December 2021 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.
Kayla Welch, Teacher, Spring Canyon Middle
Nominated by: Phena Brown
“In so many ways Kayla is 100% dedicated to helping students and all those she works with. One example was when she was teaching fifth grade. She had a new ELL student enrolled in her class that didn’t even know basic phonics skills and how words were supposed to sound in English. Kayla actually made an interactive phonics practice recording of her own voice so when the student clicked on a letter or blend, her student would learn how to speak and read in English. She dedicated so many hours to reach the ‘one.’ She also is constantly creating lessons, activities, and videos--anything to help those that work with her and shares them with unbelievable generosity. She is so talented, loving, and kind. We are blessed to have her as a teacher in Nebo School District.”
LesLee Hunt, Teacher, Park Elementary
Nominated by: Holly Moss & Natalie Taylor
“LesLee is a quiet, yet powerful influencer. She has been a first-grade teacher for over 20 years and makes a profound impact for good on her students. As a colleague, she is always willing to help and volunteers for so many things to assist her colleagues behind the scenes including being our school technology expert, a Goldhead for our Leader in Me program, trainer on early literacy and character coaching, and running our school SST. She thoughtfully helps teachers find effective interventions in their classrooms. She has a huge caring heart and firm understanding of curriculum and content. These work together to make a strong impact on those around her.” ~Holly Moss
“LesLee puts so much of her own time into her teaching. She truly cares about her students and wants them to succeed. She wants her students and others to be life-long learners. She goes beyond what is expected by caring about all the students here at Park Elementary. She is so willing to share ideas with her team or with any teacher. She has so many ideas and wants to try different strategies or new ideas to see how it can impact the students' learning. She is innovative and the team lead for first grade. She spearheads the SST team. She also is one of the Goldhead leaders for our school for Leader in Me. She is such an amazing teacher and staff member here at Park.” ~Natalie Taylor
Robin White, Teacher, Spanish Fork Junior
Nominated by: Susan Anderson & Jaxon Stevenson
“Robin is an instant friend. She instantly brings you into her circle and makes everyone feel like they’re her ‘bestie.’ She goes above and beyond to show her love for her fellow teachers. She planned a surprise 50th birthday party for one of our department's teachers. She brings Fizz drinks and Crumbl cookies to people to lift their mood. She hosts parties (even COVID style) for not just our team, but also for our families. She even ordered special t-shirts for me when I was diagnosed with cancer and t-shirts for some of our department that show support for their comrade fighting cancer.
“Beyond how much she cares about her colleagues, she gives her heart to her students. She spends many late (and then really early) hours finding different texts, strategies, and methods to teach concepts in differentiated ways for her classes. She collaborates and shares any golden nugget. She has students in her class before and after school getting further instruction, redoing work, and just connecting with an amazing teacher.” ~Susan E Anderson
“Ms. White invites students to sit with her during class if they have no one else to sit with.” ~Jaxon Stevenson
Amber Capell, Teacher, Salem Hills High
Nominated by: Myra Miller
“One of our colleagues lost a family member. Amber, though not even in that teacher’s department, stepped up and stayed late creating lesson plans–ten days’ worth of lesson plans. She did so gladly--never complaining--happy to step in. On top of that, Amber works closely with the special education teachers to help students with math inclusion classes. The teacher who helps in these classes was gone for weeks. Amber stepped in and took care of the lesson plans not only for the inclusion classes (as she always does) but also the lesson plans for the sub. Amber did all of this without any accolades. She simply is there to help. She says regularly, ‘let me know what I can do to help,’ and she means it!”
Kristin Valdez, Lunch Clerk, Mapleton Elementary
Nominated by: Kodey & Kalee Crandall
“I've never known any lunch worker who works as hard as Kristen. We have been ordering lunch for our kindergartner all year. Every time we go to pick up her lunch, Kristen has everything prepared perfectly and ready to go. She has even gone above and beyond during the times we have forgotten to place our daughter's order. The few times this happened, Kristen quickly put a lunch together for us without complaining. Thank you.”
