Newspaper Page Text
Page 10A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
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School
Jackson County schools honor
excellence in service’ awardees
West Jackson Middle School healthcare science teacher Brenton Ruark and
his fiance, Lauren Shedd, met with Mason Saldana and his mother, Leah, be
fore the Jackson County School System’s Board of Education meeting Dec. 9
where Ruark was presented with an Excellence in Service award.
Jackson County School System employ
ees" responses to unusual circumstances,
inclusive plans for special events and on
going support were highlighted with Excel
lence in Service awards during the first half
of the school year.
The recognitions were made at the
monthly meetings of the Jackson County
Board of Education.
Stephanie Harrison and Taylor Hardy,
softball coaches at East Jackson Middle
School, were honored for rendering emer
gency assistance when an umpire collapsed
during a game early in the season.
All 10 Jackson County Schools are Proj
ect Safe-certified and equipped with at least
one AED machine, and all schools have
staff trained in its use and in CPR. but “you
hope you never have to put that training into
place,’" Selena Blankenship, JCSS human
resources director, said as she presented the
award. “Unfortunately we did have to do
that this year.’"
Blankenship read from a message from
Kim Johnson, EJMS principal, who de
scribed the unresponsive umpire and the
steps taken by the two coaches and a nurse
and a fireman who were attending the game.
After they got the umpire’s pacemaker re
booted, he was transported to the hospital
and is doing well. Blankenship said during
the Sept. 9 BOE meeting at Gum Springs
Elementary School.
“Having faculty and staff members
trained in CPR and having a school system
that provides training and guidance for our
response teams, makes a difference,’’ John
son wrote. “It made a difference that night
to the softball umpire.”
PARENT NOMINATIONS
Angela Fitch nominated Laurrie Wil
ber, a teacher at Maysville Elementary
School, after a “very big scare.”
“My husband was in a severe car accident
and totaled our brand new SUV in Buford,”
Fitch explained in her nomination. “My
son. Justice, was new and just started kin
dergarten with Ms. Wilber.”
Fitch said Wilber “was beyond sensitive
and was in contact with me to make sure
my husband was OK. She cares so much for
a family that she just met, that was really
telling to me of where her heart is.”
Amber Rowe nominated GSES’s “pur
ple bus driver,” Hal Kidwell, citing his
patience and kindness with one of her sons
who “has high functioning autism so some
things are a little difficult for him.”
“Mr. Hal is always patient and kind to
him,” Rowe noted in her nomination. “My
son looks forward to school because of him.
All of my kids love him. “
Wilber and Kidwell also were honored at
the Sept. 9 BOE meeting at GSES.
Jan Lee of South Jackson Elementa
ry School and Ashley Childress of MES
were honored at the Oct. 14 BOE meeting
at East Jackson Elementary School.
Lee’s nominator, who chose to remain
anonymous, described her child as suffering
from extreme anxiety and depression that
has impacted her academic performance.
“Mrs. Lee has invested not only time
with my daughter in her academics, but
more importantly, in confidence and love,”
she wrote, “She was the perfect amount of
tough love and support my daughter needed
... helping her thrive and achieve new ac
ademic heights we were unsure she would
ever reach.”
Childress was nominated by Chrystina
Garrish, who wanted to thank the teacher
for “giving us our son back.”
“He went from an F student who got into
fights to a straight A student who values
school and has more confidence in him
self because of her,” Garrish wrote. “She
showed him how to believe in himself and
others.”
At the Nov. 11 BOE meeting at West
Jackson Middle School, honorees were
Jenna Banks of East Jackson Compre
hensive High School and Natalie Jackson
and Tina Johnston of West Jackson Ele
mentary School.
The nominator chose to remain anony
mous but wrote that Banks, a special edu
cation teacher, had worked with her son for
several years.
Describing her as “the best teacher” her
son ever had, helping him grow mentally
and emotionally, she praised Banks’ will
ingness to take on his speech therapy, even
when her son wasn’t cooperating.
