  Norrie doesn’t like being idle and always asks what she can do for others.  She has a heart of gold and notices those students who need an encouraging word.  Norrie is such a great asset to McKay.
	Sherwood	Annalise Oertwich – Annalise is always helping others, is open to new ideas, and is a huge support system for those around her.  She is caring and kind to all of her students as well.  She is an amazing natural-born teacher with amazing instincts.  She has the perfect classroom climate with a mixture of clear routines and boundaries mixed with lots of learning, care, and respect.  She makes great connections with students, welcomes everyone, and always has a smile on her face.  Analise consistently finds a way to support all of her students positively.  She has formed strong relationships, and you will often see her eating her lunch with her students in her classroom.  During lunch, you can hear kids laughing, and you know they feel safe and valued.  She goes above and beyond to identify what a student needs to succeed and is dedicated to helping them find their own version of success.
	Washington	Brittney Hardiman – Mrs. Hardiman is new to education and has knocked it out of the park.  She works hard, is dedicated to our school, and writes AWESOME lesson plans!  Mrs. Hardiman always comes to work happy and ready to serve our students.  She is a great asset to our school, and we are so lucky to have her as a Wildcat.
	Sunridge	John Summerfield – John has a quiet demeanor that students love and respect.  He is also a great Outdoor School organizer.  ODS is always such a great experience for the 6th grade students and the 6th grade teachers.  John does an awesome job planning and organizing ODS.  His contributions to the team have not gone unnoticed.  His positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond his responsibilities is greatly appreciated.  He is greatly valued and appreciated.
	PHS	Alesha Walker – Alesha works with students who are at risk of dropping out of high school or failing to graduate.  Working with our counseling department, she has developed strategies for the students to improve their grades, helped students with homework, and counseled parents on how best to support their children.  She has helped countless seniors with credit retrieval this school year.  We honestly could not have done this year without her organization and constant communication about our seniors.  She worked evenings and weekends to keep our seniors going; we are incredibly thankful for her.
	Hawthorne/Homestead	Teri McCoy – Teri McCoy – now there is someone who should be Staff in the Spotlight, and here is why.  Teri works here at Hawthorne Alternative High School as our secretary, Odysseyware guru, and school mom.  She ensures all their credits are up to date and they are on track to graduate.  She makes sure that we have plenty of snacks for students if they need just a little something to keep them going.  Teri calls each student to see why they are not at school and always has time to listen to our students when she knows they are having a bad day.  To say life without her would be hard is an understatement because we all depend on her so much.  She is the super glue that keeps us together.  The staff here at Hawthorne are more like a second family, and that is a rare thing these days.  Teri is the reason we love to come to school.
	District Office/ Maintenance	Meagan Miltenberger – for helping organize the Synergy training for counselors and secretaries.  Also, for her helpfulness and attention to detail.
	Nixyáawii Community School	Jewel Kennedy – Her horticulture class held a successful greenhouse sale recently.  All kids know they can always count on her.  She has not missed a day of school all year.