The strength of Parsons USD 503 public schools lies in the dedicated individuals who serve our students and community each day.
While classrooms are often the most visible part of education, the district’s success is made possible by a broad team of professionals whose work supports learning in countless ways.
Our educational support staff—including food service workers, custodians, maintenance personnel, paraprofessionals, Title staff, bus drivers, nurses, clerical and secretarial professionals, information technology (IT) personnel, school resource officers, counselors, district office staff, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and many others—play an essential role in creating safe, welcoming, and effective learning environments. Through their expertise, reliability, and commitment to students, they help ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed.
Much of this important work happens behind the scenes and often without public recognition. However, these contributions are vital to the district’s mission and to the daily operations of our schools.
To honor and celebrate the meaningful impact of these team members, Parsons USD 503 has established the “You Make a Difference” Award. Each month, nominations will be accepted to recognize two outstanding educational support staff members whose service and dedication exemplify excellence. Nominations may be submitted by any district employee, ensuring that colleagues across all roles have the opportunity to highlight those who make a difference every day.
The February recipients of this new award are Tri-County Attendant Care/Paraeducator Jill Head and Library/Title Aide Sarah Trout.
Head was nominated by Media/Journalism Instructor Larrian Kendricks, who had this to say about her:
“Jill Head is an outstanding support staff member at PHS. She fosters a positive learning environment not only for the students she directly assists, but also for the entire student body. Her dedication to bringing out the best in students and providing meaningful support has a lasting impact on our school community.”
Trout was nominated by Third Grade Teacher Schuyler Keal, who offered these thoughts about Trout:
“Sarah is an excellent addition to Garfield for these reasons…She has great attendance and is always happy to be at school. She plays many roles successfully, for example, library aide, lunch room scanner, runs title groups, covers classrooms for teachers, works with students one on one, and tracks AR points for all classes and gives out rewards. She is willing to do anything asked of her and with a positive attitude. She is the best and is ALWAYS working hard for kids! ”
We congratulate these two ladies for their commitment to excellence that truly embodies the core values of Parsons USD 503 . They exemplify what it means to be a team member.