Crystal Apple ’21 Honoring educators who make a difference
Our sincerest thanks
For five years now, the Journal-Advocate/South Platte Sentinel has sought to honor faculty and staff at Logan County schools and Northeastern Junior College who help make their school what it is. Every year we ask the staff at those schools to nominate fellow staff members who go above and beyond the call of duty, give 110% to their profession and who people look up to as a leader and one that they admire. This year’s award winners include teachers, paraprofessionals, social-emotional specialists, an athletic director, principal and more — all of whom play a vital role in their school.
Our Honorees
We can’t imagine a year in which educators deserve appreciation more than this one. Over the past school year they have faced numerous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic — remote learning, quarantining, masking, social distancing, scheduling and rescheduling athletic activities, and an increased need for emotional support for students and staff. Yet, they’ve persevered with grace and passion. To all of you we say thank you for caring for students, thank you for educating them and thank you for your heart and your dedication.
(In order of appearance in this publication) Aleah Ramey, Hagen Early Education Center Dylan Prelle, Sterling Middle School Catherine Engelken, Campbell Elementary Hee Hun Cho, Sterling High School Melissa Marick, Caliche School Shane Kloberdanz, RE-1 Valley School District Kortney Firme, Fleming Elementary Lisa Chintala, Fleming High School Brenda Segelke, Peetz High School Laura Clevenger, Peetz Elementary Julie Rhea, Merino Elementary Logan Tharp, Merino High School Kade Roelle, Northeastern Junior College Copyright 2021, Prairie Mountain Media
HAGEN EARLY EDUCATION CENTER
Aleah Ramey is go-to person for preschool colleagues
She stepped up to provide technology assistance when classes went remote By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Aleah Ramey has always been the go-to person at Hagen Early Education Center, but even more so over the past year as she and her fellow educators faced daunting challenges brought on by COVID-19. Ramey has been at Hagen for five years. She moved to Sterling with her husband in 2014 and taught at Iliff Head Start for one year, then came to Hagen. Prior to that, after graduating high school early, she taught at different corporate preschools and it was then that she really fell in love with preschool. “I like preschool specifically, because teaching preschool, it’s just this totally unique dynamic type of teaching that is different from traditional academic learning. It’s abso2 • MAY 1, 2021 • CRYSTAL APPLE
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
Preschool teacher Aleah Ramey has always been a go-to person for her colleagues at Hagen Early Education Center and even more so when COVID19 hit.
lutely authentic, play-based learning and so kids are really learning with true experiences,” Ramey said. Kayla Smithgall, who nominated Ramey for a Crystal Apple Award, presented by the Bank of Colorado, first got to know her while in college a few years ago, when she was required to complete observation
hours and was assigned to Ramey’s room. “At the time, I was uncertain about being there. She always encouraged me, complimented me, answered any questions I had with genuine interest, and made me feel like a part of the team,” Smithgall said.
Her dedication to her students is just as strong. “She truly connects with each of her students, and makes such a great effort to get to know them that she quickly knows them inside and out,” Smithgall said, adding that family connection is important to Ramey as well, and she has connections with many of her students’ families. “Every one of her students shows so much growth throughout the school year, and that is because of the continuous encouragement, love, motivation, and curiosity that she instills in them.” When Smithgall graduated college and joined the Hagen team, Ramey became a true mentor to her on her own accord. “She listened to every fear and worry that I had and not only provided me with encouragement, but also advice and possible solutions to use to resolve any potential issues. She checked in on me more than anyone else at the center, even though she had no obligation to do so,” Smithgall said. See RAMEY, 3
STERLING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Sixth grade science teacher showed resilience during challenging year
Has helped his students become resilient too By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Like many other educators this year, Dylan Prelle faced adversity, but a strong determination kept him going and he excelled. “I nominate Dylan Prelle for the Crystal Apple Award because of his passion and resilience,” his award nominator Kaitlynn Prelle wrote. “Through a difficult school year, Dylan has proven to be resilient and has taught his students how to do the very same thing.” According to Kaitlynn, Dylan, a sixth grade science teacher at Sterling Middle School, is a dedicated educator who is consistently striving to provide the highest quality of service to his students. Even while attending school full-time himself, Dylan selflessly devotes himself to his students. Dylan has been a part of RE-1 Valley for three years; he was a paraprofessional his first year and is in
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
Dylan Prelle, sixth grade science teacher at Sterling Middle School, has proven to be resilient during this challenging year and has taught his students how to do the same.
his second year as a classroom teacher at SMS. He was interested in teaching at SMS because his girlfriend’s family, Anthony and Terrie Serrato, teach there and he liked the people at the school. It was also thanks to Terrie Serrato that he decided to pursue teaching as a career. In high school, he thought he wanted to be a mechanic or a wind technician, but then he was a teacher’s assistant for Serrato
for a semester and found that he really enjoyed working with kids and fell in love with teaching. This year has been especially tough for students due to COVID19, and there has been an increase in the mental health issues that they are dealing with, but Prelle has done his best to be there for them and to try to help them get caught up in areas they might be struggling in.
