- Coeur d‘Alene Public Schools
- CDA Classified Employees of the Month/Year
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Each month, classified employees in our district are nominated for their outstanding dedication to their job and for going the extra mile in service to our district. Any district staff member can make a nomination.
One winner is selected from each building/school each month and the winners are displayed in the gallery below.
At the end of the year from all those nominated, four classified employees will be chosen as classified employees of the year.
2023-2024 Gallery
2023-2024 Classified Employee Nominations
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FEBRUARY NOMINATIONS
Vanessa Kale, Atlas Elementary School BI Para
“her willingness to be flexible, playful, and compassionate towards students with special needs is truly inspirational to all, her creativity and attention to detail have aided in our students achieving both academic and personal growth this year”
Misty Tucker, Bryan Elementary School Kitchen Manager
“doing a fabulous job managing the kitchen, is helpful, responsible, and positive, makes sure that our kiddos have the food that they need to think and learn”
Jodi Buttrey, Canfield Middle School Office Manager
“consistently embodies professionalism, serving as the backbone of our office operations, unwavering dedication, coupled with her extensive knowledge, ensures that the office runs smoothly on a daily basis, no matter the challenge, remains composed and efficient, always ready with the right answers and solutions”
Chuck Keisel, Coeur d’Alene High School Campus Safety Officer
“is always all over the building watching out for us, helping students with any problems they might have, fostering important relationships with staff and students, and helping to encourage students to make good choices”
Paula Lyon and Jennifer Kiracofe, District Office CDA4Kids Coordinator
“work tirelessly with our students and families experiencing homelessness, organize supplies, secure supplies and funding for our families, set up appointments, feed and clothe our families as needed, fill any need that arises at a moment's notice”
Gary Williams, Lakes Middle School Custodian
“goes out of his way to be helpful, supportive, and kind, has really stepped up the past couple of weeks to support another custodian and has never complained or made it an issue, always has a positive attitude and will help out in any way possible”
Rachael Petersen, Lake City High School, Building Secretary
“one of the key pieces to our building, balances so many different things in the day, never complains, always thinks positively and has a smile on her face to help staff and kids, fiercely fights for our kids, staff, activities, and academics”
Michael Westrup, Maintenance Director
“looks to find the best solution to a problem and to make the best usage of resources, is understanding and compassionate,”
Anastasia Delallo, Ramsey Elementary School BI Para
“is empathetic, patient, and an amazing team member, is able to meet all students at their specific learning level in both academic and behavioral instruction, is adaptable to change when needed and is willing to collaborate while having a growth mind set”
Phillip May, Transportation Bus Driver
“is always busy by cleaning or coaching while riding on the bus, offers direction to the students and maintains order on the bus for safe travel”
JANUARY NOMINATIONS
Tina Stanchfield, Atlas Elementary School Kitchen Manager
“greets all the kiddos at lunch as if she has known them forever, brings such a positive attitude to not only the kitchen, but the whole school, an upbeat problem solver, a delight to be around”
Miriam McBenge, Bryan Elementary School Office Manager
“an extremely hard-working person who is also kind-hearted towards students and staff, a problem-solver and team player, willing to help in any way possible, even if it wasn't in her job description”
Matthew Tenneson, Coeur d’Alene High School Head Custodian
“has the hardest job in the district trying to keep one of the oldest buildings heated and functioning during a record cold snap and snow storm, makes it a point to be present, available and proactive”
Jenny Ramey, District Office Accounts Payable and Payroll Technician
“is constantly learning new jobs to lighten the load of payroll, has been able to solve the most complicated issues in AP by assisting both the district staff and also our vendors, is a great asset”
Kourtni Russell, Lakes Middle School Building Secretary
“greets students with a gentle mother's heart that is also fearless in meeting students where they are, takes on new tasks with enthusiasm, brings such great humor to the office, shares her loving advice with all, and tries new things with optimism”
Brandon Beck, Ramsey Elementary School Special Education Paraprofessional
“has not only accepted the challenge, but does so with an eager and joyful attitude, has sought training, brought positivity to the team daily, and works tirelessly to help students and other team members”
Doug Giovanelli, Transportation Department Bus Driver
“a hard worker, comes in early to fuel the buses and helps to maintain the lot, stays late, does the parades to help promote the Transportation Department, one of the most caring and dependable people that I know”
DECEMBER NOMINATIONS
Holly Blood, Atlas Elementary School BI Paraprofessional
“is so friendly and loving to all students but particularly those who have special needs, a wonderful addition to our Atlas family, we are so lucky to have her”
Heather Seman, Bryan Elementary School Building Secretary
“I will be forever thankful that she stepped in to help me with such grace during the book fair when I had to leave for an emergency, the school would not run as effectively without her”
Jodi Buttrey, Canfield Middle School Office Manager
“a vital asset to our team, makes ordering supplies easy, assists in getting coverage when needed, helps keep athletic budget in the black, a tremendous human being who always has a smile on her face”
Kelly Humann, Coeur d’Alene High School Custodian
“commitment to building meaningful relationships with students at our school, works hard to maintain a clean and welcoming environment, ensured that those in need received thoughtful gifts, fostering a sense of community and kindness”
Amy Kerns, District Office Administrative Assistant
“is an amazing individual, customer service with parents and vendors is top notch, always has a smile on her face, came to the district from the schools and brought a wealth of knowledge with her”
Leisha Woodman, Lakes Middle School Isolation Room Assistant
