A salute to veterans, educators

By Jerry Ness | The Daily Journal

Published Wednesday, November 14, 2007

This week we honor two groups of Americans that work hard to make our country a better place. On Monday we observed Veterans Day with special programs at both the High School and Middle School. American Education Week is also celebrated this week, and on November 14 the School District and local teacher union will honor the teacher and support staff member of the year.

Congratulations to the support staff honorees listed below; I’ve included descriptions for each taken from their nominations by fellow staff members. Next week’s column will share the teacher nominees and winner.

Collette Cox, a middle school para-educator, is amazingly organized, efficient and hard working. Colette is a true Otter: She does her job with accountability, respect and enthusiasm.

Brett Duenow is head custodian at McKinley School, and it has never been so clean — both inside and out. He is also a good friend to the kindergarteners, stopping what he’s doing to tie a shoe or zip a jacket.

Every day Becky Engelson goes above and beyond in her duties as a special education paraprofessional at Adams School. She is caring, compassionate and understanding, and the needs of the students are always her first priority.

Adams School para-educator Holly Froemming has made staff who are new to the building feel very welcome by sharing information about policies, materials and past activities. Holly's positive, helpful, “do what you have to do to get it done” attitude have made her the “heart” of the Adams family.

Middle school special education paraprofessionals Marie Fuchs and Deb Werre are really a team and eager to attend training that makes them better at what they do. Marie is quick to make adaptations for students, yet completely understands the fine line between independence and assistance. Deb’s gift lies in foresight, heading off problems before they arise. She is a valuable sounding board because of her clear thinking and experience in regular education classrooms.

It’s enjoyable to see high school special education paraprofessional Lori Jensen walking down the halls each day, interacting positively with students and faculty alike She has the ability to push students to do their best, encouraging them to speak up in class when they know the answer or when they wish to question the material.

Brenda Johnson, a special education office employee at the high school, is the “go to” person for help with student plans. She keeps files organized, catches discrepancies in our paperwork dates, and sets up and does the paperwork for more than 150 meetings each year.

Eisenhower preschool special education paraprofessional Karen Klein is amazing when it comes to working with students with special needs. Year after year, her patience is unmatched, and her cheerful attitude is consistent on a day-to-day basis.

High school special education paraprofessional Kari Leitch is always ready to help students become more successful without doing their work for them. Her gifts are encouragement, understanding needs and creating a positive and fun environment for both the students and staff.

Rhonda Maack, the high school technology support staff, is vital to the school’s smooth functioning. She is constantly on the run to quickly and efficiently help staff with technology problems — and always with a smile on her face.

Lynette Nelson does an amazing job of guiding student behavior and managing the Cleveland School library as a para-educator. She takes genuine pride in the appearance of the library, making it a fun and comfortable place for all of its visitors.

Adams School secretary Cindy Stafford is always calm and handles whatever comes up. The school has a whole staff of wonderful support people, but the person in the office has many different jobs to do, and Cindy does all of them well.

Karma Wagner, secretary at Cleveland School, has adjusted and readjusted over the past years as her job duties have changed. She is a great person to contact because she is friendly, helpful and goes above and beyond to help others.

Middle school special education paraprofessional Betsy Wells has wonderful ideas for adapting lessons for her special need students. She excels in the area of science and is able to share personal experiences with the students.

Jerry Ness is the superintendent for Fergus Falls Public Schools. His column appears Wednesday.