“All of us teachers have to really show some grace with the kids and patience, but as things start to go back to normal it’s getting better,” he said. As tough as this year has been, the job continues to be rewarding for Prelle. He especially likes getting to do hands-on activities with his students, and they seem to really enjoy it too. Plus, as sixth grade science teacher he gets to teach all of the students in that grade level and he enjoys getting to connect with them all. Prelle firmly believes that any student can learn, whatever need they have or level they’re at they can accomplish the things they want to do or achieve their goals, even if it’s something small. Just as he believes in his students, his colleagues believe in him and appreciate his dedication this year. “Similar to many educators this year, Dylan had to overcome adversity. However, in the face of adversity, Dylan did not merely over come, he excelled. Our community is a better place for having an educator of his caliber within it,” Kaitlynn said.
RAMEY from page 3
She quickly found that Ramey is the go-to person for many of the other staff members at Hagen as well. “When I would go into her classroom for guidance, I would often find other staff members in her room because they too were seeking guidance of some kind,” Smithgall said. “Aleah is continuously increasing her knowledge of anything related to early childhood education, and because of this, she knows almost every policy and/or procedure that exists.” Ramey is also very tech-savvy and has become Hagen’s “tech person,” with staff coming to her often with various tech issues. Even though she is already very busy with every-
students, the daily activities she the preschoolers going to kindercame up with for them to do, her garten (since they couldn’t do the virtual small groups, as well as cre- in-person tour that they normally thing she does, she always has “so ating a virtual tour of Ayres for all much patience, concern, and kindSee RAMEY, 5 ness when she has staff members BEST USED & NEW LAPTOPS, DESKTOPS AND CUSTOM BUILDS repeatedly coming to her for advice, policy/procedure clarification, tech • Secure Remote Support Available problems, etc.” • Never have to leave your home or office. She also stepped up in big ways • Pet Free • Smoke Free when COVID-19 hit. When the pan970-521-0755 demic caused the entire district to go remote last year and no one else really had an idea of what to do, ATT S Ramey quickly made a plan and then shared it with her colleagues, USTOM doing whatever she could to catch them up (including recording tutoOMPUTER ORKS rial videos, sharing documents for “We personally want to thank all of our teachers, administrators teachers to use, etc.) & support staff for their sacrifices and hard work.” “She went above and beyond in all E-mail: mattscustomcomputerworks@yahoo.com of the videos she recorded for her
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CRYSTAL APPLE • MAY 1, 2021 • 3
CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY
Social-emotional support specialist spreads light for everyone at Campbell
Catherine Engelken helps students, staff deal with any stressors they may be going through By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Catherine Engelken does her best to bring a little light into the lives of students and staff at Campbell Elementary. “Catherine is just an amazing human being. Being a social-emotional support specialist is a hard job, especially during the current times we live in. Catherine spends her days not only providing support to students, but to staff as well,” said her Crystal Apple Award nominator Crystal Jo Bruns. Engelken started in the district in January of last year. Prior to that she worked at Northeast Colorado BOCES, in Haxtun. A desire to work in the town where she and her husband live, as well as missing working with kids in her own community and being able to make an impact, are what led her to come to RE-1. With a master’s degree in counseling/psychology, social-emotional support has always been her field of work. As for why she wanted to work in a school setting, Engelken said, “I love helping kids understand what emotions are and how to communicate that, how to ask for help. I just think you can really make an impact and you can really make a difference with kids.” Working with elementary students, in particular, is something she really enjoys. “They’re so smart and I just love watching, at this age level there’s a lot of those light bulb moments where they really get to start to understand things and put concepts together. I just think I’m lucky to work with the best kids and the staff 4 • MAY 1, 2021 • CRYSTAL APPLE
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
Catherine Engelken, social-emotional support specialist, spreads light to students and staff at Campbell Elementary, helping them to deal with any stressors they may be going through.
is also really great, I think we all really rally for each other and support each other,” Engelken said. This year, with the COVID-19 crisis, students have had many more social-emotional needs to address. Engelken said there has been an increase in the school/district’s suicide risk assessments, meaning more crisis and involvement with the Logan County Department of Human Services. That has made her job all the more important. “Just being able to have one person in our building that can just worry about kids’ social-emotional needs is something that I think a lot of teachers appreciate and it’s something that I think our district does really well with, supporting the whole child, not just education,” Engelken said. Not only does she spend time with students, helping them through the craziness of COVID-19 and all of the other stressors in their lives, but she is always checking in with staff and making sure they know that she is available if they
need her. “She seems to always be busy and though I might see her every day, she makes sure she checks in with all staff via email with weekly inspirational messages,” Bruns said. Recently, Engelken had one of her friendship groups (a group of students she meets with regularly) write thank you notes to the staff. They were handmade cards that the students decorated and wrote heartfelt messages in. For Bruns, the note was the highlight of her week. “Catherine always seems to know when you need a little light in your life. Even behind a mask, you can feel her smile bring light into the room. Even though we know she has her own bad days too, Catherine is always checking on supporting staff and students in any way she can,” Bruns said. She went on to share that “being an employee of a school district isn’t easy, especially with the added stressors of COVID. We all need someone to talk to, to brighten up our day, to support us. Catherine is
one of those lights at Campbell.” Bruns and other staff members know that if they need something, she is just down the hallway or an email away and they say Engelken seems to have a way of knowing just when they need an inspirational message and what that message should be. Engelken is quick to point out it’s not just her, the whole staff looks out for one another. “I think I’m just really lucky to work with awesome people that really do a good job of checking in on each other and really building a good culture,” she said. On top of being a busy school employee who devotes so much energy to those in the district, Engelken is also a devoted wife and mother and knows how to keep her life balanced. That’s a trait so many of her colleagues admire. “Catherine is simply a beautiful soul who spends her days spreading her light to those around her. She deserves to be recognized for that,” Bruns said.
