About Our People

Posted on April 15, 2009

About Our People

SEOY Winners *Janet Cameron (bottom picture), public health training assistant at Kilmer Center, and Sher Nasir (top picture), database engineer at Wilton Woods Center, have been named Fairfax County Public Schools 2009 Support Employees of the Year.

Cameron, an FCPS employee since 1984, was named the school-based Support Employee of the Year. After serving as a bus driver for 14 years, Cameron became a public health assistant then moved into her current position nine years ago.

“Janet Cameron has dedicated the last nine plus years of her life helping the children of Kilmer Center to achieve greater levels of independence and integration into the community,” says Kilmer Center teacher Kelly Taeschner. “Teachers regularly ask for Janet’s advice concerning behavioral plans and ideas, classroom logistics, and assistance during behavioral crises.”

Kilmer Center principal Michael Marsallo says, “In school, Janet is an integral part of our behavioral management team that responds to emergencies that may occur when a student gets upset and physically aggressive. She is quick to respond to help with students in neighboring classrooms and knows how to react so that an incident does not escalate and endanger staff members.” He adds that Cameron is a frequently requested respite caregiver, caring for Kilmer students when their families need overnight child care or help during a family emergency.

Nasir, an FCPS employee since 2000, was named the nonschool-based Support Employee of the Year. “Sher’s efforts are not visible to the majority of the FCPS community, but they have tremendous impact on those who use FCPS applications,” say project managers for FCPS, Northrop Grumman, and Blackboard, Inc. “His expertise in the architecture, configuration, and operation of Oracle software databases is exceptional. Since many of the mission-critical applications used by FCPS reside on Oracle systems, Sher’s support is invaluable. The depth of his technical knowledge is unique in FCPS and rare in the IT (information technology) business community.”

“FCPS is a K-12 district that requires technology solutions on a Fortune 500 corporate scale,” says Sandy Kretzer, coordinator of technology planning and assessment. “Sher has been involved in virtually all implementations, upgrades, and replacements of systems that gather, store, report, publish, analyze, or transport information. Sher has been a leader in the necessary modifications of systems that don’t meet our needs and in the design and development of our own systems when a solution does not exist or cannot meet our requirements.”

Data services coordinator Gary Policastro says that Nasir is constantly investigating and learning about new technologies. “He will research technology topics of interest to the organization and provide valuable results or recommendations without being asked. …He is considered our best technology troubleshooter, regardless of the product or concept in question. He is our ‘go-to’ guy to keep technology systems and processes running smoothly in FCPS.” (view press release)

For more information about FCPS' employee awards, go to http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/awards/index.htm.

* Janet Valent, instructional assistant in the first grade classroom at Camelot Center, has been named the winner of the 2009 Virginia Education Association (VEA) Educational Support Professional Award. Valent will receive her award at the VEA Delegate Assembly awards banquet in Hampton in April.

Valent, who has worked for Fairfax County Public Schools and at Camelot Center for seven years, was recognized for her outstanding classroom skills, her contributions to the first grade team, and the many activities she has organized and participated in at Camelot Center and Camelot Elementary School.

Valent is credited with initiating a recycling program for paper, cans, and bottles that is carried out weekly by students who are members of the Green Team. Valent also organizes special monthly activities for deaf and hard of hearing students to help them build social skills and self-esteem. (view press release)

* Katherine Fitch, head librarian at Carson, was named the School Library Media Specialist of the Year for the Potomac Region of the Virginia Educational Media Association (VEMA) at its spring conference on March 28 at Centreville High School. Kathie was nominated by her principal, Augie Frattali, and was chosen from a field of highly qualified candidates from several school divisions. Candidates for this award are judged on their professional skills including cooperative planning and teaching, promotion of library services in their school and community, professional leadership in their school and the larger library community, leadership in in-service activities and staff development, and personal growth in the profession. Fitch now becomes one of seven candidates for the state award, which will be announced at the VEMA annual conference in November.

* Donna Franklin, coordinator of multimedia services in the Department of Information Technology at Sprague Center, has been selected as the April 2009 FCPS MentorWorks Mentor of the Month. Franklin was nominated by Annandale Terrace mentor program coordinator Kasey Cain. Kain reports that Donna has “gone above and beyond in her role as a mentor.” She has mentored at Annandale Terrace for two years and now has two mentees. Both girls look forward with great enthusiasm to her visits and the fun activities she initiates. These include games, scrapbooking, lively conversation, and help with school projects.

* Bud Mayo, assistant principal at Pimmit Hills, presented a workshop "Bullying, Threats, and Intimidation in Virginia Schools" on March 23 at the Virginia Alternative Educators Conference in Charlottesville.

How Do I Get Mentioned in About Our People?

Submit your good news for About Our People to Supergram editor Andy Grunig at andy.grunig@fcps.edu. We want to hear from you!

What Type of Information Is Used in About Our People?

The following categories of items will be published:

Employees who receive regional, state, or national awards for their professional accomplishments.
Employees elected to serve on regional, state, or national education organizations.
Employees who give presentations at regional, state, or national meetings.
Employees who publish articles or books.
Those who successfully defend doctoral dissertations.
Those who receive grants or are selected for scholarships that involve travel or the sharing of ideas.

Editor's Note: Send your electronic photo along with your good news.