May 2019 Nebo PEAK Award Winners

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

May 2019 Nebo PEAK Award Winners

THE PEAK AWARD CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM
Nebo School District wants to showcase our Positive Energy and Kind employees. PEAK Awards are nominated by patrons and recognized by the Superintendent Staff and Nebo School Board of Education. The award is administered by the Communications and Community Relations Department. 
            
Matt Christensen, Principal, Spanish Fork High            
Nominated by: Jentry Youd, Alesha LeMmon, Heather Gross, Susan Fay, Melissa Nielson, Shannon Hales, Travis Palfreyman

“Matt is a thoughtful principal who considers himself part of something bigger than any of us. He knows the students, he knows the parents, and he knows his staff. He has a pulse on each of these and carefully makes decisions based on that knowledge and his experience. He wants something better for every student and works to make that happen. This is why every teacher at SFJHS goes above and beyond for student success. With the help of his staff, he has built a positive and solid culture to create a vision for our school -- The Lobo Way. Everyone refers to this vision to continue to build a dynamic learning culture for all. I am proud to be a Lobo and especially grateful to work with a man of the highest integrity.” - Alesha LeMmon

“Mr. Christensen is a great principal and is always going the extra mile for his staff and students. Students in the school love Mr. Christensen and have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He is always talking and visiting with students every chance he gets, which makes all the students feel loved and cared for. He knows many of his students on a personal basis and is always asking them questions about their hobbies and activities. Students love this attention and build good relationships with him through these daily conversations. Mr Christensen loves to pop into classrooms and observe student learning while complimenting the teacher on how great they are. Mr. Christensen is a great example to all with his happy personality. Every time a student or staff member has a conversation with him, they leave on a happy positive note.” - Jentry Youd

“Matt is friendly and takes the time to get to know every one of the students and faculty members here at SFJH. He knows each student by name and enjoys talking to and interacting with them. He is always up and moving and looking for ways to help others. He is very caring and kind, and he models the LOBO way every day. The kids look to him as a great example to follow. He has a fun personality and can take a joke. Matt truly is the best!” - Heather Gross

“Matt genuinely cares about all of the students as well as the employees at SFJHS. You can always find him out and about interacting with all of the students. I believe he knows every one of them by their first name. If anyone encounters a problem, Matt immediately does whatever it takes to solve that problem; and he is very kind and personable, always.” - Susan Fay

“Matt is a wonderful principal. He is so good with students. He works hard to be in the halls and be visible. He learns names of students and works to build a connection with them. He is always in classrooms and showing support to teachers and staff. He really takes good care of his teachers and staff. We think that when parents, students, and staff members adore you, you are a winner. He works well with stakeholders as well.

"Another wonderful thing about Matt is that he has been developing a new school vision since he came to SFJH. It was a collaborative effort, and he included the entire staff. The new school vision is awesome. This year he has worked to improve the appearance of our school and include the Lobo Way (new school vision).” - Shannon Hales, Travis Palfreyman, Melissa Nielson

Stacey Hall, Librarian, Maple Ridge Elementary
Nominated by: Molly Murdock & Sara Matis

“Stacey goes above and beyond every year decorating her library. It turns into a magical place! When I first started at Maple Ridge, the first thing the students told me was that I had to ‘check out the library’. The students take great pride in it. Mrs. Hall was a Sterling Scholar in Art and uses her talents to bring a theme to life in the library. She makes it a place the children really want to be. Also, Stacey is in charge of the band at Springville High School. She puts in many extra hours that she is not getting paid for, just like decorating her library. Stacey is pleasant and kind and the students at Maple Ridge love her, not only for her art skills, but for her skills as a librarian and wonderful person.” - Molly Murdock

Talie Roundy, Custodian, Maple Mountain High
Nominated by: Ryan Kay & Doug Loveless

“Talie and her entire crew went above and beyond their call of duty when helping with the benefits fair held at their school. From the minute we started to set up on Thursday until the last chair was taken down Friday afternoon, she was there to help in whatever capacity was needed. Since the Benefits Fair and Opening Institute run simultaneously, she was on the radio coordinating many different events. She never got frustrated and helped everyone with a smile on her face. Thank you, Talie. Your positive energy was very much appreciated!” - Ryan Kay

