Paraprofessionals l to right: Amy Terry, Cheryl Ostrom, Cat Lopez, Brittany Sherburn, Alma Terry, and Dick Thornton.
A surprise assembly at the F. E. Miley school was held to award Amy Terry, Alma Terry, Cat Lopez, Brittany Sherburn, Cheryl Ostrom, and Dick Thornton the Paraeducator/Teacher Team of the Year award. Kristie Rutledge, School Psychologist Bear Paw Cooperative, presented the award to a shocked group of paraprofessionals. Also present was Glen Terry, the president of the Big Sandy School Board. He said, "Everyone is born with a gift, and these people use their gifts working with you," he said to the students of F. E. Miley.
In her application, Kristie wrote, "Ms. Amy Terry and her team of paraprofessionals of the Big Sandy's F. E. Miley Elementary School are extremely committed to working with the students, and the results are evidence of their work."
"Through their dedication and determination, Ms. Terry and her team have worked with many children and have made tremendous strides with them academically and socially. Ms. Terry goes above and beyond the call of duty. She is extremely conscientious in all the details of her students; she works collaboratively and supportively with teachers, administrators, and parents to ensure the success of each student that walks through her door. She is willing to help in any way she can."
"I have seen firsthand the beneficial work of this team. Just visit the school, and you will see their desire to help these children succeed. Ms. Terry is able to recognize when students could use additional assistance and immediately takes action to give them the extra support they need. I cannot express how grateful I am for Ms. Terry and her team for the support they have given students throughout the elementary school; the student grades and attitudes reflect their hard work."
"I have found the dedication and reliability of this team to be irreplaceable. They all take their job of educating and advocating for children very seriously and compassionately. It is my honor to be able to recommend that they be chosen for the CSPD Region ll Award."
Heather Wolery, Big sandy Principle, wrote, "Let me tell you a little bit about each one of them:
Amy Terry- Amy works so hard to reach every student. I'm afraid that sometimes if I didn't tell her to go home, she would work all the time. She is very knowledgeable in how best to reach students, and she is very supportive to our classroom teachers. She has many strengths, but one of her greatest is how kind and compassionate she is to parents and how she takes the time to make sure they understand what an IEP is and how it is going to help their child."
"Dick Thornton-, or as he is affectionately called by most, Mr. T. Mr. T. has been working at Big Sandy Schools for over 40 years as a teacher and recently as a para and part-time librarian. He has high expectations for his students and helps them rise to meet them. He works one on one or with small groups and does a great job of helping his students learn and grow."
"Cheryl Ostrom- She is a constant whirlwind of action; I never see her just sitting around. She has helped students make huge gains in their learning by being patient with them, expecting them to work hard, and being consistent in what she is doing with them. Not only is she our resident bulletin board creator, but she is also a wonderful asset to kids that need extra help."
"Alma Terry- There are not enough words in the world to describe what a beautiful and amazing aide and teacher Alma is. She is the most kind, caring, and compassionate person who advocates whole-heartedly for
her students and loves each and every student in our school. She is invaluable to us, and we are so blessed to have her on our team. On a personal note from me, she has been a wonderful mentor who I've gone to for advice and guidance numerous times, and I wouldn't know what to do without her."
"Brittany Sherburn- Brittany came to our team last year because we needed a one on one aide for a new Kindergarten student, and she has done an amazing job. It is not easy to figure out how to best be an aide for one student who is in the classroom full time, but she handled everything so well. She has actually been so good at it that she has potentially worked herself out of a job. Which doesn't mean we are letting her go; we are just hoping to give her opportunities to work with other students."
"Cat Lopez- Cat has worked one on one with a boy with autism for the last five years. I couldn't begin to put into words what she has done to help her student grow from a child that didn't sit still very well and couldn't communicate to a student that is an active participant of our school. She has sacrificed much of her own time to work with her student. She rides the bus in the early mornings and afternoons sometimes, and also works in the summer with her student to make sure he is continuously learning. I think one of the biggest things she has done is showing us the value of consistency, dedication, and hard work and the rewards those values can bring."
Sheri Moore, the 3rd-grade teacher, wrote, "Amy Terry, our special education teacher, is effective at running meetings, serving many students, but most importantly, at providing direction and resources for our para team and other teachers. Alma Terry has been a paraprofessional at our school for almost 30 years, so she knows all the ins and outs of our school, teachers, and students and goes above and beyond to help each of them. Cat Lopez is our one-on-one paraprofessional for our student with autism. This is not just a job for her; it is a passion. She treats her student as if he were her own and does more than is expected of her. Cheryl Ostrom is our other paraprofessional who helps mostly Title I students but also helps in the classroom. She usually is working to remediate students and get them back on track. Brittany Sherbern also works one-on-one with a student but spends a lot of her time helping other students and teachers as this student is becoming more independent. Mr. T., or Richard Thornton, has been teaching in our schools for 40+years. He was even my teacher in grade school! He still has a love of learning and shares that with students."
