Ten WCPSS Employees Recognized with Employee Excellence Awards
March 15, 2005 - Ten Wake County Public School System employees were recognized by the Board of Education with the Employee Excellence Awards at the board's March 15 meeting. The WCPSS Employee Excellence Award was presented to Katrenia Bryant, Dee Bostick, Gene Daniels, Janice Shearin, Bill Colavita, (front row) and Dr. Janice Hall, Melissa Christmas, Rodney Ferrell, and Stella Shelton (back row). |
The March 2005 Employee Excellence Awards were presented to Rodney Ferrell, a Master Craftsman with WCPSS Auxiliary Services Environmental Health & Safety; Dee Bostick, Counselor at Baileywick Elementary; Katrenia Bryant, Teacher at Smith Elementary; Sandra Allen, Secretary at Weatherstone Elementary; Gene Daniels, Athletic Director at Salem Middle; Dr. Janice Hall, Dean of Students at Wake Forest - Rolesville High; Stella Shelton, Tuition Reimbursement Officer in WCPSS Human Resources; Melissa Christmas, OCIDP-CEU Assistant in WCPSS Office of Staff Development; Bill Colavita, Catering Manager in WCPSS Child Nutrition Services; and Janice Shearin, Special Asst. to the Superintendent.
The Employee Excellence Awards were created to recognize Wake County school employees for their hard work, and providing one of the country's top-performing school districts. Employees are nominated for the honor and selected by a committee.
Superintendent Bill McNeal presented the employees to the board. McNeal awarded the employees a plaque as Assistant Superintendent Maurice Boswell described the employee's achievements.
Following is a brief description of the March 2005 Employee Excellence Award winners:
Rodney Ferrell, in performing his duties at West Lake Middle, noticed that a Town of Cary water employee was charging WCPSS for water usage at West Lake. Ferrell knew the school was on a well and asked the employee why WCPSS was being charged for water. In the resulting inquiry it was found that the Town of Cary had been charging WCPSS since January 2001. Due to Ferrell's diligence, WCPSS was reimbursed $46,060.27 by the Town of Cary.
Dee Bostick helps Baileywick Elementary teachers at every opportunity, supporting them with literature and strategies for working with struggling students. Bostick leads character building lessons. She created a poster with pictures of Baileywick support staff on it to help the children become more familiar with them and then led a "Gingerbread Hunt" so the children could actually meet the staff. Dee's sincerity, kindness, and genuine desire to help people professionally and personally make her worthy of the Employee Excellence Award.
Katrenia Bryant is in her 31st year of teaching and she is still teaching as if she was a new teacher, exemplifying Employee Excellence. Bryant is a strong teacher, leader, and friend. At Smith Elementary, she gives inspiration and advice as the "senior" teacher. She has given 110% and keeps everyone uplifted with her wisdom and humor. She will definitely be missed when she retires.
Sandra Allen is patient and understanding and always willing to share her knowledge to help Weatherstone Elementary students, parents, and staff. Allen always goes the extra mile to help others. Her consistent uplifting spirit sets her above the rest. She is a team player and truly an excellent employee.
Gene Daniels exemplifies excellence through his constant dedication and commitment to the athletic program at Salem Middle School. Daniels has countless responsibilities such as completing and monitoring paperwork, setting up and taking down facilities before and after games, coordinating the purchase of equipment, ensuring that money is collected and recorded properly, and supporting coaches throughout their seasons. He is also an advocate for athletes in all situations, supporting them and providing guidance. Gene handles all his responsibilities with character and class.
Dr. Janice Hall is patient, unselfish, caring, supportive, dependable, and reliable. Dr. Hall is relentless and will never ask one to do something she would not do herself. The students at Wake Forest-Rolesville High always come first in Dr. Hall's world. She feeds them, nourishes them, cajoles them, looks out for them, praises them, and LOVES them. Dr. Hall leads with such strength and conviction, following her is an easy task. She is truly making a difference in student's lives.
Stella Shelton is a true facilitator of supporting teachers' goals to achieve higher education. Since a quality education comes from a well prepared, committed, and dedicated teacher, the Tuition Reimbursement office is exceptionally important. Shelton works hard to help teachers further and continue their educational pursuits. She is flexible and most accommodating in meeting teachers' needs. Tuition Reimbursement is an excellent recruitment and retention tool.
Melissa Christmas is extremely patient and seeks first to listen to employee needs. Instead of saying "We can't," she says "We will try." Instead of saying "Too bad," she says "What can we do to fix the problem." CEU's - Continuing Education Units - are the lifeline of a teacher's certification. Ms. Christmas removes teachers' stress and worry, handling concerns around CEU's, which frees the teacher up in order to focus on students and the classroom. In a profession that can be extremely bureaucratic, she truly puts people first.
Bill Colavita is known for preparing mouth watering and eye-catching meals. When Colavita made his way through the icy roads on Jan. 19 to pick up his two children from Wildwood Forest Elementary, he found 400 children and 50 staff members still at the school because of road conditions and they were getting hungry. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and started cooking. Not only did he feed all the children and staff that night, but also stayed at the school overnight so that he could cook breakfast. Without this tremendous sacrifice of time and talent, what was already a difficult situation could have been much worse.
Janice Shearin is a dedicated, caring and professional individual. Even though Shearin has countless responsibilities, she is always willing to help anyone that asks. She takes the time to be courteous and caring whenever you speak to her and is always helpful in guiding you in the right direction. Her co-workers call her friend. Superintendent Bill McNeal says, "The quality of a person in any role can easily be determined by the number of people who show up in his/her office seeking direction. If this is any indicator of a person's worth, then Janice Shearin is absolutely essential to the operational health of the Wake County Public School System."
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