One sign of a good hard worker is an attitude that says, the only recognition I need is the compensation I am due. There are other workers who feel like their expressions of gratitude or acknowledgement for hard work increase their sense of value to the organization.
The Holyoke School District has a long tradition of showing appreciation to staff members by participating in events like Classified Staff Week, National Principals Month, Teacher Appreciation Week, and many more. The district also recognizes teachers for every five years of service they give the district and for the last 15 years have awarded excellence in the educational profession with the Emerald Awards.
Continuing with that tradition the administration and board of education has created the Staff Member of the Month Program. During the month staff members have the opportunity to nominate one of their peers who has demonstrated respect, integrity, safety, excellence, ownership or achievement (RISE or SOAR) during their expected or non-expected roles, duties or has gone above and beyond their normal daily duties. From there two staff members will be selected and invited to a School Board Meeting to be recognized.
For the month of April the winning staff members were Carly Daniel (Elementary) and Shawna Strecker (JR/SR High School).
Carly Daniel
Mrs. Carly Daniel is the epitome of a staff member who goes above and beyond. In her role as Dean of Students, she has taken on several jobs and responsibilities, and she carries out each one with a smile on her face and a never-ending supply of enthusiasm.
The duties Daniel performs seem endless. She steps in to cover when Mrs. Kammer is away from the building. She is always available when a staff member or student needs a bit of extra support. She covers classrooms when needed, sometimes for just a short time and other times for an entire day. She is the RtI coordinator and also the GT coordinator. She organizes and provides enrichment time and experiences for GT students. She conducts AimsWeb testing for RtI students. She coordinates, schedules, and leads RtI and ALP meetings. She is the elementary staff sponsor for Youth Connections. She helps guide the Elementary Student Council. She is the testing coordinator for the elementary building and also does much of the make-up testing when students are absent and miss NWEA or CMAS testing days. On top of all of that, she is a great sounding board when a staff member needs help with ideas or strategies or when they just need to get some thoughts or feedback on dealing with a challenging student or situation. Beyond all this, and as if her schedule wasn't already packed to the brim, she is still always willing to volunteer to help out or fill in whenever a need arises.
Daniel's dedication and commitment to do all she can to support our staff and our students is truly amazing!
I would like to nominate Carly Daniel for her meaningful contribution to our Holyoke Elementary School. She is kind, compassionate, inclusive, and such a strong leader. Daniel goes above and beyond her job description. She is the Dean of Students and you can see her doing Passion projects, Student Council, Youth Connections, Battle of the books, Wellness projects, NWEA and CMAS testing planning, Make up testing, RTIs and everything in between.
She is a strong advocate for students and colleagues. The Holyoke School District is very lucky to have [her].
Shauna Strecker
[Shauna Strecker has been nominated] multiple times for Staff Member of the month, and for good reason. Strecker goes above and beyond for her students, coworkers, and school. Strecker is constantly giving up her lunch, time before school, and time after school to help students prepare for contests, write scholarships, and various other activities. She is not only there for students while they are in school, but after they graduate, she constantly has students reaching out to her for advice or just to get a coffee and catch up. She is not just a great teacher to these kids, she is a role model and friend to them. Strecker is also a great coworker. I constantly see her checking in on other staff members and being a listening ear. She is consistently cooperating with the other CTE teachers and always looking for ways to better her own teaching methods. She has done an amazing job with the Ag Program and FFA. We are so lucky to have someone so caring and always working so hard to do the right things for kids.
Both of these staff members were honored at a School Board meeting.