STERLING HIGH SCHOOL
Art teacher a trusted ear for students at SHS Hee Hun Cho demonstrates extraordinary commitment to Sterling High School
By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
A trusted ear for students and a colleague who is always willing to step in and help: That’s Sterling High School art teacher Hee Hun Cho. “In addition to performing his job at an exemplary level, Mr. Cho demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to his school, as well as to the community,” said Mark Appelhans, who nominated Cho for a Crystal Apple Award, presented by the Bank of Colorado. Cho came to SHS in 2018. He had always wanted to teach high school level art classes and was looking for a different environment to teach when he found SHS and was attracted to its programs. From Fort Collins and South Korea, he grew up in South Korea until halfway through high school and then moved back to Colorado to find more opportunities to pursue art. Cho’s father was a physical education professor for 27 years and seeing him interacting with his students and connecting with young minds inspired Cho to follow in his father’s footsteps. He loves making art and teaching it to other people. “Well known as the ‘go-to’ for many things at Sterling High School, Hee Hun receives requests for his assistance throughout the entire school. He claims he will learn to say ‘no’ someday, but I really doubt that,” Appelhans said. Cho doesn’t shy away from difficult tasks either, as demonstrated in his willingness to serve as Prom Committee leadership and taking on responsibilities of the yearbook. He
Courtesy photo/ Sterling High School Facebook page
Sterling High School art teacher Hee Hun Cho accepts the first place award for the Logan County Chamber of Commerce's 2019 Art Walk on behalf of SHS art students. Cho is a trusted ear for students at SHS and a helpful hand for his colleagues,
is also a valued member of the school’s Sources of Strength team and serves as an adult advisor. During a recent campaign, he was frequently named as a “Trusted Adult” by SHS students, something that came as a surprise to him. “I didn’t know I was a trusted adult. I am happy to hear that I’m making connections and building relationships with my students. I hope to continue being there for our students,” Cho said. He is quick to volunteer for many after-school activities as well. When the school recently acquired new interactive televisions and Appelhans was asked to assemble an install team, he immediately knew that Cho would be willing and able. Cho and the rest of the team spent a great deal of time during spring break installing over 40 TVs. He also helps his fellow colleagues by troubleshooting day-to-day technology issues that may arise. So far, Cho has enjoyed his time at SHS, particularly when he gets to see his students have those “light
bulb/ah-ha” moments and when they’re telling him their stories. He believes that everyone needs more chances, and he strives to be “the streaming water” to his students. “I want to be flexible like streaming water that moves around the obstacles. Like water flowing and creating movements, I want to create an environment that leads the students to flow throughout each lesson,” he said.
RAMEY from page 3
do),” Smithgall said. On top of this, Ramey designated weekly “office hours” in which she set aside time to help guardians with any tech problems they were having, opening the time up to all guardians, not just those of her students. “When COVID hit, everybody was just in panic mode, having to suddenly teach on a computer and being the control freak that I am, something that I could control was the technology piece of it for other people. So, I felt like I was kind of called into that when COVID hit. I felt like that was kind of my job to help out,” Ramey said. Over the summer Ramey continued her diligent work, spending a lot of time creating digital content in the event that the school would go remote during the 2020-21 school year. Once again, she shared those digital activities with other classrooms, saving other teachers several hours of work trying to create their own activities. While this school year has had a lot of its challenges with all of the COVID-19 restrictions, Ramey says that in the face of adversity Hagen as a whole has “just handled it tremendously.” Ask her colleagues and they’ll tell you she is a big part of the reason they’ve been able to handle it so well. “Aleah has truly been such an inspiration to me and if I can be half of the educator/person that she is, I think I will have done well in the education field,” Smithgall said.
CRYSTAL APPLE • MAY 1, 2021 • 5
CALICHE SCHOOL
Melissa Marick goes above and beyond for the betterment of students Dean of students’ dedication to Caliche is unmatchable By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
For Melissa Marick, Caliche School is home, and as the dean of students at the school, she works hard to ensure students can achieve their dreams. “Melissa is always going above and beyond to better students,” said Kristy Willis, who nominated her for a Crystal Apple Award, presented by Bank of Colorado. “She encourages students to pursue their dreams and helps them finance higher education through all of her work on scholarships. Melissa’s dedication to Caliche is unmatchable – coaching, teaching, mentoring, counseling and inspiring others. She is an integral part of the team and serves as the cornerstone for all kids.” Marick, a Caliche graduate herself, is in her 13th year as an educator there. She had just graduated with her teaching degree when she found out one day that the school had an open position. Upon calling, she was told they were doing interviews that day; not one to be deterred she asked if there was any way she could still get in for an interview. School officials agreed to meet her, so she made the quick trip about a mile from home, and later that night the school called to tell her the job was hers. “Initially I got into education just because I really liked the idea of what it could do for my own personal family, in terms of being able to be with my own kids as much as possible. And when I started to go to school and be in the building, I just loved the feeling of getting to help kids experience things they 6 • MAY 1, 2021 • CRYSTAL APPLE
Courtesy photo / Caliche Schools Facebook Page
Melissa Marick, dressed as a butterfly, smiles as she delivers rewards for Caliche Elementary's Butterfly Garden-themed Positive Behavior Interventions and Support program earlier this school year. As the dean of students at Caliche School, Marick goes above and beyond to better students.
