fcps cares

FCPS CARES - October 2024

  • By Department of Human Resources
  • FCPS Cares
  • October 02, 2024

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To recognize an employee with an FCPS Cares, please visit our submission page.

To view past submissions, please visit our previous submissions page

Stephanie Bluestein, West Potomac HS

"Stephanie Bluestein stepped in on the third day of school to help my son, a freshman, in an upsetting situation. Her care and concern, along with going above and beyond by calling me before outreach from the teacher involved, was very much appreciated and will always be remembered."

-a West Potomac HS parent

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Eric Williams, Hayfield Secondary

"Mr. Williams is always there for me when I need him and does everything on time and is consistent, one of the only consistent people in my life and for that I am forever grateful!!"

-a Hayfield Secondary student

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Mary Beth Brooke, Willow Oaks Admin Center

"I would like to recognize MaryBeth Brooke, Occupational Therapist Extraordinaire, who provides fine motor services for the students in our school. MaryBeth is a dream to work alongside. I always learn a new way to help a student to achieve fine motor skills in new and productive ways. MaryBeth is also always willing to share ideas, curriculum, routines, procedures, tools, and supports. In meetings, MaryBeth manages to capture each students progress in a way that is accessible to parents and other team members. She is approachable, knowledgeable and parents who have worked with her consistently "sing her praises". Many times, MaryBeth has offered to assist during meetings and help with the technology side. She's also a great cheerleader and provides adults with strategic feedback. I love having the opportunity to work alongside such a talented professional. MaryBeth Brook exemplifies all of the qualities of an extraordinary FCPS Caring Employee!"

-Nicole Ingegneri, Keene Mill ES

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Andrew Hahn, Davis Career Center

"Andrew Hahn has been exceptionally welcoming and kind to me as a new staff member to the building this year. He has incredible relationships with students in his class and also works diligently to build relationships with all students in the building. He can be heard in the hallway engaging in small talk with students and taking a genuine interest in their preferred topics. He reinforces our new Tier 1 behavior interventions by reminding students to demonstrate Safety, Independence, and Respect. His bright demeanor brings light to our day to day here at Davis Career Center. I am grateful for his ability to bring a fresh, positive lens to each day and model how to be a great teacher for myself and our colleagues. Kudos Mr. Hahn!"

-Maureen Howard, Davis Career Center

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Anita Santoyo, Bryant HS

"The High Impact Tutoring program is an exceptional gift to our students and families- it provides a much-needed complement to our students’ existing curriculum and enables us to provide additional individualized student support. However, we could not have anticipated the impact our tutor, Mrs. Anita Santoyo, would have on our students, staff, and overall school culture and climate. Mrs. Santoyo’s enthusiastic and innovative approach to student learning, unwavering patience, rapport-building skills, communication skills, boundary-setting skills, and overall “can do” spirit have had an observable impact on student engagement, student behavior and student/staff communication. We are grateful beyond words to have her with our team each day sharing her tremendous gifts with our students."

-Kimberly Watts, Bryant HS

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Tashima Bradshaw, Stonecroft Transportation

"Tashima is a bus driver floater for the area 3 transportation office. She primarily is assigned to cover open small bus runs. Recently, one of the routes that she covers has included a student who has some challenges departing from the school bus. During the month of September, there was an event that occurred on this route that required Tashima and other school staff to quickly get involved to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the students on the bus. During this event, Tashima set aside her own safety to step between two students and spent an extended period of time protecting one of the students until the event was resolved and all students were safely removed from the school bus. Not once did she think of herself and continually checked on the wellbeing of both students and other staff on the bus during this event. Additionally, she ensured that her upcoming route would be covered on time by another bus as she knew she would not personally be able to cover it. Tashima is exemplary in her job and is a shining example of the work that our bus drivers do every day. When our students get onto a school bus, we know that their safety and wellbeing is priority one. Many times, we treat them as if they were one of our own children. Tashima is the best of the best at this and is a perfect example of how FCPS Cares about our students! When I asked the assistant principal at the school involved in this event what they had to say regarding that day, they said “We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Tashima for her quick thinking and courageous actions during a recent high-stress situation. When faced with a dangerous circumstance involving one of our students, Tashima remained calm, acted swiftly, and ensured the student's safety above all else. Their professionalism and dedication exemplify the highest standards of our community, and we are incredibly proud to have them as part of our team. Thank you, Tashima, for going above and beyond to protect our students!”

-Jessica Trexler, Stonecroft Transportation

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Sharon Belton, Marie A Harley & Laurie Laso, Bryant HS

"The Bryant HS counseling team exemplifies the "care" in FCPS cares. In a short time, they have worked diligently to provide enriching experiences to support the alternative learning environment, identified and secured individual student and family supports, provided professional learning sessions to enhance the school climate and culture, and enthusiastically embraced resources and supports previously not explored/utilized. They are an extraordinary team of dedicated educators who model daily what it means to genuinely and holistically "CARE" for ALL students. We are blessed beyond words to have Dr. Sharon Belton, Marie Harley, and Laurie Laso on the Bryant team."

-Kimberly Watts, Bryant HS

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LaShon Harrison, Stone MS

"Ms. LaShon Harrison goes above and beyond her job responsibilities here at Stone MS. This year she has supported two new staff members as they transition into our building after the start of the school year. She has attended countless IEP, LSC and Staffing meetings all with a smile on her face. She is so professional coming to the table with data and observations ensuring that each conversation is fully worth the time of those around the table. She was proactive this year in bringing together several groups to discuss and prepare for students with special needs entering our building. She steps in on the administrative team when necessary. She supports our student leadership groups around the building. She just does all the things each and every day. We are lucky to her at Stone MS."

-Sonya Williams, Stone MS

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Custodial Team, Lake Braddock Secondary

"The custodial team helps to keep this school clean, and I really appreciate that. Without them, our school would be a complete mess. The custodial staff is always helping and cleaning up after us."

-Lake Braddock Secondary student

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Noelani Martin, Justice HS

"Noelani Martin is an exceptional art teacher at Justice High School. An instructor with much experience, she is very knowledgeable in the use of all tools or techniques that are a part of her classes. Her methodical teaching style combined with her extensive knowledge allows her to create practical workflows and assignments for her students to succeed. She is very talented at explaining even complex concepts in an analytical manner, empowering students to push themselves with their work. Additionally, she is also very kind, and regularly goes out of her way to personally support all her students and establish a comfortable learning environment, often putting personal time or resources into students who are interested in creating their best artwork. She establishes a class community where expectations are quite clear, to the point of not being of concern. Whether a student is struggling with a new concept, if they are creating novel artworks through advanced processes, or if they’re somewhere in between, Ms. Martin meets students where they are at and fully supports them from the start to the end of their project. As such, she deserves much recognition for the many ways she positively impacts the community at Justice High School."

-Anonymous

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Brian Rothe, Bull Run ES

"Brian Rothe is an amazing addition to Bull Run elementary Special Education team. This year Brian took on a new a EAC classroom and has done it with absolute professionalism and always has a smile on his face. Brian goes above and beyond to collect meticulous data, differentiate to meet each learners needs, communicate with parents, and is continuously striving to seek out new ways to support his students."

-Anonymous

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Miranda Smith, Westfield HS

"After my daughter’s injury at school last spring, Miss Smith brought us supplies, loaned us equipment, and provided extra materials to keep my child engaged while we waited for FCPS homebound instruction to begin. This would be important for any student, but my daughter has Down Syndrome & Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which means the extra effort provided her with continuity and connection. She was able to transition smoothly & happily back to school this Fall."

-a Westfield HS parent

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