Shout Out For Stand Outs

Below is a list of the employees/volunteers that have been recognized as "Stand Out" staff members by fellow colleagues, parents, students or volunteers. To nominate someone, click here.

Shout out to Cheryl Steede, Central Office! I cannot say enough positive things about Cheryl.  Since she has been coming to IDEAL and assisting our students, good things have happened.  She organized Interview presentations on Dress for Success, Effective Interviews and Manners and Etiquette.  She then setup our mock interviews at Hy-Vee – what an awesome opportunity for our kids. Her enthusiasm is contagious; she has assisted our students in getting jobs, filling out applications and overall advocated for our kids. Her actions have made a difference at our school and we all are appreciative of her efforts!  Thanks Cheryl!!! - Barb Padilla, Teacher at IDEAL

Shout out to Jackie Fowler, Trumble Park! I have been lucky to have a child in a Trumble Park music program for the past ten years!  I am so grateful that my children have been fortunate enough to have such an outstanding music teacher like Mrs. Fowler.  She has been an inspiration to my children, and has given our family many wonderful and entertaining memories.  She goes above and beyond what is expected, and is so dedicated to her music programs.  Not only parents, but grandparents don’t want to miss a single show, and we talk about them for days, weeks, and years later!  Mrs. Fowler, you “ROCK and ROLL” and you touch our souls!  Love, the Woltermans – Sheila Wolderman, Parent at Trumble Park

Shout out to Chris Meehan, Volunteer! I would like to thank Chris Meehan for supporting Patriot Elementary.  With any new venture in the elementary school, funds are usually limited.  Chris was kind enough to supply the paint for our new School Shop Kiosk!  Thank you Chris, for demonstrating the generosity in our community!

Shout out to Lindy Rogers, Volunteer! I would like to thank Lindy Rogers for her unending generosity to Patriot Elementary.  It does not matter what you ask of her, she is willing to give her time and talent.  When I ask if she could help with the designs for the school shop, she of course said yes.  Thank goodness!  Have you seen my artistic talent?  Thank you Lindy for making the kiosk beautiful!  - Peggy White, Teacher at Patriot Elementary

Shout out to Clint Kerans, Volunteer! I would like to thank Clint Kerans for volunteering to help Patriot Elementary open our new School Shop.  Clint found time in his busy work schedule and willingly gave up family time to construct the Patriot Pride Kiosk.  It is awesome!  He truly exemplifies what pride is.  Thank you, Clint, for your generosity! - Peggy White, Teacher at Patriot Elementary

Shout out to Jason Mathison, Volunteer! Jason Mathison has been instrumental to the opening of our new Patriot School Shop.  He spent countless hours painting our kiosk, setting up store procedures and daily operations, and talking to companies to help us find the right products!  With his help, the Patriot School Shop is a success!  Thank you, Jason! - Peggy White, Teacher at Patriot Elementary

Shout out to Tamara Springer, Portal! I think Mrs. Springer has been a wonderful teacher and role model to our son Colin this year. He has really grown as a person and as a student.  Our son has had a wonderful last year at Portal and has done excellent academically.  He has talked very positively about Mrs. Springer.  He has enjoyed having her for a teacher.  She has been caring and compassionate towards her students and how they perform in all of the areas in the classroom.  She has been available to help her students if they need anything and willing to go that extra mile if needed.  Thanks for all you do and your hard work.  Thank you for helping this be a great last year at Portal for our son! - Julie Chick, Parent at Portal

