September Pursuit of Excellence Winners

BCSD SEPTEMBER PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS

Congratulations to the following employees, Ann Allen, Janice Bonner, Victoria Sheley, and Akira Trawick, who are the September 2023 recipients of the Pursuit of Excellence Award for the Baldwin County School District.

Ann Allen

Tools for Success Teacher at Baldwin High School

Mrs. Allen is working in her second year for the Baldwin County School District. Mrs. Allen currently works as a Tools for Success Teacher at Baldwin High School. She was nominated by her colleague, Kristin Grebel. Ms. Grebel had the following to say, “Ms. Allen has been nothing but my saving grace as I journeyed through my first days of teaching at BHS! She has been supportive since day one and has done all she can to give me anything I need - including answering my repetitive emails all hours of the night. Each day she is a delight to have next door, is a listening ear to my questions and concerns, and goes out of her way to encourage and help in any way possible. The ultimate nominating factor for me was watching her at Open House with past students and seeing current students gravitate toward her. She cares about them, pushes them to succeed, and takes the extra steps to be the best teacher (like spending her summer taking additional financial courses to best serve the students). She is a rockstar and an inspiration!” Mrs. Allen, thank you for being the epitome of excellence!

Janice Bonner

School Nutrition Assistant

Ms. Bonner is working in her second year for the Baldwin County School District. Ms. Bonner works as a School Nutrition Assistant at Lakeview Academy. She was nominated by her manager, Desserae Milner. Ms. Milner had the following to say, “Ms. Janice is the essence of teamwork, pride and fluidity. She is a pleasure to work with and is a great right-hand person in the kitchen, wearing a smile every day. She takes on all tasks requested of her with ease, and every day she strives to improve or learn something she did not know the day before. She is very giving and makes sure everyone around her, students included, is taken care of. She is helpful to the staff at all times as well as the students as they come through the line, reminding them to make sure they get all the components they need on their lunch trays. She has played an integral part in enhancing the presentation of the meals cooked and served at Lakeview Academy, and she has taken great pride in that fact. From her small gestures of kindness to her outgoing personality, it has been the greatest gift to me working with her, as she keeps me and the staff laughing and motivated throughout the day. We all need a Ms. Janice on our team! Ms. Bonner, thank you for being a shining example of excellence!

Victoria Sheley

Administrative Assistant/Registrar/Bookkeeper

Mrs. Sheley is working in her ninth year for the Baldwin County School District. She currently works as the Administrative Assistant/Registrar/Bookkeeper for Lakeview Primary. Mrs. Sheley was nominated by her colleague, Peggy Rucker. Ms. Rucker had the following to say, “Tori always greets me with a smile! A smile helps to take grumpiness away and make the day brighter. She is very patient. I, especially, appreciate her patience because sometimes I can be a little slow in getting something in. She just smiles and tells me it’s ok. Tori wears many hats-Registrar/Bookkeeper/Data Specialist, yet she helps keep our school running smoothly. She sits quietly in her office, taking care of the monumental tasks of business to keep our school running efficiently. I can't even imagine all the paperwork, data inputs, all the accounts that she has to keep up with and to make sure they are accurate and the list goes on of things she does that we are not aware of. Though she is always busy, she takes the time to answer your questions or concerns. I just want her to know that she is appreciated and loved more than she knows. Tori, You are the BEST!” Mrs. Sheley, thank you for being a model of excellence!

Akira Trawick

Pre-K Teacher at the Early Learning Center

Mrs. Trawick is working in her fifth year for the Baldwin County School District. She currently works as a Pre-K Teacher at the Early Learning Center. Ms. Trawick was nominated by her colleague, Carlton Freeman. Mr. Freeman had the following to say, “Ms. Trawick is a hard and dedicated worker for the Early Learning Center. Out of the short amount of time she has been with ELC, she has endured many challenging tasks. Whereas some would just throw in the towel, Ms. Trawick has knocked down several barriers placed in her way and shows no sign of slowing down for her babies. She creates a positive work environment for herself, her assistants Mrs. Jones, and Ms. Williams. She is a great asset to the building and on behalf of the ENTIRE ELC team, we are happy to have her.” Mrs. Trawick, thank you for being a model of excellence!