“has set goals with students and provides positive reinforcement, maintains a calm and structured environment, is a consistent support for those students who need the most support, has a great sense of humor and loves to build community”
Gary Day, Transportation Department Bus Driver
“goes to local thrift stores to buy snow bibs for kids, an amazing act of kindness spending his own money for children in need, inspiring, hardworking, and friendly”
Val Martin, Venture High School Kitchen Manager
“McKinney Vento staff was responsible for making 10-12 trays of stuffing, her immediate response was happy to help, is a force of nature, a true professional and absolute delight to collaborate with”
Michelle Lambert, Woodland Middle School Special Education Paraprofessional
“a great addition, always comes to school with a smile and ready to help the students, students love working with her and look for her guidance in class”
NOVEMBER NOMINATIONS
Celine Clyne, Atlas Elementary School Special Education Paraprofessional
“one of the most hard-working people, there isn't a task that she isn't willing to take on, is so great at thinking on her feet and coming up with creative solutions to challenges”
Dawn Ferguson, Bryan Elementary School Special Education Paraprofessional
“picks up extra duties, finds other ways to help out various departments in the building, she has great attention to detail, has a great relationship with the kids and staff”
Nathalie Turner, Canfield Middle School Special Education Paraprofessional
“her patience, creativity, and humor have endeared her to students and staff alike, appreciate her ability to read her students' needs even when they can not communicate verbally"
Laurie Nordman, Coeur d'Alene High School Building Secretary
“knows how to be direct, assertive, kind, patient, and give guidance and direction as needed, always more than willing to help, provide solutions, and she helps set professional boundaries, worked tirelessly on Academic Awards Night and created a beautiful and meaningful event”
Emily Easley, Dalton Elementary School Classroom Assistant
“works really hard to come up with creative ways to engage students, is kind, a continual learner, is awesome, an amazing addition to our staff”
Pam Hannem, District Office Administrative Assistant
“always incredibly patient and kind, takes the time to teach and reteach, extremely selfless, a team-player, a great resource”Leisha Woodman, Lakes Middle School Isolation Room Assistant
“A fantastic addition, holds students accountable with high expectations while reassuring them they are cared about and can make a difference”
Carlos Perez, Lake City High School Campus Safety Officer
“so kind and thoughtful and courteous to bus drivers and making sure that they get out of the parking lot in the PM”
Lori Edelblute, Transportation Department Office Manager
“assures that each driver is properly staffed, organizes staff events to help boost morale all while displaying a positive attitude”
Val Martin, Venture Academy Kitchen Manager
“has always had a heart for those in need, cooked all the stuffing for the Lakesgiving event and makes sure that her McKinney-Vento students are signed up for Free Meals”
Jennifer Stilkey, Winton Elementary School Special Education Paraprofessional
“provides students with a supportive and positive environment to learn and develop academic skills, always finds ways to make her students feel special”
Ann Wheelock, Woodland Middle School BI Pro
“invested in the education of the students she works with, ensures kids have what they need, also works after school helping with athletic games, an awesome team member”SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER NOMINATIONS
Hannah Hoy, Atlas Elementary School Classroom Assistant
“has an innate intuition of what needs to be accomplished and makes it happen, is quick to recognize when an individual student needs assistance, re-direction, or praise”Anthony Seman, Bryan Elementary School Title Assistant
“since the school year started, he's been right in the trenches, helping administer assessments, he took it upon himself to update most of our Chromebooks, making sure our students have the tech tools they need for learning, a valuable member of our team”Karri Delbridge, Canfield Middle School Certified Nurse Assistant
“ability to attune to her clients and staff is commendable, maintains a positive outlook on a daily basis and maintains professionalism”Jay Prickett, Technology Software Specialist
“so helpful and kind no matter what you need his help with, even with the most stressful times for his position, he has a smile on his face and is always welcoming to help anyone that may need him”Shanell Mannel, Nutrition Services Area Manager
“worked countless hours over the summer to get our purchasing system TITAN up and running, taught herself how to use the system for effective ordering and inventory tracking to save the department time and money to preserve resources”Joey Wilson, Hayden Meadows Elementary School BI Para
“so great with my student, is calm and helps students solve their problems in a peaceful manner”Misty Sanderson, Lakes Middle School Building Secretary
“is the person to clarify or defuse a situation, handle each call and each person, be it an upset parent or sick kid, with respect and grace, cares so much for the people and students in our building, that we all feel her thoughtfulness and care, dropped off school pictures to a student's house after they moved and no longer go to our school”Noah Kearl, Maintenance Foreman
“Bryan stage is finally wasp free and it is in large thanks to him for stepping up, he listened and we finally felt heard about this terrible wasp problem, forever grateful for all he did”Ivonne Trotter, Transportation Routing Specialist
“always keeps her head high with all of the routing software challenges that we have faced, even though you can see the wear and tear that the programs takes from not working correctly, she is always trying to figure out a solution and is always positive”Erin Miller, Venture Academy Behavior Support Assistant
“is a driven, hard-working employee, goes out of her way to engage with students who are struggling socially and academically, makes positive connections with these students on a daily basis”Adelle Bondurant, Winton Elementary School Special Education Para
“is amazing with the kids that she works with, makes sure that the kids are learning and in a safe environment, volunteers on her own time, fits in seamlessly with the staff and the students”Debbie Dotson, Woodland Middle School Office Manager
“is amazingly organized and generally runs a great ship, has a way of communicating and relating to co-workers that is friendly, respectful, and collaborative, a fantastic representative of the school district, Woodland, and office managers everywhere”