hadn’t experienced, or see those ‘ah ha’ moments, help them through stuff that they were struggling with,” Marick said. “The reason I’ve stayed in education is just
because I love getting to interact with kids.” In 2019, she transitioned from elementary teacher to dean of students when Willis vacated the posi-
tion to become principal. “I felt like I was ready for that next step, ready for a challenge, and was super excited at the idea of working under Kristy Willis,” Marick said. Throughout her years as an educator, her favorite part of the job has been when she gets to walk down the halls and be goofy with students, ask them how their weekend was, stop and visit with them about something they have going on, or wish them good luck before a game. “I just love walking down the halls and getting to have those authentic moments with kids,” Marick said. She strongly believes that in order to help students succeed you have to build relationships with every individual. “A kid isn’t going to take what you have to say and run with it if you don’t have a relationship. If you have a tough kid that has some behavior issues that you’re trying to help them through, if you don’t have the relationship you don’t know what they need, they don’t trust you without that relationship. When kids are going through tough things at home or tough things just in life in general, they have to know they can trust you to help them through those things and without relationship building and without getting to know each student on an individual level, you just wouldn’t be able to do those things,” Marick said. That dedication to students is something her colleagues see and appreciate. In her nomination, Willis shared that Marick is a master at finding where a child is currently and scaffolding to meet their needs. “Her innovative problem-solving skills far surpass expectations and ensure that every child is successful. Melissa, we appreciate you and your willingness to be the Caliche Go-To Person,” Willis said.
RE-1 VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shane Kloberdanz is the ‘heart’ of the RE-1 maintenance department Always willing to help with any issue By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Keeping school buildings running is no easy task; there is always something that needs fixing. Luckily RE-1 Valley School District has Shane Kloberdanz to count on for all of its maintenance needs. “Shane is always on the go and always busy doing something. He’s the guy who gets called when something needs fixed around the district. We all know that Shane is busy, but he always seems to find the time to look at something if you need him to,” said Crystal Jo Bruns, who nominated Kloberdanz for a Crystal Apple Award, presented by Bank of Colorado. Kloberdanz came to the district 15 years ago, when he was feeling burned out at his old job and wanted a change, something that would allow him to have more time off. Originally hired as a carpenter, he does so much more than that now, handling HVAC and making sure the heat stays on in the winter, taking care of plumbing and electrical needs, doors that need to be fixed, and so on. Any maintenance needs that a building in RE-1 may have, he’s there. “That’s what I like about the job: you get to do a lot of things. It’s not boring,” he said. He also enjoys the people that he works with; many are people that he’s known for years who all grew up in Sterling. Kloberdanz is always busy handling work orders, but there are also plenty of items that pop up during the day that need to be addressed, which is why he doesn’t ever really try to plan his days anymore. Something always comes up. “Like security is a big deal, if a
door doesn’t shut, stuff like that,” he said. As part of the kitchen crew at Campbell Elementary, Bruns gets to see Shane every day. He is the first person she speaks to each morning when he shows up to check the school’s heating/cooling systems and who knows what else by 7 a.m. each morning. “Shane is never too busy to say, ‘Good Morning’ or ‘Have a nice day’ as he walks by,” Bruns said. She appreciates that even if Kloberdanz has heater filters to change, he will stop and look at her milk coolers if they happen to be warmer than she likes. “He always makes time to help us when we need it. He never Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate makes us feel like we are asking For 15 years now maintenance worker Shane Kloberdanz has made sure all too much or bothering him, even of RE-1 Valley School District's building needs are taken care of when he is super busy,” Bruns said. Most people probably don’t give the maintenance department a lot of thought when they think of all the people that make a school function. Bruns knows they are underappreciated. “We don’t realize the things they must do each and every day to keep the district running. They change hundreds and hundreds of filters. They are up early doing snow removal on snowy days. They do so many repairs etc. in the summer that most of us don’t realize they do,” Bruns said, noting that Shane is at the “heart” of the maintenance department. She pointed out that while the maintenance department did get some time off during spring break recently, Shane and the others worked on three of the days when others were off, using the time staff was out of the buildings to do things that might disturb classes if they were in session. “Shane is one of the hardest working guys I know,” Bruns said. “He is appreciated for everything he does.” 520 East Chestnut – Sterling
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FLEMING ELEMENTARY
First-year principal Kortney Firme goes above and beyond to support staff, students Always willing to guide, offer advice or simply listen
By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
As principal at Fleming School Kortney Firme goes above and beyond to make sure staff and students know she is there to support them. Firme is a first-year principal with 15-plus years of educational experience. She came to Fleming because of its reputation as an excellent school district. “They have outstanding staff, students, and the families, the community is great; they make this district special. I love this district, it’s a great community,” she said. To say that the staff is glad to have
her there is an understatement. “This year has been extremely challenging for every educator and administrator across the country, let alone being brand new to a position. Kortney is a first-year principal, but no one would ever know it! Her consistent support for her staff has been simply incredible,” said her nominator, Christy Stumpf. According to Stumpf, with Firme’s open-door policy, staff always knows she is there to guide, offer advice, or simply listen any time of the day. This is a quality that is “so meaningful to someone who works under her.” They also appreciate that when faced with unfamiliar situations, Firme never hesitates to reach out to other colleagues for professional Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate suggestions to strengthen herself as As a first-year principal, Kortney Firme has gone above and beyond to make an administrator. It isn’t just the staff that she cares sure staff and students at Fleming School have felt supported during this See FIRME, 11 challenging year.
