Five Winners Announced

Five district employees were honored in early April with "Outstanding Support Staff" awards from the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation.

Recognized for their accomplishments were Donna Charles, a teacher's aide at Ralph Downs Elementary School; Terri Hill, the registrar at Putnam City North High School; Shirley Qualls, a custodian at Central Intermediate School; Lecrecia Schmidt, the financial secretary at Kirkland Elementary School; and Indra Zepeda, a teacher's aide at Putnam CityHigh School.

Award winners were nominated by co-workers for the vital roles they play in the mission and operation of district schools. Below you can read just how these outstanding support staff award winners make their schools better:

Donna Charles
Special Education Assistant
Ralph Downs Elementary
Ask anyone at Ralph Downs to describe Donna Charles and you'll hear that she's caring, dedicated, patient, hardworking, and passionate about special needs students. Donna has worked as a special education assistant at Ralph Downs Elementary for many years and has yet to shy away from hard work. In fact, when the previous teacher left and the substitute didn't last, it was Donna who took over the reins and continued to prepare lesson plans and spent endless hours working to enrich students with fascinating and exciting activities in a warm and caring environment. She not only teaches her students, she challenges them to realize their full potential. Donna's dedication goes above and beyond her job duty which makes her very deserving of the outstanding support staff award.

Terri Hill
Registrar
Putnam City North High School
Efficient, trustworthy, detailed and thorough ? and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing Terri Hill, registrar at Putnam City North High School. In a job where everything is needed yesterday, Terri is always one step ahead. She not only completes tasks quickly and with diligence, she brings the highest level of personal integrity to the table. Other attributes she shares are those of encouragement, perseverance, commitment and friendliness. You can always trust Terri to turn a not-so-good situation around into a win-win situation for all involved. As a strong but quiet component of the high school, Terri has proven herself over and over to be worthy of the outstanding support staff award.

Shirley Qualls
Day Custodian
Central Intermediate
"She even cleans door knobs!" That comment by several coworkers sums up the way Shirley Qualls goes above and beyond on a daily basis at Central Intermediate. As day custodian her job involves a lot of work, but Shirley adds extra touches like ensuring early morning classes are spent at a comfortable room temperature and leaving chocolates and notes for teachers to brighten their day. She conducts her work with politeness, honesty, kindness and respect. In return the teachers and children love and respect her. As if her full-time job isn't enough, she is also pursuing a college degree. Shirley is not only an inspiration, she is more than deserving of the outstanding support staff award.

Lecrecia Schmidt
Financial Secretary
D.D. Kirkland Elementary School
It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood, which is why Lecrecia Schmidt, financial secretary at D.D. Kirkland, is likened to a female version of Mr. Rogers. Lecrecia spends her day creating an atmosphere which fosters love of school and learning. Knowing each student, parent and most grandparents by name shows her personable side and her wonderful disposition and attitude are contagious to everyone throughout the school. Lecrecia has a way of making everything seem effortless and pleasant. Whether by words of praise, comfort or enthusiasm, she makes the school a better place and deserves the outstanding support staff award for her role in going above and beyond the call of duty.

Indra Zepeda
Special Education Assistant
Putnam City High School
Bridging the gap: That's what Indra Zepeda does at Putnam City High School as a special education assistant. Her positive attitude, strong work ethic and her ability to multi-task adds to the success of the school's special education program. Indra also helps the entire school through translation. By serving on a monthly committee, she has helped create a positive relationship between the Hispanic families and the school. Indra is always eager to serve as an interpreter, arrange conferences and communicate with parents about attendance, grades and discipline. Going above and beyond the call of duty is just another day at work to her. Overall, Indra is an integral part of the staff and duly deserves the honor of the outstanding support staff award.