SFSD All Star Recipients

For 150 years, SFSD has provided a high-quality public education to hundreds of thousands of students. Student success is heavily dependent upon the adults who guide learning, develop expectations, and personally display a positive attitude and caring spirit. This award celebrates staff members who embrace the mission/vision of SFSD with excellence and professionalism, and who leave their mark without fanfare.

Meet your current recipients below!

Emily is an Instructional Coach at Oscar Howe Elementary. She was nominated for this All Star Award by her co-worker, Kelsi Heiberger who had this to say about her, "Emily Stee is a first year coach and brand new at Oscar Howe Elementary BUT you would never know that walking into our building. She has fit perfectly with the staff at our school and has showed she really cares by going above and beyond to help in every way she can from day 1. Emily has a full plate with several new teachers to our school, planning and guiding PD conversations for our building, and much more- YET she is always available to whoever needs her. Not to mention, coaches don't have an easy job this year, getting pulled to sub around the district on days there are not enough subs, having to put their job on hold and resume the following day. Emily always does this with grace and works with her teachers to make up what she missed while she was out subbing. Oscar Howe is so lucky to have her!"

Cindy is a personal EA in a Kindergarten class at Laura B. Anderson Elementary. She was nominated by LBA's Dean of Students, Jennifer Walden who had this to say about her, "Cindy has a heart for serving others. In her role as an EA in one of our Kindergarten classrooms, she supports students socially, emotionally and academically. Cindy sees student needs and proactively seeks out supports to help her students. Cindy goes beyond her assigned duties by providing a student 'hair style time' each day to maintain the student's appearance and cleanliness. When other staff members are absent, Cindy offers to fill duties as she is able and many times comes to school early just in case we need help during breakfast. Cindy also volunteers each Tuesday evening at the Sioux Falls Thrive - Kid Link events that provide meals and learning to the students and families in the Riverside neighborhood. When Cindy sees a need, she is willing to pitch in to help."

Districtwide Teacher of the Visually Impaired Teacher, Shannon Miles was nominated by wo-worker Cindy Putney who had this to say about Shannon, "Shannon gives 100 percent to the job. She lets students know that they can do anything that sighted people can do. Shannon has students Google famous blind people to understand that they can go on to do great things. Shannon Miles is a bright shining star! The school district is lucky to have such a dedicated employee."

Victoria is one of two RISE teachers at Patrick Henry Middle School. She was nominated for the All Star Award by her co-worker and friend, Miranda Miller. Here is what Miranda had to say about Victoria, "Victoria is someone I not only respect as an educator, but she is also someone I admire and aspire to be like inside and outside of the classroom. Professionally- She has determination and grit. She gets to school well before 7 am to start the day. She isn't a braggart about the extra hours she puts in, it’s never a competition. She has never ended a conversation about a student or colleague negatively. In fact, most conversations end with ‘I just love my kids.’ She still shows up everyday, both mentally and physically, even after the events of yesterday left her quite literally battered, bruised and scarred. She leads with love and understanding. She believes in the potential of her students. She is constantly putting together IEP’s, Return to Learn plans, 3 year progress reports, and meeting deadlines all while being a mom, a wife, and a friend inside and outside of school. When I say I’m in awe, I truly mean it. My head spins and stomach churns with the potential headache and sympathy anxiety just hearing about it. She contributes to a positive school community by leaving kind notes in mailboxes and stops by for chats. Personally- she is a friend, Someone to share a laugh with, a morning debrief, and a good ol Starbucks Drink. She offers supportive emails, and late night texts, and emotional phone calls. Victoria is an amazing advocate for her RISE students, they love her. They love being in her class, they talk about how much they learn from her. You can see the love and admiration they have for her."

Miranda Smith is an educational assistant at Garfield Elementary. She was nominated by Emily Knight-Schoeman, who is a teacher at Garfield. Emily had this to say about Miranda, "She always goes above and beyond when working with the student that she is paired with. She often asks questions about how to handle certain situations and is consistently trying new ideas to see what fits her student's needs. While observing her working with the student she is paired with, I have learned so much about working with autistic students and de-escalating situations. Although she is assigned to one student, she has built amazing relationships with many students in the classroom. She is always ready to step in or help out when assistance is needed."

Karen Hanisch works in the Child Nutrition Department. She was nominated for this award by Child Nutrition Supervisor, Gay Anderson who had this to say about her, "This has been a very hard school start for our department and Karen has been in the middle from beginning to end to get things aligned with menus changes, menu shortages and other things that have tried to hold her work back. She has remained dedicated putting in extra time and assuring our students are safe."

Heather Crosby is an Art Teacher at Lowell Elementary. The person she was nominated by had this to share about her, “Heather works daily to build relationships with the students she serves. I have never met a student yet that doesn’t respect her or want to spend time in her art room. She knows her content, but more importantly, she knows kids! We are so fortunate to have her at Lowell.”

Erica is an Early Childhood Speech Pathologist. She was nominated by her co-worker, Hilary Konstant, who had this to say about her, "I am nominating Erica Kogal because she goes above and beyond for her students. We had a home evaluation together in September and saw that she created an entire PECS board for her student and family. Not only did she take time to make each individual picture but she taught the family how to communicate with their child. She is an irreplaceable team member and our families are lucky to have her as their speech therapist."

Kristi Hauck teaches fifth grade at SBA. She was nominated by her co-worker, Adam Kellenberger, who had this to say about her, "Kristi fulfills all of her educational teaching duties in a positive manner always looking for the good in a situation. Her class has a broad variety of students. She always keeps a positive attitude knowing there is a lesson in every situation. She keeps the students held responsible and communicates often with parents to let them know how their child is doing in school. Kristi serves on multiple committees at SBA and does it with a smile for the betterment of the school and community. She definitely is an ALL-STAR!"