Shout out to Stacey Hunsley, Papillion Junior High! Stacey Hunsley was nominated by her peers as Staff Member of the Month for the month of May.  Here’s a summary of comments made by her colleagues:  Stacey did an amazing job working with students in PEOPLE PE!  Also, have you ever been in Health class?  She handles the rather interesting, taboo subject matter extremely professionally.  Stacey was/is a fantastic PEOPLE PE teacher and Health teacher.  She is well liked by the kids and does such a good job teaching those sensitive Health topics.  She takes such a difficult subject and teaches it with ease and confidence.  Finally, Stacey creates an enthusiastic and engaging classroom environment while preserving the students’ dignity and privacy with sensitive topics. The students in Stacey’s class feel safe and are encouraged to participate and to ask questions!  Stacey brings an energy to the Health classroom that is often unmatched.  Students leave Stacy’s classes feeling more empowered to make healthy decisions.  Way to go, Stacey!  - Melanie Mueller, Principal at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Kristin Wilkinson, Rumsey Station! Kristin recently organized an ARTS FOR ALL event for selected students at Rumsey Station Elementary.  Students with wide ranges of mobility and grade level peers experienced a unique art experience on Wednesday, April 28^th.  Using ARTS FOR ALL tools, designed by Dwayne and Marianne Szot, these students expressed themselves through art and movement.  Students collaboratively created prints to use on a floor mural, pogo mural, and roller mural.  Wheelchair painters were also used to create the colorful floor mural.  This experience celebrates the uniqueness of every child and supports the district’s inclusion philosophy!  The students beamed with pride!  - Allison Kelberlau, Amy Stock, Amie Wahl, Betsy Smith and Angela Nelson, peers at Rumsey Station

Shout out to Mrs. Alysia Augustus, Anderson Grove! Mrs. Augustus is such a positive and energetic teacher.  She focuses on the strengths of each child and constantly reinforces positive behavior.  My son has learned so much in all subject areas this year and she has greatly increased his confidence in his abilities.  It is obvious that she genuinely cares about each child as an individual and wants them to be the best they can be.  She has excellent communication with parents and is very well organized.  Any child that is in her class is very lucky…she makes every learning experience a positive one.  – Jennifer Rees-Gross, Parent at Anderson Grove

