Shaler Area School District employees recognized with Extra Mile honors
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Nine Shaler Area School District nurses are among 13 recipients of the 2022 Kim Baysek-Young Extra Mile Award.
The annual recognition honors district employees who have gone above and beyond for Shaler Area students or to contribute to the success of the school district. Members of the community nominated teachers, custodians, administrators and more, celebrating the ways these staff members invested in student well-being. Nominations were received throughout the fall and winter and reviewed by a panel of district stakeholders.
“We are grateful for the distinctive contributions of each and every one of these 13 individuals and honored to recognize them with this award,” said district superintendent Dr. Sean Aiken. “That our nurses are such a focus of this year’s recognition is not surprising as the last two years have brought profound challenges to their roles in serving our students day-in and day-out. They have responded with unending professionalism, and have tapped into equally limitless reservoirs of grace, care and compassion and it’s wonderful to see how much this has meant within our community.”
School nurses recognized were Christina Erdlen, middle school certified school nurse; Audrey Gaskill, Burchfield/Scott Primary certified school nurse; Darcy Lutz, high school certified school nurse; Nicole Monahan, nurse RN – Scott Primary/Burchfield Primary; Hannah Petrell, Marzolf/Reserve Primary certified school nurse; Shari Roth, nurse RN – high school; Kaylen Schaffer, nurse RN – elementary school; Diana Sukitsch, nurse RN – Marzolf/Reserve Primary School; Jessica Wilson, certified school nurse – elementary school.
Additionally, teachers and support staff were also recognized: Gina Chmielewski, High School special education teacher; Danielle Franc, Scott Primary School third grade teacher; Kathy Newport, middle school social worker; and Mindy Thiel, high school social studies teacher and activities director.
The award, previously the “Extra Mile Award,” is named in honor of Mrs. Baysek-Young, a beloved third-grade teacher at Reserve Primary School who passed away early in the 2020-21 school year. During her 22 years with Shaler Area, Baysek-Young was an integral part of multiple schoolwide programs and community events and went to incredible lengths to provide students with educational opportunities and experiences. She received the award in 2019 for her unwavering support of students.