“Talie is not only an exceptional member of my staff, she is just about the kindest, sweetest, and most caring person that I have ever met. Talie has a natural ability to listen to people and gain their trust and friendship. She often calls herself the lonely patrol! It really bothers her to see anyone sitting alone. She wants to be a friend to everyone and has a radar that senses other people’s loneliness. After only a first, brief conversation, I see individuals react to her like they have been life-long friends.” - Doug Loveless

Tonya Painter, Teacher, Rees Elementary
Nominated by: Jen Gasser & Amy Darrington

“Tonya is kind and thoughtful to EVERYONE! She remembers birthdays, anniversaries, special events and does her best to make people feel special. She cares for her students, current and past, and maintains relationships with them long after they have left Rees. Students who have graduated from high school still talk about how influential she was to them. She has a great sense of humor and makes work a fun place to be. She genuinely cares about people!!” - Amy Darrington

“Tonya is an amazing educator and person. She is always happy and smiling. This year I have had the opportunity to serve as a student council advisor with her. Tonya is always willing to put in her share of work and more. She is fun to collaborate with and will often have the answer to a problem before we know there is one. The students here at Rees Elementary love her and will often go back to her class year after year just to visit with her. She knows almost every student by name and makes everyone feel like they are the only person around. Her energy and enthusiasm rivals that of anyone. She is excited to be here, and that happiness and energy gets passed on to those around her. Because of her, student council this year has been exceptional. We have been focusing on teaching the students how to lead, and Tonya does that by example. Rees has a new PBIS system in place this year, and Tonya was a key developer. Students are learning how to SOAR (Serve and Support, Own your Actions and Words, Aim High and Achieve, and Respect). Tonya does all these things naturally, and people gravitate to her and her ability to make us all feel amazing. Recently, student council was in charge of planning and carrying out SOAR week. Tonya took that responsibility on and made a normally hectic week for us--fun, engaging, and most of all, memorable. Anytime the school has a spirit week where we dress up, Tonya is always the first to jump in line. She has school spirit and is not afraid to show it. Tonya makes coming to work, and having extra responsibilities, enjoyable and fun. In my opinion, there is not anyone who is more deserving!” - Jen Gasser

Jennifer Baker, Teacher, Park View Elementary
Nominated by: Jennifer Cornwall

“Mrs. Baker has been so helpful this year with our kindergartner. He struggles with separation anxiety from us. It was a battle every morning to get him to school and into the classroom. Mrs. Baker went above and beyond to help him feel more comfortable. She was approachable with our desire to help our son. She listened and offered suggestions. She even went out of her way to call home one evening and talk to our son and set up a plan for him to come to the doors nearest to the kindergarten rooms. Mrs. Baker offered to come out and help him get out of the car and had a job for him to do in the classroom a little early. It was a game changer for our son, he was excited and finally okay with leaving his momma. It has been so humbling for us to be able to have a great experience this year at Park View.”

Don Remy, Network Engineer, Technology
Nominated by: Alan Ashton & Reese Brunson

“Don came home early from vacation to work on a downed fiber line that left Advanced Learning Center (ALC) and Salem Junior without internet. Don worked through the night to find a solution so teachers could work the next day and finalize grades. It would have been easy to say, ‘I am on vacation.’ But Don takes pride in having a robust and reliable network for Nebo School District. This is just one of many examples of Don's commitment to the students, staff, and patrons of Nebo School District.” - Alan Ashton

“Don is a true professional! He has a heavy burden to bear keeping the district's internet and network healthy. He knows the importance of employees and students having a reliable connection to the internet so employees can do their jobs, teachers can teach, and students can learn. Don comes in many late nights and weekends so users do not have interruptions in their day. He can be found at the district or at a school very late at night taking care of needs.” - Reese Brunson

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
This initiative is designed to focus on "raising the bar" on providing exceptional customer service, both internally and externally. A key component of this initiative is the development of the PEAK Award. The PEAK (Positive Energy and Kindness) Award is presented monthly to someone in the Nebo School District who "really gets it" when it comes to providing exceptional customer service, which in turn results in positive impacts on everyone including students, parents, co-workers and members of the community.

Who Gets Nominated?
Faculty and staff members are nominated by anyone in the community through the Nebo School District website, www.nebo.edu/PEAK wherein a special Customer Service link is provided. The directions as to how to nominate an employee for the PEAK Awards are clearly spelled out on the site. All nominations must include information on how the individual has provided exceptional customer service, as well as how the employee's actions impacted the nominator's overall perception of Nebo School District Schools. The name and contact information of the nominator must be included.

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Attributions
By Lana Hiskey