Shout out to Tim Lower, Papillion Junior High! Tim is an amazing custodian worth many praises of his friendliness in the lunch room.  It’s always good to say thank you, and that’s what I would like to tell him.  Thank you for everything he has done.  The lunch tables are always cleaned off, the floors always swept clan.  When my tables of friends were felling down, and no one was talking, he knew just what to do.  He told us jokes!  He always wears the cheesiest smiles.  All this makes him great.  Tim is an amazing person. I will always reflect back on when he told us jokes.  A simple thing that went a long way.  – Victoria Severson, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Huggins, Papillion Junior High! I’m giving Mrs. Huggins a shout out because she is the best math teacher I have had.  When I was at St. Columbkille, they really didn’t’ explain the concepts as well.  But Mrs. Huggins really goes into deep detail on the concept.  This is my shout out for a stand out teacher.  – Thomas Taylor, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Ms. Ann Otto, Papillion Junior High! The most popular saying in the PJH hallways is, "Hey, do we have homework in math?" The student asking will be crossing her fingers in her sweatshirt pockets, hoping the answer will come out as a no. "Yes," Then the student slumps off miserably to math class, preparing for the homework...Okay, I admit it. I do usually ask "Do we have homework in Math?" practically every day. Certain days I will slump off miserably to math class and frown while I write the pages and problems in my planner. Now that the end of the year is near, I've noticed that the class I've learned the most in is math class, taught by Ms. Otto. Although she pushes us in work, she repeats homework and problems so that everyone in the class has experience to know what to do? Do some kids listen? No. Everybody daydreams at least one time in every class, but it's not Ms. Otto's fault that the student doesn't "know" or the teacher never explained how to work the problem to us. She does, they're just not listening. Ms. Otto has helped me progress with mathematics and helped me see a clearer version than I had last seen my past years in learning percents, ratios, decimals, and more. She makes songs to help us know how to add fractions and poems to help learn integers. My favorite math day ever was when she came in as 'Aunt Sally', dressed in country clothing with a country accent, helping us learn the Order of Operations. The reason for the 'Aunt Sally' character was to helps us learn a little tip called PEMDAS---Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally (Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, & Subtraction). Oh, what a fun day! Ms. Otto is a great teacher; she has high expectations with being prepared for class and, everybody loves her (even if they "hate" Math). She teaches us to understand how math helps us in life, and I look forward to see how her tips help me in my future careers.  – Emily Tencer, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Roy Rodningen, Rumsey Station! Out of all the teachers I’ve had through my education, the one that has helped me the most is Mr. Rodningen. He taught me in first and sixth grades and made class enjoyable, but was also strict and taught you the material.  In class it was always fun because he loved to tell stories that related to the subject and always had a good sense of humor. If a student did something wrong, he wouldn’t yell. But the disappointment was much worse. He made me a person willing to accept responsibility for my actions. Anyone who has ever had him will tell you only good things. He actually cares about his students and wants to prepare them to have successful lives. Everyone isn’t just another student he has to get through; he/she is an individual not a number. If you have just one conversation with the man, you will see that he is a man full of love, compassion, and energy for everyone around him. It’s obvious that he believes life isn’t meant to be wasted but for every second to be cherished. Through me he has sent kindness to others, better grades, respect, honesty, and tolerance. You will be hard pressed to meet a more generous and caring man. He actually made me like reading. The man arrives at school at around 5:30 and leaves around the same time in the afternoon. He is the most hardworking person I have ever met. If anyone deserves to be honored within this school district it is Roy Rodningen.  – Cole Wellman, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Ms. Erickson, Bell Elementary! Ms.Erickson has given me some of my most fun years in elementary teaching me from 5th to 6th grade.  She was my most relatable teacher, letting me learn in my own style.  Ms. Erickson brought my 7th grade year from a C to an A.  She let our class do lots of fun activities like Claymation movies and American history projects.  She even normally let us works in groups which I normally learn best in.  This even led me to be able to go talk to the 6th graders as a 7th grader.  Ms. Erickson was my favorite teacher for all of those reasons.  I’m just glad I could have her for 2 years in a row.  Ben Judd, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mr. May, Trumble Park! A teacher who deserves a "Shout out" is Mr. May, a 6th grade teacher at Trumble Park Elementary. He makes learning easy and fun. He is always in a good mood and does his best to help us. He explains the lessons well and answers any questions a student has. He rewards students who give effort. He is a great teacher. – Zach, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mr. May, Trumble Park! Mr. May was a very great teacher. Sixth grade wouldn’t have been the same without him. He taught science very well, and he taught me a lot. He was very funny and encouraged the class to always try harder. He always smiled and made fun science activities. I think he should be recognized for a great job! - Gryphon Delaney, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mr. May, Trumble Park! This shout out is for Mr. May, my sixth grade science teacher. Every time I was bored, he always brightened the mood and made people feel better with all the strange stuff he did. Some people said that he was weird or that he needed to take a chill pill. But I think that he was just really excited about what he did. So thanks Mr. May for being such a great science teacher and being a funny person. It was good to get to know you and hopefully I can see you again before I leave Nebraska. – Cameron Moore, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mr. May, Trumble Park! Mr. May was one of my 6th grade teachers at Trumble Park. He made learning fun. But if he had to be serious, could be. He helped me with work that I needed help on. We watched a lot of informational videos in class that helped us in the class room. He is still pretty young, so he was not very much out of the loop with the stuff around the school. Everyone liked him because he was really nice. He is a person who should be recognized. – Tyler Price, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Parrack, Papillion Junior High!

