End Of The Year Staff Celebrations

We celebrated many teachers of the month throughout the school year. These teachers were selected by their campus administration and in turn also nominated for district teacher of the month. All nominees were then eligible to be selected by their peers as Campus Teacher of the Year. The winning teachers were recognized in their classrooms and then again in front of the entire staff at the End-of-Year Celebration.

The Campus Teachers of the Year then submitted applications to be considered for GISD Teacher of the Year. These applications were reviewed by a district level committe, and one elementary and one secondary teacher were selected to represent GISD in the Region 11 Teacher of the Year competition. At the celebration the announcement of the winners was made.

Head Start: TERIA RAVERT | Edison Elementary: NORA MORENO

Chalmers Elementary: NANCY CASTORENA | Gainesville Intermediate: AMBER ENDRES Gainesville Junior High: STEPHANIE LINDENBORN| Gainesville High School: DEBRA COONEY

“My philosophy of education has always been that every student has the capability to learn and grow through dedication, love and support. I have always known that for a child to be successful, it takes teamwork between the parent, teacher, and the student. Therefore, parent involvement has always been on the forefront in establishing a positive environment and culture in the classroom.” ~ Nora Moreno

“As educators, we have a great responsibility to advocate for our students and what is best for them. While some may see teaching as a job, I truly see it as a calling and a mission. My desire is to always lead with excellence, but most importantly to lead by example. I set high expectations for all of my students both academically and personally, because I know they can reach those expectations.” ~ Stephanie Lindenborn

Secondary Teacher of the Year: STEPHANIE LINDENBORN Elementary Teacher of the Year: NORA MORENO

Similar to the recognition process for teachers of the year, GISD also recognized non-classroom staff throughout the year. The employee of the month nominees were eligible to be selected by their peers as Campus Employee of the Year. Following recognition on campus, each employee was honored in front of all of the staff at the celebration.

The campus employees of the year were then eligible for District Employee of the Year, which was announced for the first time at the celebration. The District Employees of the Year are Nicole Rich and William Hendricks.

Mrs. Rich transitioned to lead counselor this year at Gainesville High School. There was a lot to learn, and she fully absorbed all areas of her new position which included taking the lead of the dual credit partnership with North Central Texas College. The campus quickly saw improvements in systems due to her strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Nicole doesn’t hesitate to offer well thought out suggestions that pinpoint specific issues affecting the campus.

Coach William Hendricks is a paraprofessional, coach, and mentor at Gainesville Junior High and is a vital part of the students’ success. He manages the ISS classroom with a loving, supportive nature that helps restore student behavior so that they can return to their regular classrooms successfully. Teachers and staff strive to model his relationship and management with students, and students look to him as a positive, guiding authority figure. WILLIAM HENDRICKS Gainesville Junior High, paraprofessional

NICOLE RICH Gainesville High School, counselor

TRACI SKINNER Gainesville Intermediate, nurse

LUCY GUTIERREZ Chalmers Elementary, bilingual paraprofessional

DANIELLE KEEFER Edison Elementary, paraprofessional

District Employees of the Year: WILLIAM HENDRICKS & NICOLE RICH

Each year we have many new teachers who join us here at GISD. Some of these teachers are in their very first year in education and have chosen to begin their journey in Gainesville. Others are not brand new to the profession, but are still in the early stages of their careers. The 2022 Rookie of the Year is Ms. Irma Oliva. She teaches 4-year old students at Head Start. Irma is in her 3rd year teaching, but her first at GISD.