North Sanpete district names
top classified employees
By Robert Green
Staff writer
5-28-2020
MT. PLEASANT—Ten hard-working and dedicated professionals, often working behind the scenes, are being recognized by the North Sanpete School District for making a difference at their local schools.
And one employee, Karen Seely, school nutrition director, gets the highest honor possible and has been named the district’s “classified employee of the year.”
The other distinguished employees have all been chosen by their respective schools for their outstanding work ethic and going out of their way to help students be successful in school. They were honored at a school board meeting on May 19.
The ten distinguished employees are:
Karen Seely, the director of food services, has been chosen as the “classified employee of the year,” because she goes above and beyond to make sure the needs of students and all of her staff are met, said asst. superintendent, Randy Shelley.
At the workplace, she has shown patience, caring and love for people. “Karen and her staff have worked extremely hard the past few months to ensure students are fed through the school shut down,” Shelley said. “She has been in the office every day and continues to go out to schools to assist when necessary.”
Seely started working as a cook in 1993, became the manager in 1998 and has served as the nutritional director since 2012. In addition, she serves as secretary for the School Nutrition Association of Utah.
Joann Mollinet, transportation secretary, has been recognized for always keeping the bus services running. According to her transportation supervisor Dallen Sagers, “Joann is always on top of bus drivers’ needs; she keeps track of trainings, certificates, routes, activities and communicates with bus shop maintenance regarding repairs needed on buses. She is very supportive of bus drivers, keeps them informed and makes their jobs easier.
Lisa Collard, the lunch manager at Fountain Green Elementary, is known as the “lunch lady rockstar,” according to her principal Robyn Cox. She has worked for 10 years at the school. “There isn’t a better woman than Lisa in the world,” Cox said.
Hayley Price, the lunch manager at Fairview Elementary for the past two years, is always happy; she has a ton of energy and is willing to do whatever is asked of her, according to her principal Allynne Mower. “She has gone out of her way to prepare a variety of lunches that will appeal to everyone,” Mower said. “Families come from all over to get lunch from Fairview Elementary.”
Carolyn DeMill, the librarian at Moroni Elementary for the past 24 years, has a passion for reading and learning that she shares with all of her students. According to school principal Stacey Peterson, when a student is struggling with reading, Carolyn knows how to help them. Her true gift lies in helping students with comprehension and she has a real talent with questioning and focusing on vocabulary to help students capture the meaning of a passage.
Cori Hansen, the custodian at Mt. Pleasant for the past seven years, always goes out of her way to make things look nice and she notices the little things that other people don’t.
According to Rena Orton, school principal, “Cori does a fantastic job for our school. She has been an excellent employee. She is reliable, trustworthy, and always follows through with any assignment. She is the type of person that if you want it done right, you ask Cori to do it. She is hardworking and dependable. You can always tell Cori has been around because everything just smells and looks clean.”
Brenda Aagard, the secretary at the North Sanpete High School, has a natural ability to remain steady as she fulfills her duties. She has a gift for service and she has worked at the high school for 26 years. She is the person at the school with the answers or at least knows how to find the answers, according to school officials who nominated her. “The entire school values her loyalty, teamwork and pride in our school. She is a vital member of our school community and we are so fortunate to have her on our team.”
Cindy Blackham, a SPED paraprofessional and academic tracker, is the woman behind the scenes tracking students for Flex time, which is a much needed intervention for students. According to school principal O’Dee Hansen, Cindy is effective making judgements calls on a daily basis as to where students should be for Flex to help them academically. She is also a very trusted paraprofessional and many teachers beg to have her in their classroom. “She is a positive role model to our students and staff members,” Hansen said. “Many times you will see her giving the lesson when a teacher is gone.”
She has worked at the school district for 22 years.
Natalie Roundy, a teacher’s assistant in math at Pleasant Creek School, has worked at the school for five years and has been a TA for different teachers each year.
She has a positive attitude toward learning these new subjects and helping the students succeed, said her school principal Stephen Solen. Natalie has never complained about changing subjects and teachers each year. Her positive attitude is seen by everyone at the school. Natalie has worked extra hard this year to learn the math principles in order to help the students while they work on homework. She is extremely patient with the students as she sits with them to help one-on-one. “I’ve never heard Natalie complain about her job or duties as a TA,” Solen said. “She’s been great to work with these five years and look forward to working with her in the future.”
Rebekah Hermansen, a paraprofessional at Spring City Elementary for the past two years, has been a great help in teaching both reading and math at many grade levels. According to her principal John Thomas, she has been very patient and diligent in everything she does with the students. She is always willing to learn new skills to help them. “Her initiative has been greatly appreciated,” Thomas said.
She has willingly stepped in and acted as a substitute on short notice and she has been great at seeking feedback to improve