FLEMING HIGH SCHOOL
AD Lisa Chintala helped student-athletes have best experience possible in challenging year Chintala strived to do whatever necessary to allow students to participate By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
Lisa Chintala, athletic director at Fleming School, went above and beyond this year to make sure student-athletes had the best experience possible during a difficult time. 10 • MAY 1, 2021 • CRYSTAL APPLE
As the athletic director for Fleming School and also a teacher, Lisa Chintala’s life is always a bit hectic, but nothing compares to this year. “In a year where nothing has been easy or normal, I think we need to give an extra shout-out to our athletic director,” said her award nominator, Denise King. “Being an athletic director is never an easy job, but this year it has become so much
more difficult with all of the COVID restrictions that have been in place.” Chintala has scheduled and rescheduled Fleming’s athletic events numerous times this year, and according to King went above and beyond to make sure that students get the best experience possible during this difficult time. She did all of that while still teaching a full schedule. “Thanks for all that you do, Lisa. You help make Fleming a great place for our students,” King said. Chintala is in her 16th year at Fleming. “I just love the small-town atmosphere and the family feel that we have in this school. It’s a school that has a lot of high standards for both See CHINTALA, 15
FIRME from page 10
PEETZ HIGH SCHOOL
Brenda Segelke keeps Peetz school’s finances in check Has been an invaluable part of the school for 24.5 years By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Handling a school district’s finances would be enough to keep anyone busy, but Brenda Segelke does so much more than that. “Brenda goes above and beyond in her job,” said her Cr ystal Apple Award nominators Kelly Barrett and Dustin Seger. As the finance director for Peetz School, Segelke does payroll, balances the checking accounts, does state reports, goes to the bank to make deposits, prepares lunch bills to be sent out and more. When she’s not busy doing that, she takes on other tasks such as helping the school’s administrative assistant with nurses duties, checking in visitors, running messages to students from parents, answering the phone, and checking on the cameras and doors for security purposes. “Brenda is caring and passionate and is a great asset to our school district,” Barrett and Seger said. Segelke has been with the school for 24 and a half years now. She started when her children were youngsters in elementar y school and she was looking for a job that would allow her time to spend with them. “It just worked great for me and my family at that time and I just have continued on,” she said. Being a school finance director wasn’t something Segelke always saw herself doing. In fact, she started out in the front office handling administrative assistant duties and eventually just kind of “fell into” the finance position.
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
Brenda Segelke has been an invaluable part of Peetz School for 24 1/2 years now, managing the school's finances and also helping with administrative assistant duties.
“I like the fact that it has a lot of variety to it; it’s not the same ever y day,” she said. It can be a challenging job at times, especially this year as she’s had to deal with COVID-19 and keeping track of all of the stimulus funds the district has received. But, it’s a rewarding job too, and she loves being part of the school. “This is where I grew up, this is the school I went to, and I want to continue to see it be a good school,” Segelke said.
about though. “In my opinion, Kortney’s strongest attribute has to be her love for our students. She greets our children, young and old, daily with an inviting smile asking how their days are going. Fleming children know that even though Mrs. Firme is the disciplinarian when needed, she also truly cares about them and their well-being,” Stumpf said. “We are blessed at Fleming School to have Mrs. Korney Firme as our building leader.” Being a principal or administrator wasn’t a path Firme always saw herself taking. It was when she had the pleasure of hosting a student teacher for a semester and had an opportunity to teach in a new capacity that she realized that she wanted to help teachers and students as a career, not just be in the classroom with students. While COVID-19 has made things “interesting,” with this being her first year as a principal Firme doesn’t really have anything to compare it to, which has allowed her to “take things one day at a time and make the best of each day.” Throughout her educational career, she has strived to teach students how to think, not what to think, and that every lesson or experience is an opportunity to learn. Something she’s been keeping in mind a lot this year. While there have been challenges this year, she has truly enjoyed her first year at Fleming, particularly watching the growth of students and staff and being able to help them achieve things they didn’t know were possible.