Rhonda is an Educational Assistant at Hayward Elementary. She was nominated by Hayward Assistant Principal, Brandy Hernandez, who had this to say about her, "Rhonda is exceptional in every way as an educational assistant Hayward. She is cherished in our learning community for her service every morning in front of school. Her warm, welcoming, and encouraging personality never fails. Even in pouring rain or icy snow, Rhonda is there, helping students out of cars and bringing a smile to the face of our students and families as they enter school. Throughout the school day, Rhonda supports students academically and emotionally with compassion and excellence. As an educational assistant, the work is often behind the scenes and may not always be noticed, and we want Rhonda to know she is so deserving of this special recognition!"

Michael Powers is an English Teacher at Roosevelt High School. He was nominated for this All Star award by Assistant RHS Principal, Mark Hofer, who had this to say about Michael, "Mr. Powers has taken on new challenges in the classroom for three consecutive years as the needs have changed at Roosevelt High School. He has embraced the changes with professionalism and takes it as a challenge to do better each day. He has taught Spanish in the past, moved to the English Dept, and has taken on the Yearbook Advisor role. During all of these changes, Mr. Powers also meets with students daily that are interested in Broadcasting. On top of that, Mr. Powers and been an integral part of incorporating technology into extra-curricular activities by broadcasting events while involving students in the sports broadcasting piece. During our Honors Fest, Mr. Powers made it possible for the first live broadcast of the event so people unable to attend could watch. He does all of this while being one of the most friendly and professional people around."

Rebecca is an elementary RISE teacher at JFK Elementary School. She was nominated by her co-worker Danielle who shared this about her, "Becca goes above and beyond for each and every one or her students. She dedicates hours each week designing the best individualized instruction for her students and takes the time to build relationships with each family in her classroom. She advocates for each of her students to find the best placement and the best services for them. She is so passionate about what she does and this passion bleeds into everything she does in the classroom and around the school. Becca is a passionate teacher who gives everything and deserves recognition for the work and advocacy she does each and every day."

Sonja Boen is an EA with our Learning Adventures Preschool at Discovery Elementary. She was nominated by her co-worker, Jill Headrick, who had the following to say about Sonia, "I truly believe that many Educational Assistants are the unsung heros of our schools. They do their jobs behind the scenes and do not ask for recognition. Sonja Boen is one of those hidden heros. She has worked for many years at Discovery as an Education Assistant in many different rooms, as a personal EA and most recently as the EA for the Learning Adventures Preschool. Sonja is a person that is so full of warmth and compassion.... for not only kids but everyone at our school. Her love, commitment and dedication for the kids is evident by her daily encouragement, hugs, thoughtfulness, patience and kindness. She greets the children every morning with a warm smile and hello. She helps those little ones feel that they are the most important person in the school. She goes above and beyond the job description of an EA. If she sees that the preschool class is needing something, she will go out and find/buy it. She makes it her duty to make sure the classroom is cleaned and a safe environment every day. If something needs to be done for the classroom, she will do it on her own time to get it done. She does all this WITHOUT wanting a thank you."

Carolyn plays a vital role at ATI, and has for over 38 years. That Chromebook/iPad your student dropped, spilled juice on, had a dog bite, car run over, left in the rain, sat on, sibling dropped in the toilet, cracked the screen with an unknown object...well you get it...she fixes it. She goes above and beyond to keep our students rolling in the electronic online world. If she can't fix it, you are in trouble. She always has a smile on her face, and is happy to help! She has saved the district so much in the amount of effort she puts into making our equipment work. Summers are spent getting all Chromebooks/iPads ready for the next school year. You will find her repairing various equipment from around the district, if it is broken she will attempt to repair it. She is a true diamond to be found in our district! A treasure that hides in the shadows working away, but shines brightly making our district a better place each day!

Mary is on the Child Nutrition team at Whittier Middle School. She was nominated by her co-worker, Deborah Stene who wrote this about her, “Mary is always doing her job to the fullest and helping in all areas of the kitchen. She does this with a smile and wonderful attitude. This makes a smooth transition into serving the students here at Whittier. She jumps in if we are short staffed and helps serve all while making sure we have enough food cooked and ready for the students. Mary has a great work ethic and is an asset to the SFSD.” Superintendent Stavem surprised her during lunch today and the kids gave her a round of applause! A couple of girls said, “She deserves it. She works hard!”

Roger is a Behavioral Facilitator at Hawthorne Elementary. He was nominated by his daughter, Maggie Bowie who is a second grade teacher at Laura Wilder Elementary, who wrote this about Roger, "My dad has worked for the district for years, but I truly didn’t understand the impact he had on his schools and the students who went there. The last 3 weeks of the 20-21 school year I subbed at Hawthorne in the Tier 2 room. As soon as I entered the building I heard from multiple staff how lucky they were to have him as a coworker. What really pulled my heart strings is the smiles and hugs my dad was able to not only give to students who were having a good day, but also for students who were having a bad day. One student even told me “Mr. Bowie is my best friend”. My dad is the person who inspired me to become an educator. I start my first year teaching this school year and my biggest goal is to make the impact my dad has on my own students."

Kelly is the lead clerical at Garfield Elementary. She was nominated by her coworker Jean Caron who wrote this about Kelly, “She goes way above and beyond for all the staff and students here at Garfield - has so much patience - gives so much extra time for the betterment of our building - is a positive encourager to all - always has a smile in every situation - care and concern and kindness for each student is a top priority - trustworthy and honest - has such a servant’s heart!”