“She treats every child as her own, not
just a job.” she wrote. “You can tell she
loves her students and wants the best for
them all.”
Shantwon Astin nominated Jackson and
Johnston, following a parent/teacher con
ference at WJES, noting that their work
“should be a standard that’s embodied not
only across West Jackson Elementary, but
the Jackson County School System as a
whole.”
“These two exceptional educators have
taken the young minds they are responsi
ble for and ignited a wildfire of passion for
learning in those they serve, especially my
kid,” he wrote in his nomination.
WJMS Healthcare Sciences teacher
Brenton Ruark and JCCHS teachers
Emily Taylor and Tiffany Jones were
recognized at the Dec. 9 BOE meeting at
EJMS for somewhat unusual interactions
with students.
Ruark was credited with helping teach
one of his eighth-grade students, Mason
Saldana, the skills that medical profession
als and his mother, Leah, believe helped
save her life after an unexpected seizure she
suffered in October.
In nominating Mr. Ruark, she wrote,
“Had it not been for the Healthcare Science
class and the detailed teaching provided by
Mr. Ruark, Mason would not have known
how to react or what to do in this situation.
The content that is being taught and to the
extent and detail it is being taught, is noth
ing short of amazing.”
Lori Reinhardt, a JCCHS parent, compli
mented the “vision and hard work” Taylor
and Jones brought to their collaboration in
leading in-school and public performances
of the musical, “A Year with Frog & Toad.”
Pointing out that the production was
“sensory-friendly” to accommodate even
those anxious about loud noises or bright
lights, Reinhardt noted “they also had spe
cial needs students as part of the produc
tion.”
“I feel they worked hard to showcase the
talents of all the students and make this a
positive experience.” she wrote. “It’s amaz
ing to see our special needs kids happy and
flourishing! It’s also a special sight to watch
the ‘typical’ kids being so accepting and pa
tient.”
AWARDS PRESENTED,
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
Blankenship presented the staff members
with gold stars lapel pins and certificates at the
BOE meetings in recognition of the Excellence
in Service award, which is in its third year in the
school system.
“Honorees are those who go above and be
yond to further our district vision, mission and
guiding principles,” she said.
“The award highlights the unsung heroes
who serve the students and staff of the school
system,” often without recognition of any kind,
she explained.
School system employees, volunteers, or
community partners will be considered and two
individuals and/or groups are selected monthly.
The nomination form is available online at
bit.ly/JCSS_19Excellence, For verification
purposes, nominators must provide their names
and email addresses, but they may choose to
remain anonymous when the honorees are an
nounced.
Nominations should range from 150-300
words and should be submitted by the 25th of
each month. Honorees are chosen by a com
mittee of personnel from across the district, in
cluding representatives from human resources,
district services and the teaching and learning
office.
Nominations will remain active for the 2019-
20 school year; winners from one school year
are not eligible for the honor the following
year.
Jackson County Comprehensive High School
teachers Emily Taylor and Tiffany Jones were rec
ognized at the Dec. 9 meeting of the Jackson Coun
ty Board of Education for their collaboration to in
clude a diverse group of students in the production
of “A Year with Frog & Toad.”
Celebrating the Excellence in Service award to West Jackson Elementary School teachers Natalie Jack-
son and Tina Johnston are, from left, Amity Hardegree, WJES principal; Jackson and Johnston; and
Selena Blankenship, director of human resources for the Jackson County School System.
Laurrie Wilber and Hal
Kidwell were nominated
by parents of Jackson
County School System
students for Excellence
in Service awards that
were presented at the
Sept. 9 meeting of the
Board of Education.
Jan Lee, left, and Ashley
Childress, right, were
introduced as Excel
lence in Service Award
winners at the Oct. 14
meeting of the Jackson
County School Sys
tem’s Board of Educa
tion meeting by Selena
Blankenship (center),
JCSS director of human
resources.
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