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 are our newest honorees:

Everyday Hero
Jennifer Huff, Sixth-Grade Math Teacher, Marshall MS

Thank you for being such an amazing and supportive neighbor-across-the-hall, math teacher, mentor and inspiration to both students and staff. In addition to the high-level, rigorous, and generally demanding math instruction you bring to 6th graders, I appreciate how you teach the whole child. With your help, they not only leave with math skills, students walk away prepared for life with a toolbox of strategies and a general awareness of the world around them. I love how you help them see the big picture and how the day-to-day fits into that. Students know how math relates to the rest of their day in school and beyond. Furthermore, you bolster student confidence in what they CAN do, building resilience and grit from their struggles. Thank you for helping our 6th graders become responsible contributors to Marshall and the larger community. It is a privilege to work with you.
Submitted by Eric Durbin, Teacher, Special Education, Marshall MS

Everyday Hero
Tim Ketter, Custodian, Marshall MS

Tim, I want you to know how much the entire Marshall staff appreciates you! Not only do you keep the school clean, but you are incredibly responsive every time you are asked to do anything. Last week when I asked if a work order had been placed to fix the rattling light fixture in C Wing, you not only checked to see if a work order was in, but you also climbed into the attic to see if you could fix it. While up there, you checked other rattles as well. When I asked for your help putting clothing racks together for our coat giveaway, you took the initiative to put two more together to display our Lost and Found. In addition, you went above and beyond helping us prepare for our first wrestling match at Marshall. Not only did you make sure we had all the equipment we needed but you also stayed throughout the entire event doing the scorekeeping. And, this was after a full day of work!  These small examples are just several of hundreds of ways that you go “above and beyond” in your job every day. Not only that, but you do it all with a smile on your face! Students and staff alike appreciate all that you do, and we cannot thank you enough.
Submitted by Condee Wood, Principal, Marshall MS

Tim Ketter, Custodian, Marshall MS

Tim takes such great care of us.  He is always wearing a smile and often doesn’t even wait for us to ask — he anticipates our needs.  Tim is great with our students, and is always willing to go above and beyond to do whatever needs to be done to ensure the kids have what they need. There’s no request that ever phases him. We never know what time of day we will see him — either his regular afternoon shift, or filling in on days. We do know that when we see him, it’s going to be a great day. Thank you, Tim, for working so hard!
Submitted by Mimi Peradotto, Office Manager, Marshall MS

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.