Everyday Heroes is a regular feature in this staff blog. Remember to submit names of employees districtwide who have done something deserving of encouragement and praise. Give a shout out to one of your colleagues at your school or support building and watch for it to appear in an upcoming Everyday Heroes blog post.

Here is our newest honoree:

Everyday Hero
Leslie Gowell, McKinney-Vento Liaison Designee Support Specialist

“Leslie Gowell is OSD’s McKinney-Vento coordinator. She is one of the hardest working people I’ve met. Her focus is getting each homeless child into school. Leslie makes numerous calls a day helping families who are in desperate need. Often these families show up at her door and whether on the phone or in person, Leslie treats each person with dignity and respect. She is a strong advocate in a system that is not easy to navigate. These families’ situations are often heartbreaking, but Leslie doesn’t let that discourage her. We are all truly fortunate to have Leslie.”
Submitted by Danni Connor, teacher in the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program

How to nominate an Everyday Hero

• Email the Communications and Community Relations Department (communications@osd.wednet.edu) a few sentences, and no more than 200 words, about why the person deserves recognition. It’s easiest to write as if speaking directly to the colleague, such as “Thank you for helping with…” or “I really appreciated when you…”
• Write Everyday Heroes in the subject heading of the email.
• Include your first and last name as the person submitting the comments.
• Include the first and last name of the OSD employee you are recognizing.
• Include the job title and work location (school or department) of the person you are recognizing.

All submissions will be posted in this blog on a weekly basis and archived each week.

We can’t wait to hear about all of our Everyday Heroes, because we know that every day our bus drivers, child nutrition staff, custodial employees, teachers, paraeducators, school and district office staff, and others are doing amazing work on behalf of students.