UPGRADES NEW SYSTEMS REFURBISHED Thank you, Logan county teachers are incredible. CRYSTAL APPLE • MAY 1, 2021 • 11
PEETZ ELEMENTARY
Paraprofessional always puts students first Education a calling for 24-year veteran Laura Clevenger By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
As a paraprofessional, Laura Clevenger strives to help teachers at Peetz School ensure their students’ needs are met and they are able to succeed. “Laura is a great asset to our school. She works with a variety of kids on a daily basis and they all love her,” said Dustin Seger, who nominated Clevenger for a Crystal Apple Award, presented by Bank of Colorado. Clevenger has been at Peetz School for 11 years now and has been an educator for 24 years, including 11 at Caliche Elementary and two at Chase County, Nebraska. “I feel that education was a calling
for me. It was the ‘light bulb’ factor that hooked me. Seeing students grasp new knowledge with a flash of enthusiasm and their hunger for more, strums my heartstrings and it became an addiction for me early in my career,” she said. Clevenger’s duties at Peetz include overseeing elementary students at recess times, allowing teachers to stay in their rooms and get caught up on grading and such. “I have watched her with her groups of elementary students in a roundtable learning exercise and the students are very focused on her every word,” Seger said, adding that Clevenger always puts the students first in everything she does. Asked what’s kept her at Peetz all of these years, Clevenger said she appreciates that the school is the heartbeat of the community and that the community strives for the greatest good. “All programs/teams/organizations are supported – no one, more
than another,” she said. Clevenger can list numerous ways that community support can be seen, from the Teens for Tots Program, which develops necessary life skills for all involved, to the landowner adjacent to the school who donated space for horse therapy for autistic students. “More specifically, I appreciate the atmosphere of unity in Ms. Kennedy’s Resource Room. Together everyone achieves more among Resource Room staff members,” Clevenger said. Her favorite part of the job is definitely the students. “It’s all about celebrating each one of the students,” Clevenger said. For this paraprofessional nothing is important than the students, they come first always. “Selfish pride, rules, regulations, politics…may persist in distracting me if not for my mantra: ‘it’s all about the student,’” Clevenger said.
Courtesy photo
Laura Clevenger, a paraprofessional at Peetz School, helps teachers ensure that all students' needs are met.
MERINO ELEMENTARY
Julie Rhea strives to help students realize potential 25-year paraprofessional is a role model for her colleagues By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Courtesy photo
Julie Rhea, a paraprofessional at Merino Elementary, helps teachers ensure all students' needs are met.
Julie Rhea has a heart for children. For more than 25 years now the paraprofessional has been assisting teachers at Merino Elementary School to ensure that all students have their needs met. “Julia Rhea is well known around Merino Elementary School, where she has been a paraprofessional for many years. Her quiet, loving demeanor has endeared her to staff and students alike,” said one of her Crystal Apple Award nominators, Anita Turner-Steele.
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“Mrs. Rhea devotes time, hard work, love, compassion, and experience to each and every child who is blessed to be graced with her help. Mrs. Rhea goes about her job diligently and quietly. She is never one to be in the forefront, but is always there doing her job and beyond,” said her second award nominator Kari Michal. Rhea said her decision to work in the education field and become a paraprofessional was inspired by her experience as a parent. When her children attended Merino, she was impressed by the exceptional staff and the caring atmosphere in the school community. “Our administrators, educators, and support staff are hardworking, caring, conscientious, and devoted. This makes Merino an ideal environment for both students and staff,” she said.
Rhea believes that every student learns in their own way and at their own pace. “I strive to help students reach their full potential as they prepare for the future. I encourage each of them to be the best young person they can be,” she said. She enjoys working with the young students in particular, because they are inquisitive, creative, humorous and energetic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhea taught many small group reading and math intervention groups to multiple grade levels in the elementary. However, due to cohorting, she is now in the fourth-grade class full-time, providing that same loving support where the students know and love her. “She continues to provide sugSee RHEA, 15
MERINO HIGH SCHOOL
Social-emotional coach offers discreet ear for staff, students Logan Tharp has been an invaluable asset through COVID-19 struggles By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
Sometimes you just need a friendly ear to listen to you. At Merino Schools, that person is Logan Tharp, social-emotional learning coach/ counselor. Tharp is relatively new to the district, hired in 2018 to be someone both students and staff could go to for a discreet ear to listen and to offer good advice. “We as a district, were just beginning to understand the need for someone to recognize and help with social-emotional issues we and our kids were having, as they were becoming more than the classroom teacher could handle alone,” said Amy Gandee, who nominated Tharp for a Crystal Apple Award, presented by Bank of Colorado. Tharp’s first job out of college was working for Logan County Human Services as an intake caseworker for child welfare. “I’ve always kind of had a soft spot in my heart for kids. Kids are pretty fun to be around and I enjoy their company; they kind of let me act like a kid a little bit again too,” he said. When he found out the position at Merino was opening, he decided to go that path because he always wanted to be a coach too. In his first year at the school, he coached both basketball and baseball and for the past couple of years, he’s coached those as well as football, on top of his counseling duties. According to Gandee, when Tharp first started, he jumped into his position with gusto. “The students, kindergarten to seniors, took to him instantly as he is genuine and relatable. The staff also found Logan to be considerate and sincere in his intentions to be avail-
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
Logan Tharp, social-emotional learning coach/counselor at Merino Schools, is someone both students and staff know they can turn to for a discreet ear to listen and offer good advice
