Superintendent Awards Employees
for Exemplary Dedication to Work
April 18, 2008
Dr. Doug Otto's Ninth Annual Superintendent's Service Award winners were announced at Plano ISD's 43rd Annual "Salute to Service" employee recognition banquet held on April 17 at Southfork Ranch. Also honored were 80 service award nominees, several hundred service pin recipients (for 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, and 15 years of service) and retiring educators.
Debra Lewis
Centennial Elementary School
Food & Nutritional Services Manager
 Helping students make healthy meal choices is the number one priority for Centennial Elementary School's Food and Nutritional Services Manager Debra Lewis. (Pictured with Centennial colleagues). She does so by setting a number of goals for her food service team and students, including:
- Kindergarten Kitchen Tour - Illustrated with a "Dora the Explorer" theme, this event begins with students being presented a map of the kitchen. There, they meet "Thermy the Thermometer" who demonstrates how to keep foods safe.
- Nutritional Activity Coloring Pages - In celebration of National Food Safety Month, World School Milk Day and Family Health and Fitness Day, children are given coloring pages to color as a learning tool.
- Third Grade Lesson - "Finding the Mass of Rising Bread Dough" was among the learning activities in the Centennial kitchen this year.
- Student Council Taste Test - Input aids kitchen staff in buying menu products for the upcoming school year.
- Winter Warming Spices in PASAR - Students in the Centennial after-school care program learned about key spices used in baking to boost health.
- Art Contest - FANS sponsors an art contest each year. Two Centennial students won.
- Partnership in Nutrition Award - Centennial Elementary School earned this honor from the state school nutrition association.
Ms. Lewis has worked for 20 years in the food service industry, joining Plano ISD three years ago. Her division supervisor Lynn Lane had this to say. "Debra distinguishes herself by implementing exceptionally creative and interesting projects with her students. I would rank her in the top two percent of managers that I have supervised in respect to managing ability and parent/student involvement."
Principal Jason Myatt remarked, "Debra Lewis has transformed the cafeteria, for students and staff alike, into a healthy, relaxing and nutritional experience. Incredible work ethic, professionalism, integrity and a genuine caring heart all describe her."
Anastasia (Sissy) Cox
Christie Elementary School FANS Manager
Food & Nutritional Services Manager
 The best part of work is feeling loved and appreciated, notes Anastasia (Sissy) Cox, food and nutritional services manager at Christie Elementary School. "I want to take care of all my students and make their day brighter."
(She is pictured receiving her award from Deputy Superintendent Jeff Bailey.)
Principal Emelia Ahmed said that, as a FANS manager, Ms. Cox does a great job serving students, parents and staff. And, she goes beyond her FANS daily work to make a positive contribution to the school.
During her nearly 28 years of service to Plano schools, Ms. Cox has served as manager at Carpenter Middle School and Robinson Middle School, and Hughston, Mathews and Christie elementary schools.
During her tenure with the school district, she is most proud of increasing sales at Christie Elementary, mentoring Christie students and volunteering :
- Judging Destination ImagiNation,
- Judging speech tournaments, and
- Assisting with Christie's Curriculum Night (700 students and parents), Multicultural Night and Saturday Christie PTA Carnival.
For her efforts throughout the years, Ms. Cox has earned several awards, including a Comet Award, Squeaky Clean Award (twice), Pump Up the Volume Award (twice) and Superintendent's Service Award (in 2002 and 2008).
Tammy Jaggi
Thomas Elementary School
Special Education Teacher Assistant
 Tammy Jaggi's love of Thomas Elementary School began as a parent volunteer when her own three sons attended Thomas. According to her Principal Lynn Swanson and Teachers Marci Probus and Kay Caillier, "Once she became a special education paraprofessional it became immediately apparent that she has a special gift."
During her six years of teaching as a paraprofessional at Thomas, Ms. Jaggi has been named Employee of the Month twice (2006 and 2008). Topping her list of accomplishments is seeing the growth in the children with whom she works each day.
"To work with a child who has no eye contact and to have him or her joking and laughing with you by the end of the year is the greatest feeling on earth," said Ms. Jaggi, who has instructed two children with autism who are still in the school district. "I was always marveled at the way that the teachers taught them both."
Inspired over the years by Thomas teachers, Ms. Jaggi has enrolled in Collin College to complete her teaching degree. "It will take awhile, but it will be well worth it!," she said.
Relating well to children with special needs, especially those with autism, "She sees beyond the challenges that these students bring with them and recognizes each child's potential," say her teammates. "With Tammy's insight and support, her students are able to successfully interact with their grade level peers."
Examples of her award-winning professionalism include:
- Attending training and incorporating training skills into daily schedules for children.
- When a group of students with special needs had a long-term sub, she worked late many afternoons to ensure that a consistent learning environment was in place for students.
- Dedication to environmental education. Each year she attends camp with fifth grade students, often supervising students with special needs.
- Buying camp supplies for students.
- Dressing up as "Recycling Queen" and encouraging recycling building wide and in the greater Thomas community.
- Habitat for Humanity volunteer.
Maurice Tyson
Distribution Services Distribution Processor
 A 25-year veteran employee of Plano ISD, Maurice Tyson started his career as a custodian at Saigling Elementary School, where he worked for 15 years, before he joined the Facility Services team and, eventually, the Distribution Services team. He is currently a distribution processor for Plano ISD.
Mr. Tyson said that his proudest accomplishment during his many years of service in Plano ISD came about when he helped create the "Clean Campus Award" at Saigling Elementary School. "I was privileged to work as custodian at Saigling," he said. "During that time, we established the "Clean Campus Crew," which focused student on taking pride in the campus environment."
Under Mr. Tyson's guidance, students devoted personal time before school and during lunch to beautify the school grounds. As a result, Saigling created the "We Care, We Share, We Shine" Club. Mr. Tyson said, "It was rewarding for me to see the kids take the time and pride in beautifying the school."
Mr. Tyson's Supervisor David Shelton noted, "Maurice is a great example of the district's belief statement that, 'Excellence in public education is best achieved through shared vision and cooperative effort of students, their family, staff and community.'"
Reflecting on Mr. Tyson's work at Saigling Elementary, Mr. Shelton said, "Maurice's attitude and instruction was so positive the students 'wanted' to work with him on their own to help keep the school clean. Not only did the students learn life lessons, they found a place of belonging and acceptance."
Mr. Tyson's mentoring attitude continued at Beaty Early Childhood School, where he was instrumental in teaching students about the function of the mail, the process of where things go, and he introduced them to the route truck. He became so involved in the education of the young students and providing "mini-tours" of the truck that Beaty students created a special video entitled "Mr. Tyson's Truck."
Due to his strong work ethic, Mr. Tyson has twice been nominated for the Superintendent's Service Award, in 2008 and in 2004 by the Weatherford Elementary School staff and (then) Principal Connie Lewellen.
|