Mrs. Parrack is awesome
She helps all the kids’ blossom 
She’s the bomb 
Too bad the school year wasn’t long
She let us listen to iPods
And if you ask her she'll nod
She barely had homework
But if you act like a jerk
You will have more work
She gives you candy
Only if your dandy
She’s the coolest
Even if you’re the newest
If you’re bad
She will go mad
Don’t be lazy 
She will go crazy 
This is Rey
And I said hey.
- Rey Hernandez, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Parrack, Papillion Junior High! Mrs. Parrack always listens to what I have to say and takes me seriously. She always makes me laugh and she makes my day. About a month ago I got put in after school tutoring program and the first day I was there she made me feel welcome and Mrs. Hammond and Mrs. Parrack offered help to me if I needed anything. We always say how we like Ke$ha. They are both amazing teachers. If anyone deserves this award she would be the one. – Kyla Peck, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Parrack, Papillion Junior High! Mrs. Parrack she is most fun 7A teacher. Even though she is fun she has high expectations of her students.  She teaches us English in a fun way, so we get all the information. We get out of hand sometimes, but she knows how to handle us. She makes jokes and makes us laugh. She is a rocking teacher. I learn a lot from her.  I'm glad to have an awesome teacher like her. – Zoe Hart, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Parrack, Papillion Junior High! During the school year, I had a lot of fun times and learned at the same time with Ms. Parrack.  The way Mrs. Parrack teaches is probably different than the way most people teach. She uses fun activities to teach us important aspects in English but at the same time we are still having fun playing games. She also jokes around with the students but not making them feel down. With some kids you have to let them know who is in charge and when she needs to do that she will. Otherwise she will use her fun method of teaching in class.  These are the reasons I want to give Mrs. Parrack a shout out. – Ryan Earith, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Moore, Papillion Junior High! Mrs. Moore is awesome! She always helps me with math which is a subject I’ve always struggled with. She knows what she's talking about. Like when we started working with fractions I had no idea how to multiply them and she went over it step by step which really helped me with it. I'm very glad she's my math teacher. – Laramie Fulmer, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Moore, Papillion Junior High! Mrs. Moore is the teacher who taught me the best. I learned a lot easier because of her teaching style. When I started junior high math wasn’t my favorite subject because it was difficult to learn how the operations to solve problems worked. The most difficult thing is fractions. At the beginning of the year, when she assigned a worksheet, I got almost all of them wrong and the ones I got right were just luck. When I told her this, she took the time to explain it to me until I understood how it worked and got the right answers to the problems before the next assignment.  Mrs. Moore deserves a shout out because she is helpful to students and good at her job. Mrs. Moore helped me, and I think she will continue helping students in the future. Thomas, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Moore, Papillion Junior High! Mrs. Moore is my math teacher is the coolest teacher I’ve had in 7th grade.  I think Mrs. Moore is the coolest teacher because she actually cares for her students and others. She gives up her free time or a time whenever she’s not busy to help students who need help with math or whatever it might be. I was one of those students who needed help every now and then with my math. She’s a great teacher who puts almost everything into getting us ready for math in the future. Mrs. Moore is the coolest teacher I’ve had in 7th grade. – Taylor, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Moore, Papillion Junior High! My shout out is to Mrs. Moore. She helps people with anything they need. She uses real-life situations to help with math problems. She also writes the problems on the board. She explains problems with great detail. She is the best math teacher ever.  – Matias, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Moore, Papillion Junior High! Mrs. Moore is my favorite teacher. She always explains what we are learning very carefully to us.  Mrs. Moore reviews all of what we’ll need to know for a test. She gives us a reasonable amount of time to learn the materials and makes sure that we know it. Mrs. Moore more than deserves a shout out. – Kelley Hiatt, Student at Papillion Junior High

Shout out to Mrs. Moore, Papillion Junior High! I definitely think Mrs. Moore deserves to get a "shout out for stand out" award. She should be awarded the shout out because she is able to listen to and manage Team 7C so well. Mrs. Moore has an awesome sense of humor and always loves to hear our jokes. My favorite part of math class is when Mrs. Moore answers out questions by showing us problems on the board and giving us real life examples of how the problems could relate to experiences we will undergo later in life. I love Mrs. Moore's teaching style and I always look forward to fifth hour with Mrs. Moore. – Katie Farnsler, Student at Papillion Junior High