District Names Finalists for Top Awards

Eight Manatee County School District employees were named finalists Tuesday for Manatee County School district's EdVantage Education Awards.

The EdVantage Education Awards are designed to celebrate excellence in education in Manatee County. On Tuesday four finalists were selected for the  “Educator of the Year”award and four were selcted as finalists for the “Support Employee of the Year.”

All eight finalists will be honored Feb. 29 when the Educator of the Year and Support Employee of the Year will be announced at the EdVantage Education Awards at the Manatee Convention Center.

The finalists are:

EDUCATOR AWARD

Jillene Bergeron, Family & Consumer Science Teacher, Braden River Middle School

As District Advisor of FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America) Jillene Bergeron’s trains new advisors in the district. Bergeron’s FCCLA members are always engaged and participating in District, State, and National competitions, each requiring many hours of planning and traveling for her group. She is a dedicated teacher, leader, and role model for her students, exemplifying the highest standards of her profession, according to Randall J. Petrilla, Principal, Braden River Middle School, who nominates Bergeron.

Mihija Daniel, Second Grade Teacher, Rowlett Magnet Elementary School

“Mahija Daniel spends countless extra hours in service to her students and school.  She cares about and nurtures each child. In addition, she is loved not only by her students but also by their parents for her abilities to make her classroom an inviting and exciting place to be and learn. She volunteers on many of our committees, including our annual Golf tournament, Arts Festival, Veterans Day program, and many other events throughout the year.” said Brian Flynn, Principal, Rowlett Magnet Elementary School, who nominated Daniel.

Dameon Headings, Fourth Grade Math Teacher, Palm View Elementary School

“Dameon Headings possesses exceptional instructional skills. He monitors his students’ progress, differentiates instruction, and provides remediation. He makes learning fun with his wealth of knowledge, including the innovative use of technology. Mr. Headings is also an outstanding educational leader. He has provided the Palm View faculty with an array of professional development in areas such as technology, math, and FCAT Focus. His work on instructional committees such as the textbook and curriculum committees and his involvement in the Aspiring Leader program exemplifies the many ways he works effectively with students, staff, parents, and the community.” said Frank M. Pistella, Principal, Palm View Elementary School, who nominated Headings.

Pauline Barnes, Eighth Grade Language Arts Teacher, Sugg Middle School.

Pauline Barnes exemplifies all of the District’s Core Values for Sugg Middle School and the district and does so with professionalism and grace. She is usually at the forefront of educational initiatives because she wants to be the best and bring the best to her classroom and her school.  She is the type of educator that so many others hope to become. She is often the first person to volunteer to help others or take on the task to help publicize our school. She is a quiet leader and role model for those around her, and their respect is due to her unselfish and genuine character, according to Sharon Scarbrough, Principal, Sugg Middle School, who nominated Barnes.

SUPPORT AWARD

Ange Inderwiesen, Senior School Secretary, Nolan Middle School

“Ange Inderwiesen is extremely dedicated and goes above and beyond to make sure that Nolan Middle School runs seamlessly. She is the ‘go-to’ person in many areas. She is extremely conscientious and keeps accurate records. Most importantly, she protects the school’s limited resources and gives up her family time to represent Nolan’s support staff at SAC meetings. In short, she is a dedicated School District of Manatee County employee who brings a ray of sunshine to the campus of Nolan Middle School.” said Nancy High, Principal, Nolan Middle School, who nominated Inderwiesen.

Cristina Aburto, Registrar, Tara Elementary School

Cristina Aburto has established great rapport with all staff and is a key member of the school’s administrative team. She is a true team player and routinely covers the front desk whenever there are absences. She works to insure accuracy of data and maintains all folders for staff. Finally, Cristina has worked summer school for the district at various sites over the past several years. This year at Daughtrey, she actively reached out to assist the principal in preparing the registrar’s office for the upcoming year when one of her colleagues became ill and subsequently had to retire. Through her efforts she was able to help the programs stabilize at that school, according to Linda Fouse, Principal, Tara Elementary School, who nominated Aburto.

 Lori Pick, Technology Specialist, Mills Elementary School

“’Innovative’ and ‘creative’ are two words that describe Lori Pick. She works countless hours to keep the large amount of technology at our school organized and running efficiently. Her creative talents launched the Mills Lion News Network seven years ago, and many children have since grown and gained confidence through the news-casting experience she made available to them. Recently she expanded her duties to include tutoring academically challenged third grade students. She is a true servant leader who serves not only the staff and students at our school but also contributes at the district level where she currently serves on the District Permissions Group and the Technology Contacts Website committee.” said Michael F. Rio, Principal, Mills Elementary School , who nominated Pick.

Linda Campos, Registrar, Sea Breeze Elementary School

Linda Campos is a lifelong learner who constantly searches for more efficient ways to do any job for which she is responsible. For example, when Linda realized that our school website was outdated, she took classes to understand how to improve the system. Today she continues to work on getting the website up and running as a public relations tool as well as a valuable resource for parents. When registrars at other district schools have been ill, Linda is one of the first volunteers to help out to prevent them from falling too far behind. She is, indeed, a team player — whether at her own school or at a school where one of her fellow registrars needs assistance, according to Jacquelyn West, Principal, Sea Breeze Elementary School, who nominated Campos.

Once the winners are announced in Februarty, the Educator representative will advance to the Florida Department of Education Macy’s Teacher of the Year competition, while the Support representative will advance to the Florida School Related Employee of the Year competition.

Each school and work site in the Manatee District was given the opportunity to nominate employees for the award categories. A total of 87 work site representatives were selected and that list was recently trimmed to 24 semifinalists, 12 in the Educator category and 12 in the Support category.