able and supportive. He plunged into coaching at the high school with the intent to build relationships with teens and continued to build relationships with the elementary students during recess and lunch periods. He taught a class here and there to help with whole-class behavior issues or learning social norms,” Gandee said. Asked what made him interested in being a social-emotional learning coach, Tharp said he feels it’s important, especially in the world we’re living in right now, to address those issues sooner rather than later. “If I can just be a little part of helping out with that it’s worth it, just making a kid’s day just a little better, talking to them about taking it day by day, just enjoying the little things and focusing on the good rather than the bad. Especially, I feel like in the world we’re living in right now, it’s kind of hard to focus on the good, but just keep the kids focused on life goes on and there’s a lot more positive than there is negative, even though we don’t hear about it all the time,” he said. Already invaluable to the district, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit,
Tharp’s job morphed into something so much more. “Social-emotional needs became a tidal wave of issues in the blink of an eye and everyone has been struggling with feelings and emotions that just continue to bubble to the surface to this day. Mr. Tharp has been resilient, supportive, understanding, and pushes himself to become more knowledgeable every day about how to help our students and staff work through a variety of emotions, recognize social cues, and treat themselves and others with grace and positivity,” Gandee said. Tharp said it has helped that Merino has been a very supportive school. With his position being the first of its kind at the school he had to figure it out as we went, but he has received plenty of encouragement. “I have a lot of support from coworkers and administration, and have been really supported in being able to do the things I feel are best for the kids and I get a lot of help with it along the way,” he said. Tharp now teaches social/emotional education classes for the entire elementary regularly, meets one-on-one
and in small groups with students who just need a break from life’s struggles, and has been a strong supporter in many ways for teens and preteens at the junior and senior high through counseling, classes and more. “He is willing to weather the storms with us and help us adapt to whatever comes along. He has done a fabulous job supporting, redirecting, listening, and cheerleading both students and staff through this turbulent time when no one has the answers, yet we wish someone did and has endured the worst in people through instances where they just weren’t their happy selves; yet he comes back to school, day in and day out, with a smile on his face and a fabulous attitude,” Gandee said. It’s the students that keep him coming back. While a normal classroom teacher has one class of students for the day or at the high school level three or four classes, Tharp gets to see all the kids pretty much every day, which he enjoys. “I find it pretty fun that I can go see all the kids and do the job that I enjoy and just try to brighten up their day and then also at the end of the day I can go teach them something about a sport that they haven’t learned before, whatever it may be,” he said, sharing that being a sports coach on top of his regular duties really helps him connect with kids. “It kind of gets me out of the professional environment. They can see a different side of me and I can see a different side of them, which makes my job a lot easier during the day at school as well.” For all that he does, his colleagues truly appreciate his dedication. “He gives 110%. He often goes well above and beyond the call of duty and we wouldn’t be the same without him. His response to the emotional issues and tough topics bombarding us all in the past year, and his willingness to help us grow in the process has been invaluable. He is a role model for all,” Gandee said.
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NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE
Kade Roelle keeps technology running smoothly for instructors His job was critical during remote learning period
By Callie Jones
Journal-Advocate Assistant Editor
While Northeastern Junior College already had a strong focus on technology when it introduced its iPad initiative, this year technology became vital. Luckily, the college had Kade Roelle to lean on to help keep everything running smoothly. Roelle’s Crystal Apple Award nominator Stephanie Weatherill described the academic technology coordinator as “extremely intelligent, helpful and patient,” and pointed out that he is carrying a tremendous workload at NJC. Among Roelle’s responsibilities is overseeing D2L (formerly Desire2Learn) Brightspace, which is the Learning Management System for web-based learning and traditional face-to-face courses that delivers content, quizzes and WebEx class meetings to students from their instructors. “Without that being handled efficiently, especially during COVID-19, instruction would have suffered irreparably,” Weatherill said. Roelle graduated from Merino High School in 2016. It was by happenstance that he developed an interest in computer technology while in junior high. At age 12 his dad has bought him a gaming desktop computer with clear side panels, so all the components inside were visible. “I was looking at it and was like, ‘oh, that looks interesting,’ so I decided it was a bright idea to take the side panel off and literally ripped the CPU (the brain of the computer) out of the computer from the motherboard,” he said. As one can imagine, his dad was
Callie Jones / Sterling Journal-Advocate
As Northeastern Junior College's academic technology coordinator Kade Roelle help ensure all instructors' technology needs are met, something that became critical when the college went to remote learning due to COVID19.
not impressed. He was told either learn how to fix it or he could buy a new one himself. Being 12 he had limited funds available, so he opted to try to fix it himself, and thanks to some research online and the help of his cousin who also builds computers, he was able to do just that. From there, his interest grew. Throughout his junior high and high school years, Roelle built about fix or six gaming computers and was even hired by MHS Principal Lonnie Brungardt, along with some friends, to rebuild some of the school’s laptops and desktop computers over the summer, do some computer cleanups and
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run antivirus software on them. “That’s what made me want to go into computer science or information technology,” Roelle said. After graduating from MHS, he decided to attend NJC, and another fluke led him to end up with a job in the college’s IT Department. It all started when he was having a problem with his iPad and one of the ladies in the admissions office told him “go down to IT, they’ll get you figured out.” They did help him get his iPad connected and when they asked him what he was majoring in and he told them computer science, he was asked if he was interested in being a work-study/intern.
