March 2022 NIB Awards

March NIB Awards

NURTURING GROWTH * INSPIRING ACHIEVEMENT * BUILDING COMMUNITY

A NIB is any school district employee, student, volunteer, or community member who exhibits the characteristics of the South Kitsap School District vision of Nurturing growth, Inspiring achievement, and Building community

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Amanda Donn
Information Technology Services

Amanda is an incredibly hard worker with a servant heart! Regardless of the task or project she is working on, she is always so fast and courteous and ready to assist us with Skyward-related questions. For troubleshooting, outages, or training in data mining and reports, Amanda is always a friendly resource!

Amanda's skills and expertise in her field are noticed and very appreciated.

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Robert Sedeno
Student at SKHS

Robert is a student who goes above and beyond to be kind and welcoming to other students.  He took the time on the first day of the new semester to show a new student where their classrooms were located throughout the building.  He shows genuine concern for his fellow classmates and teachers and his kindness is truly appreciated.

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Debra Hellen
Explorer Academy

She is an amazing teacher and co worker! I have loved being her Para this year and having her to help me as well as encourage me to go back to school to finish my own teaching degree.  

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Carrie Burns
SKHS

Carrie is an AMAZING team member, Even on the most trying days, she is the kindest person in the room. Carrie is always pulling the team together with her positive, calm demeanor. She cares deeply for the success of the students she works with and it shows. She is one of the most supportive paraeducators I have ever worked with. Everyday that you work with Carrie, is guaranteed a bright, shiny spot in it.

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Ronda Hempler
Security at Marcus Whitman

Ronda Hempler is assigned full-time at Marcus Whitman Middle School Ms. Hempler usually begins her day standing outside at the student drop off, where she positively greets the students.  What an awesome way for the students to begin their day.  Regardless if it is raining buckets or freezing cold, Ms. Hempler is standing there directing traffic to ensure the kids are safe each and every day. There are 661 students enrolled at MWMS and she amazingly seems to know every student by name.  Throughout the school day, she intentionally interacts with the students by asking them random questions such as, do they prefer the beach or the mountains.  Or maybe the question of the day is red or black licorice.  She then posts the final results outside her office for all to see.  Some may not recognize that this one simple act every day connects her to the students.

Ronda is a force for good at Marcus. She spearheaded improvements to our drop off parking lot that make student drop off an organized, quick, and positive experience. Every family is greeted with a cheerful welcome and friendly smile when they pull up to drop off their child. She goes out of her way to get to know pets who come to drop off and ensure they get their own friendly hello (with head pats as needed), and clearly enjoys quick chats with kids and their families. This is just one example of the initiatives Ronda has introduced to improve Marcus. Our school is a happier and safer place to be because of the myriad of ways Ronda goes out of her way to make sure every person in our school knows that they matter and that we are happy they are here.

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Kyle Smith
Information Technology Services

Kyle Smith does the work of ten people!  He is quick to respond to work orders and follows up to make sure things are working.  With the movement to 1:1 at secondary level, he has become an expert at Chromebook screen repair and many other common issues that come with traveling devices.  Even with the huge workload, he still manages to keep a friendly and positive attitude.  We are very lucky to have him on our team!

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Tamala McDonald, Shana Sprague, Ladawna Hendrickson, David Rodriguez
Sidney Glen

During this year, the elementary schools with Covid protocols and MOUs had to change how school pick ups were done.  Sidney Glen elementary has done and continues to do an exemplary job of making it as easy and quick as possible for families.  

Tamala McDonald-She is the first person you see on after school pick-ups when you drive up.  She knows every car and every family as they go to pick up and often has called for your student way before you even know.  She is always smiling and keeps the line moving.  She also has treats for all the dogs as they come to pick up their humans! 

LaDawna Hendrickson- Keeps track of all the students coming out of the building and directs them the kids to their cars, helps with getting in the cars, shutting doors, and making sure those adults crossing in the parking lot don't get hit by cars and calling for those students who families are not in a car for pick-up. 

Shana Sprague- Also keeps tracks of the students coming out of the building, moving the cars along and keeping the flow of traffic going.  Shana also goes and get the students who didn't hear their name being called if your student doesn't come out quickly.

David Rodriguez- Since the MOU changed and students no longer stay in their classroom until called on the google doc, David takes all the pick up kids to the cafeteria/gym and waits for the names to be called and makes sure the kids get out to the pick-up line quickly.

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Kimberly Sison
Marcus Whitman

Nominated for doing so much more than just a great job in her role. She has worked hours in the covid room, testing athletes, and supporting the health room. Students love her and she is so fun to work with!

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Cheryl Richardson, Kimberly Sargent, Eva Head
John Sedgwick

Cheryl Richardson goes the extra mile to encourage students. On many occasions she has gone out of her way to recognize student’s positive behavior choices.

Kim Sargent’s cheerful demeanor and encouraging words help build community within our classroom. She has a gift for inspiring our most reluctant learners to participate in classroom lessons.

Eva Head works hard to make sure her students have the supports they need to be successful. I appreciate that she is a strong advocate for students and always willing to help out where needed.

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Susan Littleton, Deanna Dunlap, Jonel McGrady, Alysia Gutierrez
Hidden Creek

We would like to recognize our playground supervision team here at Hidden Creek.  During the pandemic, they have been working hard to support students, ensuring they have a safe and fun experience at recess while also following COVID guidelines.  From the beginning, they have been creative problem-solvers in order to keep students active and organized. 

They operate the playground in a caring and supportive manner. When students need assistance, they are great listeners. They put tremendous effort into de-escalating situations that arise during competitive games. Students know they can rely on our team to help them when they are having a rough day. 

Thank you for all that you do for our Hawks.  We appreciate you, and everything you've done to support Hidden Creek.

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Brandy Chermak
John Sedgwick

Dustine goes above and beyond for her students every day. Anytime I have a question about a student, even if it is not a student on her caseload, she will help. Recently I was struggling with a situation in my room and Dustine kept trying to resolve it, even though it was not her responsibility.

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