Pursuit of Excellence Awards Winners for October 2018
Congratulations to the following employees who are the October 2018 recipients of the Pursuit of Excellence Award for the Baldwin County School District.
Ms. Frances Cornett Cafeteria Manager at the Early Learning Center Nominated by Susan Nelson, Director of School Nutrition
Ms. Frances Cornett has been a member of the School Nutrition Department since September 2012. In 2014, she was promoted to the position of Manager and has continued to demonstrate hard work, dedication and an eagerness to learn and help. In addition to her daily tasks and responsibilities of managing the cafeteria to ensure that four hundred children are fed a well-balanced, nutritious meal, Frances has completed over 100 Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) through the Institute of Child Nutrition. Frances is commended for being a tremendous asset to the school nutrition program. The care and compassion that she shows to the students at the ELC and the staff that she supervises are a true testament to excellence. Frances Cornett, thank you for your example of excellence!
Ms. Debra Benson School Bus Operator for the Transportation Department
Nominated by Lindie Huff, Co-Worker Ms. Debra Benson returned to the Baldwin County School District in 2017 after serving as a bus driver. In just a short period of time, she has exemplified excellence by going above and beyond with a smile on her face! She is noted as a hard worker who helps others whenever she can and always reports early for her route. She is quoted as being “a fine example of a Christian lady”. Ms. Benson, thank you for modelling excellence!
Ms. Tori Dominy School Bookkeeper at Midway Hills Academy
Nominated by Anna Dunn, co-worker. Ms. Tori Dominy has been employed with the Baldwin County School District for over twenty-one years. In addition to her work as the school bookkeeper at Lakeview Academy, she also works at the STEAM Coordinator for the After School Program. She is commended for her willingness to help others and her ability to multi-task with answering phones, managing schedules, arranging for travel, meetings, maintaining confidential and responding to time sensitive requests. Tori manages her time well and utilizes resources to make sure that the daily operations at MHA go smoothly. She is described as a wonderful positive communicator who has the ability to anticipate the needs of the teachers. Notably, Tori is dependable, reliable and takes pride in her job. Tori Dominy, thank you for being a shining example of excellence!
Ms. Amy Craft
Teacher at Oak Hill Middle School Nominated by Diondra Johnson, Parent Ms. Amy Craft has been working as an educator in the BCSD for sixteen years. She is noted for demonstrating compassion and genuine love for the students and families that she serves. She is commended for her ability to offer solutions even in the most challenging of situations to ensure that her students are given every opportunity to succeed. In the wake of a very serious medical issue with one of her students, Ms. Craft has helped the family by doing additional research on the condition, supporting the student with required accommodations such as seating, writing, focus and many other tasks. In addition to offering support in the classroom, Ms. Craft has comforted the family and offered reassurances that everything will work out and that no one has all of the answers. Ms. Craft has gone above and beyond and has never complained about any requests that the parent has asked of her including being very observant in order to help provide needed information for doctor’s and finding resources to make the student more comfortable while in school. She is also commended for ongoing communication with parents, for example, she sent a reminder about a performance being held at the school to ensure that the parents and family members of her students would be present. She is quoted as “easing the stress” for parents. Ms. Johnson cannot thank Ms. Craft enough for her devotion to her profession and for the help that Ms. Craft has provided to her son and her family. Ms. Craft, thank you for your example of excellence!
Pursuit of Excellence Award Program
The Baldwin County School District Pursuit of Excellence Award, an employee recognition program, is presented monthly to employees who go above and beyond the call of duty. A maximum of four employees are chosen monthly and recognized during the regular Baldwin County Board of Education Meeting.
Application Process
Any Baldwin County School District employee is eligible for nomination, so long as they have not previously received the award. Team or groups are not eligible for recognition. Nominations may be made by any BCSD employee, student, parent, or community member. Nominations are due by the third Tuesday of each month (employees will be recognized the following month). Nomination forms will be available online or at the BCSD office.
Nominations will be reviewed monthly by the Selection Committee. The committee will consist of the Superintendent, the Human Resources Director, Assistant Superintendent, Maintenance Director, Transportation Director, Nutrition Director and the prior month's award winners. The award winners will rotate off each month as the new winners are awarded.
If a nominee is not chosen for recognition one month, his/her nomination may be forwarded to the next month at the discretion of the selection committee.
All recipients of the Pursuit of Excellence Award will be recognized on the district's website and at the monthly Board of Education Meeting.
We have many dedicated employees in our district. Please consider nominating a colleague for this award.