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
Tricia Kelley, Accounting Supervisor, Business Services,

Tricia Kelley has served behind the scenes in the Business Office, in Teaching & Learning, and at Lincoln Elementary School. In each of these roles she has been the go-to person for your in-the-weeds questions,  ‘what does this line on my report mean’ type of questions, or ‘what do we do about this’ sort of questions. 

Over the last year she has helped carry the district through some tough transitions in the Business Office. We lost a wealth of knowledge when two key teammates left and she was leaned on heavily to fill the gap. She knows the history of our finances, she knows how to problem-solve, she knows skyward like the back of her hand. Beyond her technical savvy, she nurtures her team and helps them grow. As the leader of the accounting team, she has given them opportunities to take on projects to improve our processes that help school staff–electronic POs, electronic group meal forms.

She will jump on a Zoom or go sit with anyone to walk them through how to navigate skyward and tackle the situation. And when they are done, folks have access to more than a dozen how-to videos that the team created to support our district. 

She is a natural nurturing and peacemaking personality with a lot of spunk and personality. 
Submitted by Kate Davis, Director of Finance, Business Services

Everyday Heroes
Marni Prandi (PT), Sue McDonald (Teacher for the Visually Impaired), Meghan Hanson (SLP Teacher DLC)  Suzy Anthony (OT), Student Support

Kudos to my fellow OSD staff members who are serving the Ashley House students.  Marni Prandi, Sue McDonald, Meghan Hanson, and Suzy Anthony have welcomed me onto their team.  As a group we share ideas and equipment in order to best serve these medically fragile students.  Each of them has taken their valuable time to teach me new skills.  I couldn’t have asked to be a part of a better team.  Thank you. 
Submitted by Danni Connor, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program Teacher, Student Support

Everyday Hero
Jill Nelson, English & Special Services Teacher, Olympia High School

Jill Nelson is the head of special services here at Olympia High School. While serving as department head, she goes above and beyond the expectations of SPED specialist and department head. It is her ability to see the big picture that allows her to serve so many, influencing their high school experience for the better. She oversees scheduling and academic placement of our SPED and ML students, ensuring that these students’ academic and social emotional needs are met. She is the true embodiment of equity in that she ensures that students receive the courses they need in order to be successful daily and complete graduation requirements. She uses her expert knowledge to guide and advise families of appropriate graduation pathways that best fit each individual student. Not only does she support all of our students served under the special services umbrella while they attend Olympia High School, she also assists students beyond high school, facilitating vital connections to secondary programs and scholarships, ensuring as many doors remain open for these students as possible. Opportunity is her middle name as she assists high schoolers within and beyond their high school experience. She is a tireless advocate who assists students in gaining vital access to programs and services that support them during high school and in years beyond. I urge you to seriously consider this nomination, and join me in recognizing someone who is an everyday hero.
Submitted by Chelsea Peterson, EL Specialist/English Instructor, Olympia High School

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.