Due to two initiatives focused on recognizing staff members, students and district residents, this year’s Board of Education meetings begin on a lighter note.

The initiatives allow Board members, principals and directors to recognize individuals’ extraordinary efforts at the beginning of each Board meeting by giving short speeches about who they chose to recognize and presenting those they chose to recognize with certificates.

With the first initiative, proposed by interim superintendent Dr. Ron Wimmer, Board members recognize district staff, students and residents. With the second, proposed by interim director of human resources Dr. Lowell Martinie, building principals, along with directors of groups like student nutrition and Access House, recognize staff members. Both occur on a rotating cycle.

Board members began recognizing individuals in September, and principals and directors began in October. Since then, over 80 individuals have been recognized.

“I think it’s important for us to recognize people from a standpoint that lets them know how much we appreciate their efforts and what they’re doing to help others,” Martinie said. “It’s just … human nature to appreciate being appreciated.”

For Wimmer, allowing the Board of Education to recognize people had more benefits than giving people attention for hard work.

“I was thinking of a way to get the Board members more involved with people in the community and the school district other than sitting behind the podium and I came across the idea,” Wimmer said.

Senior Annie Dillon, who was recognized by Board vice president Dick Dearwester at the Board meeting Monday, Nov. 2, for her work as NHS co-president, said she also enjoyed the recognition because it makes student efforts more public.

“It lets people in the community know what’s going on in the schools,” Dillon said. “It also lets the students know what they’re doing has been … noticed by other people in the district.”

Principal Tobie Waldeck recognized four staff members at the Board meeting Monday, Oct. 5: StuCo sponsors Erica Crist and Jessica DeWild, SLT sponsor Erin Hayes and lead custodian Mike Maurer. He said it was difficult to choose so few.

“We looked for extraordinary effort, and when you sit down and you actually start thinking about that and you look at the 148 staff members I have in this building, that’s not a very easy thing to do,” Waldeck said. “The only negative drawback that I can think of centers on the fact that I can’t select all of them, it’s just not possible.”

Hayes said she not only enjoyed being recognized, but also seeing the other recognitions.

“It was really cool to sit and watch the other people that had been nominated and recognized,” Hayes said. “I think any time you get a pat on the back, it kind of reaffirms what you’re doing.”

Wimmer and Martinie, who will both leave the district at the end of the year, said they would like to see the programs continued. Martinie, however, said he would be open to other ideas for programs as well.

“I would like to see us continue to find ways to recognize staff,” Martinie said. “It may not be in this particular program … but there might be some other ways to do this that would be just as effective.”