“I almost said no, because I was already working two jobs, but then they said I’d only have to work like 10 hours and I said okay, that’s extra money I could use,” Roelle said. “I’m glad I said yes. I’m loving it so far; they’ve been great.” He graduated from NJC in May 2018 with an associate’s degree and is now working on a bachelor’s degree in information technology management from Colorado Christian University, which he should complete in the fall of 2021. From there he was thinking about getting a master’s degree in cybersecurity, but right now his focus is on working. In October 2018, he was hired on at NJC as a technical specialist and on Aug. 1, 2020, he was promoted to his current position. Even though he has moved up, Roelle continues to pick up some of the slack from his previous position, along with some of his other colleagues, as the position hasn’t been filled yet, but it will be soon. As part of the IT Department, he works closely with staff and faculty, as well as students, managing all of the college’s iPads and camera systems, as well as NJC’s website, the Access NJC Portal and the D2L system. His job is basically “to make it as easy as possible for instructors to do what they need to do, because then it’s easier for the students to learn.” While he had some experience with D2L from his previous position, when he was promoted it was the first time he was in charge of it and when COVID-19 hit it was “baptism by fire” for Roelle. “When COVID did hit it was kind of like, oh gosh, we’re all learning remote now and do we have the infrastructure set up for that, can we provide that. That’s when my job especially was important because everything is online now, so there wasn’t any ‘oh, See ROELLE, 15
CHINTALA from page 11
athletics and academics and that’s something that I also see as a priority, so it’s a good fit for me. And I’ve raised my kids here. It’s been home,” she said when asked why she’s continued to want to be a part of Fleming School. A career in education wasn’t something Chintala always envisioned. In fact, when she first went to college she was a pre-med major, but then life experiences happened, she met her husband and decided she wanted to start her life a little bit sooner than med school would have allowed. After taking some chemistry classes she found she really enjoyed them, so decided to major in that with education as her emphasis.
“It just kind of fell into place, not really something that I thought I would do early on in my career, it’s kind of what I fell into and fell in love with teaching,” Chintala said. As for being an athletic director, sports have always been a big part of her life. When she was young, she watched her siblings play and then she played sports in school. “It’s just something that I enjoy doing and watching all kinds of sports and it was just kind of a way that I could stay connected to that and stay active myself,” Chintala said. While this year has been “difficult to say the least” for athletic directors across the country, she is proud of the way Fleming has han-
RHEA from page 12
gestions for students in other grades, and her love for them is seen every afternoon, as they greet her, and at the end of the day when they leave for the buses. She spends hours of her own time planning lessons, looking through curriculum that she has assembled over the years, always keeping an eye out for something new that might spark the interest of her students,” Turner Steele said. She goes on to share that Rhea has never batted an eye at some of the most challenging students. In intervention team meetings, her most common refrain when asked which group of students she might prefer to work with is always, “I love them all!” “She never has a cross word to say to or about anyone – student or staff – or about any situation (yes, that means even over the past 12 months of COVID!),” Turner –Steele wrote. “She is willing to take on the most challenging situations, not only without complaint but even with eagerness. Her low-key strength and courage are an inspiration to many. As someone who has worked in education since the 1990s, I realize Julie Rhea is someone we would all do well to have as a role model.” According to Michal, Rhea “provides experience and knowl-
dled it. “I think we all decided that we were going to do whatever it took for the kids to be able to participate, because we saw how hard that was last spring when they weren’t allowed to participate. So we kind of met the challenges head-on and have done whatever it takes to make sure that they get an opportunity to do what they love to do,” Chintala said. While it can be challenging juggling athletic director and teaching duties, she wouldn’t change it for the world. She is especially grateful as a teacher to have been able to have students in the building this year. “Being in the classroom has been
huge for me. That three months that we did remote learning I just didn’t feel connected to the kids and I didn’t feel like I was doing my job as an educator to educate them. So, us being allowed to be in-person all year long has been huge, and that had made my job so much easier,” Chintala said. “It was so much harder being at home and trying to reach out to kids individually.” Despite the challenges of her job, she truly enjoys what she does. “The relationships that I build with kids are my favorite part. Seeing them later in life and seeing them with children of their own and succeeding in the things that they do is such a rewarding experience to have,” Chintala said.
ROELLE from page 14 edge of working with children ten to none better than any other para there is. Her knowledge of how to work with small groups, providing support to students, picking up and going with it in the main classroom, knowledge of programs, and taking on extra duties to help out co-workers whenever she can, proves to be steady. She is a trusted employee and co-worker amongst her peers.” Michal also shared that Rhea has devoted many hours before and after school to helping children who need extra support on projects, putting together genius hour projects, and also provides support with homework and offers a trusted support for many children who need that extra love and encouragement. “If you were to ask Julie, she would blush and push off any credit due to her. Her experience and dedication has been a blessing to not only the children, but also her co-workers, and community throughout the many years she has worked at Merino Elementary,” Michal said. “Julie Rhea gives 110% and beyond to not only the students, but to her co-workers and Merino Elementary School. She exemplifies the profession of teaching as a paraprofessional at Merino Elementary School.”
here’s a paper test you can take inperson in the classroom.’ It’s, ‘here, help the faculty and the instructors get this test uploaded into D2L, format it correctly so the students can take the quiz online,’” Roelle said. “I know it was incredibly stressful for a lot of the instructors and it still kind of is, but (in) the IT Department we tried our best to make sure the process is as easy as it can be for them.” For him, the best part of the job is getting to work closely with faculty and students, “when I’m helping them one-on-one and just the gratitude, when they smile because I helped them get it fixed. It makes you feel really good inside when you know you’ve helped them and they’re happy
about it.” While he’s had job offers elsewhere, for Roelle it isn’t about the money, because he’s found somewhere he truly enjoys working. “NJC, I think it’s a great place to work, we’re kind of like a family around here. I have great colleagues and my boss is...I don’t know if I’m ever going to work for a better boss in my life to be honest with you, she’s really mentored me, everyone down there are great mentors,” he said. And his colleagues feel just as blessed to have him at NJC. “He is one of the most pleasant, respectful, and hardworking people at Northeastern Junior College. He is a good man and very worthy of a Crystal Apple Award,” Weatherill said.
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