Newsletters 2014-15 Focus newsletter, [3] spring | Page 4

LEADERSHIP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

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Robert Gamache
Fifth grade teacher
Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts

The Anoka-Hennepin School District, in conjunction with the AnokaHennepin Educational Foundation (AHEF), honored this year’s “Above
& Beyond Award” winners at a ceremony April 9.
All Anoka-Hennepin 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 fourth 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.

Jodi Anderson-Wolhaupter
Eighth grade English teacher
Anoka Middle School for the Arts, Fred Moore campus

Simply put, Robert Gamache will go to the moon and
back to help students and staff, especially in the realm
of technology at Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts,
where he’s fifth grade science and social studies teacher.
According to Sarah Edmundson, the curriculum integration coordinator at Lincoln, and person who nominated
him, Gamache arrives early and commits to a slew of
after-school activities and projects. “Rob might joke
that running an extra mile is killer, but he travels that
distance everyday when he teaches,” she said.

Christine Godzala-Walytka
School secretary
Anoka Middle School for the Arts, Fred Moore Campus

Principal Jerri McGonigal said heroes come in all shapes
and sizes. It just happens that one of hers — Eighth
grade English teacher Jodi Anderson-Wolhaupter —
stands a mere five feet tall and happens to teach at her
school. “I have never met anyone with more enthusiasm
and dedication for student success both in the classroom
and out,” McGonigal said of Anderson-Wolhaupter.

Anoka Middle School for the Arts (AMSA) main office
secretary Christine Godzala-Walytka is the engine that
allows the Fred Moore Campus to run so smoothly. Not
only does she try to learn the names and stories of
every student and family at the school, but she also
beautifies the building with displays showcasing both
school spirit and student achievement, according to
AMSA school counselor Laura Klein, and school social
worker Lynn Schaefer, both of whom nominated her.

Janet Arkelin

Levi Hansen

Elementary paraeducator
Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts

Technology paraprofessional
Compass at Bell Center

While Janet Arkelin cares about all students at Lincoln
Elementary School for the Arts, it’s with her school’s
kindergarteners that she excels in developing relationships. Sarah Edmundson, the curriculum integration
coordinator at Lincoln, said Arkelin really speaks and
connects with students, smiling with them, joking with
them and even celebrating with them. “The whole
kindergarten team adores her because she is so kind
and passionate about her job,” Edmundson said.

Levi Hansen has a way with kids, according to the teacher
who nominated him, Peter Engebretson. “He loves to talk
to students about music or pop culture,” Engebretson
said. “He goes out of his way to connect with kids.” But
as a technology paraeducator, Hansen is also the person
who keeps Compass moving, fixing computer issues,
soliciting donations of new equipment, and helping
teachers incorporate technology into their classrooms.

Jeanne Carney

Shelly Hedstrom

Speech pathologist
Monroe Elementary School

Special Education teacher
Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy

It’s people