By Lisa Carolin
The school year may not be much more than a month old, but it’s never too early to give credit where is due.
Chelsea High School Principal Mike Kapolka recently gave a number of “staff shout outs” for staff member’s commitment to excellence.
Shelley Weber was credited with making transitions easy for kids and staff despite some big changes in the counseling office.
“She is a treasure for the department and we value the vital role she plays in helping identify student needs,” Kapolka said.
Weber is a counseling office secretary in her second year on the job. This position follows 19 years as the media clerk in the high school media center. Weber says that getting to know the students is the key to her job.
“Learning who they are and what they are about helps gain insight. Once you become involved, the lines of communication open up,” she said. “Showing you care and getting them to the right people when they need help can go a long way with a student.”
Teachers Rachael Wismont and Todd Blomquist were recognized for their participation in making a video for Steve Forsberg‘s U.S. History class.
“They both gave Steve’s classes a historical event none of them will soon forget,” said Kapolka.
Wismont says that her role in the video involved wearing silly costume pieces and running by Forsberg’s students, whom he had taken outside for class.
“I’m pretty comfortable being goofy,” said Wismont. “I think it’s important to show people, and students, that it’s okay to be a little goofy and weird sometimes. Life can be a lot more fun and meaningful when we stop trying to be the person we think we’re supposed to be and start being ourselves.”
The subject of the Civil War also led to recognition for Ann Valle, a special education teacher consultant at Chelsea High School, who found that she sometimes mixed up the generals when she read Civil War books.
“At school I noticed that students had the same problem that I had, so I made them a bookmark as a tool,” said Valle.
“Ann has gone above and beyond in helping out the Civil War class this year,” said Kapolka. “The kids were excited to have an easy way to check who they were reading about.”
And Kapolka’s own administrative assistant, Mary Ann Sprague, was also honored for her attention to detail. She was responsible for counting all the students for Count Day at the high school.
“In a nutshell, I gather all data, confirm and submit to the administration office,” said Sprague.
“This is a huge task, but Mary Ann continues to make sure we have every “t” crossed and “i” dotted,” said Kapolka. “She continues to show poise, determination and the ability to get the job done in the face of all things Count Day related.”