Josh Jensen, Teacher, Spanish Fork High
Nominated by: Bart Thompson, Matt Christensen, Seth Spainhower, Leslie Swenson, Shannon Hales, Melissa Lewis, and Dawn Draper
“Josh doesn't stop--ever! He is one of the first teachers in the building every day and he is ALWAYS one of the very last to leave. He teaches our Adult Roles & Responsibilities class to every sophomore at our school, and he is amazing at it! He creates a safe space for his students and takes the time to get to know every kid personally. Josh also coaches football and wrestling here at Spanish Fork. He has become our go-to anytime there are needs in the programs--Coach Jensen always has answers and is willing to help. In fact, Josh's greatest weakness is his inability to say 'no' to anyone when a student is involved. He will stay late, come in early, come in on a weekend and do anything else asked of him to help a student be successful. In all my years in education, I have never worked with anyone as committed to helping students as Josh Jensen. He would be my #1 draft pick, hands down, without hesitation. He is a culture changer and we are blessed he's a Don!” ~Bart Thompson
“Josh Jensen is a rockstar teacher that goes above and beyond. He is an advocate for all students and is willing to go the extra mile. He is an assistant football coach and assistant wrestling coach. Although he is extremely busy coaching, he still finds time to attend all school activities and sporting events. It is impressive to see him attend so many extracurricular functions. Josh is also teaching a life management class that all sophomores take throughout the year. He does weekly student check-ins with all his students and helps them prepare, plan, and advocate for themselves.” ~Matt Christensen
“Josh Jensen is one of the most amazing human beings in the world. It's actually really hard to find a weakness in him. His passion for education and student advocacy is unprecedented. He is a master of his content and also the best character education teacher around. Josh teaches students invaluable life lessons that will make a difference for years in the lives of the many students he teaches. He is constantly going above and beyond for not only every student in our building, but every adult as well. Whenever there is a need, Josh volunteers. It doesn't matter what that need is, he willingly accepts the challenge and offers everything he's got. Josh makes any environment that he is in a better one. If I had a dime for every time a student told me that Coach Jensen is their favorite teacher, I could retire early! However, I wouldn't want to because I want to be around Josh for as long as possible! He is a role model for so many people, myself included. Our students are so lucky to have a Coach Jensen in their lives!” ~Seth Spainhower
“Josh Jensen is amazing! He strives to connect with all of his students and is a great advocate for them. He teaches an ‘Adult Roles and Responsibilities’ class which we require all Sophomores to take. We have seen amazing results from this class. Some of the feedback we have gotten from this class is as follows:
Q: ‘Do you feel like this class had a positive impact on your high school experience so far? Why?’
All A: ‘Yes, I learned how to handle things better.’ or, ‘Yes, it made me want to come to school more.’
Q: ‘What did you like about the way Coach Jensen Taught?’
A: ‘He was really helpful and I felt like he actually cared about us.’
‘I like that he made sure that we knew it was a safe space to talk in.’
‘He was always happy and liked to do his job.’
‘He always encouraged the students to talk and participate, but never forced. He seemed genuinely interested in what others were saying and is super good at listening. I don´t think I would have enjoyed the class as much as I did without him here. He´s funny, nice, encouraging and created a good atmosphere.’
‘He is an awesome teacher. He is fun and kind. His style of teaching is very entertaining, uplifting, and engaging. I can tell he genuinely cares about his students. He cares about their needs and wants what's best for them.’
“There are many more I could share. He has an amazing way of building rapport with students and colleagues. He also is a coach for our football and wrestling teams and puts in SO much extra work. He also teaches online. He does so many things and does it all well. Even with all he has going, he still makes time for the individual and is able to make everyone feel cared for. We are so lucky to have Coach Jensen at our school!” ~Leslie Swenson
“He is one of the most amazing teachers I have worked with. He goes above and beyond in his classroom in every aspect. Each student feels valued and cared for. He has this effortless way of helping the underdog, the disadvantaged, and high achiever all at the same time. He is loved by all and truly a gem at Spanish Fork High School. Side Note: He also sews and cooks, and not just casseroles, real fancy stuff.” ~Shannon Hales
“Josh teaches the Adult Roles class to all Sophomores. He works hard to make an impact with all of our students coming into SFHS. He helps them with problem solving and helps them make connections to adults in the school to help them be successful. He is kind and patient with his students and has made the class such a success! He is always willing to help students and help out in the school.” ~Melissa Lewis
“Josh Jensen is the real deal as far as teachers go, not sure it gets much better than him. The students absolutely love his class and many of them say it is their favorite class. He took on a new class we wanted to implement a couple of years ago with our sophomores (Adult Responsibilities) and ran with it to make it one of the best classes we have. Josh is loved by the students and by his colleagues. He genuinely cares about all of his students and athletes which is very apparent when you watch him interact with them. I have the opportunity to work with him regularly when we teach in his classes, this has helped me to get to know Josh better. The more I get to know Josh, the more obvious it is to me what a hard worker Josh is in every aspect of his life. After school hours, you can find Josh coaching football and wrestling, plus he has taught the Nebo Online courses. Josh has been a great contribution to Spanish Fork High, and I hope we get to keep him for many years to come.” ~Dawn Draper
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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