Newsletters 2013-14 Focus newsletter, [3] spring | Page 7

2013 Above & Beyond Award winners

T

he Anoka-Hennepin School District, in conjunction with the
Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation (AHEF), honored this
year’s “Above & Beyond Award” winners at a ceremony April 24.

All Anoka-Hennepin School District employees are eligible for
the award, which honors staff who go above and beyond normal job
expectations in contributing to the quality education Anoka-Hennepin
students receive.
This is the second annual class of Above & Beyond Award winners
and they include a variety of staff members who strive every day to give
students a great experience in their schools. ■

Pam Baker

Nicole Hedlund

College and Career Specialist
Champlin Park High School

Second Grade Teacher
Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy

Pam has a passion for helping
students make the leap to college,
and her work often reflects a
personal touch. From helping
students develop career plans,
to helping advise college choices,
Pam wants to help students
pursue their dreams.

Nicole believes team building and
cultivating positive relationships are
keys to learning. Her daily morning
meetings where her students greet
each other and share recent events
in their lives, build relationships and
support the teaching she does.

Juanita Mercedes
Martinez Pabon

John Horton

John Lero

Nicki Magaard

Third Grade Teacher
Eisenhower Elementary School

Building Supervisor
Madison Elementary School

Counselor
Roosevelt Middle School

John encourages his students
to talk, laugh, ask questions and fix
mistakes. It’s important, he says,
to have a classroom where his
students feel welcome, happy and
safe. That means encouraging
each and every student, he says.

While John tries to make one-on-one
connections with every student,
he’s especially helpful with students
making amends through school
service projects. The extra time
with them, he says, has helped
them understand the value in
doing their best.

In addition to being a self-professed
cheerleader for students, Nicki has
been instrumental in developing
new support groups at the school,
creating a new orientation program
for students, and even reinstituting
the student mentoring program.

Muggy Pierfelice

Karrie Schaaf

Mischelle Squire

Kelly Weeks

Second Grade Teacher
Oxbow Creek Elementary School

Homeless Youth Liaison
Family Welcome Center

Adult Learning Coordinator
Community Education

Elementary Paraeducator
Andover Elementary School

For Muggy, people are better learners
when they’re committed to each other,
and her commitment is always on
display. She enjoys going to her
students’ events outside the
classroom, from birthday parties
to sports—all because she loves
seeing her students excel.

Karrie is dedicated to ending
homelessness, and has made
it a priority to give Anoka-Hennepin
students experiencing homelessness
a sense of stability so they can
better focus on learning.

Italian cooking, fused-glass, and
QuickBooks classes are all part
of a dizzying 657-class array of
opportunities Mischelle has helped
set up for Anoka-Hennepin’s adult
learners. “We never know how
a simple class can impact
someone’s life,” she said.

Kelly manages a lunchroom while
teaching respect and appropriate
table manners. In addition, when she
sees students having a tough time,
she offers them a chance to help her.
When they’re done, she says, their
day is brightened through a sense
of success and pride.

Elementary Paraeducator
Wilson Elementary School
From crossing guard to lunchroom
supervisor, Spanish interpreter, to
helping with math lessons in the
classroom—Juanita wears many
different hats. The common thread;
she loves children, calling them “a joy,
a gift and an inspiration to our lives.”

Complete stories about each Above & Beyond winner are available on the district website at www.anoka.k12.mn.us/Above&Beyond.

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