Congratulations to Sarah Richardson a nutrition services assistant at Fullerton IV Elementary School; Sunny Stevinson a kindergarten instructional assistant at Melrose Elementary School and Shannon Ruiz, fourth-grade teacher also at Melrose Elementary School. These employees were presented with Crystal Apple Awards at the March 12 School Board meeting.

Here's what their school leaders had to say:

Sarah creates a warm and welcoming environment for the students at Fullerton IV Elementary. Each day, she greets students by name, often being the first smile of their day as she serves their meals. Committed to preparing nutritious and delicious food, Sarah is a team player who always goes the extra mile. She is eager to learn new tasks and willingly steps up to the kitchen lead position whenever needed. Dependable, dedicated, and enjoyable to work with, Sarah truly enhances the school's atmosphere. Serving reimbursable meals, following recipes, and ordering products are just some of the tasks that Sarah excels in. Her attention to detail and positive attitude makes her an amazing and invaluable Nutrition Services team member.

Perhaps it was destiny, but Sunny Stevinson has found herself brightening the days of 5-year-olds in Mrs. Steinacher’s kindergarten class. Sunny is consistently smiling and happy, enthusiastically helping each student with everything from learning the new letter and sound in reading group to guiding them to manage their emotions when their friend hasn’t yet learned to share. Her kindness allows her to quickly build positive, trusting relationships with each in her care. Sunny is also someone who anticipates what needs to be done and just does it. She is the person who fills in the gaps in things that others may not know were there. She does it without any expectation of acknowledgement or praise. She is absolutely a major contributor to the overall growth and success of the students in Room 21. Sunny is a shining light at Melrose.

Melrose is proud to recognize the leader of the school’s fourth-grade team, Shannon Ruiz. Shannon has this calming presence and an unmistakable warmth about her, something easily understood by all.  Her dedication to providing high-quality instruction can be seen daily as she’s constantly looking for new ways to improve teaching and learning while advocating for all students to be included. Shannon represents a steadfast presence where others know that an understanding ear awaits should they need anything. Even with a busy family life of her own, she takes on leadership roles within the school, believing everyone can always improve. She is an active member of the 5D Team where she learns, plans and delivers meaningful professional development to help the entire instructional staff. She also runs a Lego Robotics Club for students and has been an active member of the science adoption committee. Melrose is better because of Shannon.