The heart and soul of Parsons USD 503 Public Schools can be found in the people who work in the district.
Every day, our people give of themselves in extraordinary ways, in order to help all students reach higher levels of success. This includes our educational support staff: Our food service workers, custodians, maintenance personnel, paraprofessionals, Title workers, bus drivers, nurses, clerical/secretarial workers, information technology (IT) staff, school resource officers, counselors, district office staff, language and speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and others.
In many instances, these people work behind the scenes and receive little recognition, but their positions are integral to the district accomplishing its mission and goals.
To better recognize these persons’ contributions district-wide and publicly, the “You Make A Difference” Award has been created. Each month nominations will be sought to choose two outstanding educational support individuals whose work and service deserve special attention. These persons can be nominated by anyone in the district.
The January recipients of this new award are Tri-County Speech Paraprofessional Marlene Reynolds and Guthridge Food Service Worker Amanda Aubuchon.
Reynolds was nominated by Speech/Language Pathologist Emily Russell, who had this to say about her:
“Marlene is an outstanding paraprofessional who consistently goes above and beyond for all students in the building, not only those she directly serves in speech therapy. She is flexible when staff shortages arise, willingly assists wherever needed, and builds strong, positive relationships with students. Marlene demonstrates an exceptional ability to recognize what needs to be done throughout the building without requiring direction. She truly is a jack of all trades and is highly deserving of recognition!”
Aubuchon was nominated by Michell Piva on behalf of the entire Guthridge Staff, and she had this to say about her:
“Miss Amanda arrives early each morning to make sure breakfast is ready to serve when students arrive. When they come streaming through the door at 7:40, Amanda is patient, calm and works diligently to get every student served. She is kind to students as she talks with them in the serving line, and she is considerate to staff members who are working in the cafeteria with her. If a student arrives a bit late, Amanda takes care of them with a smile. At lunch time, Amanda once again has the food line open and ready for students to be served. Her dedication, quiet demeanor, and behind the scenes work are qualities that our Guthridge staff admire and appreciate.”
We congratulate these two ladies for their commitment to excellence that truly reflects the values of Parsons USD 503.They set a wonderful example for us all.