Congratulations to Valerie Minogue, the school nurse at McDougle Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Valerie was nominated by CHCCS parent, Natalie Long. “Nurse Val is like the energizer bunny! She always wears a smile along with her silly hats and outfits and makes school fun. My boys adore her! Having survived COVID, she deserves a huge acknowledgement for all she's done to keep our kids safe.”

Congratulations to Baylor High, an EC teacher at Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe Elementary, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Baylor was nominated by CHCCS parent, Barbara Hall, and by Judit Dorado-Zimo, a fellow EC teacher at FPGB.

Barbara shared, “Ms. High has ensured the success of our son, Justin Hall, this year. Justin has autism, and Ms. High has helped in several ways.

“Justin was having trouble safely transitioning from the car to the classroom in the morning. He tried to run into traffic to ‘catch’ us on several occasions. Ms. High developed an incentive involving planets (Justin loves space!) and worked with us to develop a transition plan that begins in the car, then Ms. High greets Justin every morning at the car and walks Justin to class.

“In addition, Ms. High worked with staff to develop a plan to help Justin grow accustomed to eating lunch at school. Justin now experiences ‘Tray Tuesday’ where he eats lunch at school. Ms. High practiced with Justin and now sends home choice cards the day before so Justin can have a visual reminder of his food choice to ease the stress of walking through the line.

“Ms. High has probably helped in the classroom in many ways we do not see. These two instances I have described have ensured the safety of Justin and others during the morning drop off, have incentivized him to be successful by drawing on his hyper fixation of space, and have helped him learn how to access his complete educational and social opportunities.”

Justin was present during Baylor’s recognition and loved telling Dr. Hamlett all about “Tray Tuesday!”

Judit added to the accolades, telling us “Baylor is not only a great EC teacher but a great person and colleague. She does not only advocate fiercely for the students but makes sure that the transition of new EC teachers (like myself) is positive and easy. Every Monday after school we meet and she makes sure I feel ok, answers any doubts and provides ideas. She is happiness and positivity personified. You can feel as she walks through the school that she has a very welcoming and warm relationship with everybody. Students LOVE her! She is so deserving of this recognition!”

Congratulations to Linda Fyle, the secretary and bookkeeper at Scroggs Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Linda was nominated by Kelly Fields, an Inclusion Assistant at Scroggs ES. “She goes above and beyond for Scroggs kiddos and adults! Most importantly she ALWAYS does it with a smile, care and kindness!”

Congratulations to Zosha Silverstein-Belden, a science teacher at Phoenix Academy High School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Zosha was nominated by PAHS principal, Dr. Jon Dixon. “Ms. Silverstein-Belden is a fantastic science teacher at Phoenix Academy and our Virtual Academy who always keeps things engaging for her students, works to design field trips around the standards & content (like our recent trip to the Museum of Life & Science in Durham), and builds nurturing relationships with her kids. Ms Silverstein-Belden is our Equity Coach and our PAHS STAC Representative, and takes both of these jobs very seriously. She has worked to design our weekly Affinity Groups meetings and she truly represents our teachers by bringing their needs and concerns to STAC, and sharing out the information she gleans there. Ms. Silverstein-Belden will be leaving after this year to return to Boston with her family, which is even more reason why I would like to nominate her at this time. She really is a great teacher, loves the kids, and will do anything in her power to make Phoenix Academy and our Virtual Academy second-to-none!”

Congratulations to Tequila Powell, a fifth grade teacher at Northside Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Tequila was nominated by fellow Northside teacher, Ashley Quick-Hooker. “Tequila is very dependable. She is always willing to do anything to support others. She always says, ‘what do you need?’ She then will proceed to help in any way possible. She builds relationships with her students that impact their performance and attitude toward school in a positive light. If there was a perfect attendance award, she would have that. She shows up daily for students no matter what. She is dependable and ready to take charge. She is a leader in our building, serving on our leadership team. I see her car when I arrive daily, and it’s still in the lot when I leave. She deserves this recognition because she SHOWS up in any capacity.”

Congratulations to Kirsten Venema, a Multilingual Learner teacher at Ephesus Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Kirsten was nominated by CHCCS parent Emilia Chylek. “She takes care of all the aspects of children's welfare at school. Mrs. Venema retires this year so the prize would be a good recognition of her engagement in making emigrated children feel welcome and safe in American schools.”

Congratulations to Jeff Alguire, the theater manager at East Chapel Hill High School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Jeff was nominated by ECHHS theater teacher, Hope Love. “Jeff does his job as Technical Theater manager with great competency but this is the baseline of his contributions to the school community. Jeff is a liaison to and the face of our system for many of the community organizations which rent our facilities. He is an advocate for students, often providing a space for a shy student to flourish. He not only supports the work of the technical theater students, he makes literal and metaphoric space for our Robotics Team and Dance Ensembles. He is the definition of a team player and should be celebrated as such.”

Congratulations to Tania Agosto, a teacher at the UNC Hospital School working with children in middle grades in the Hematology/Oncology department, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Tania was nominated by UNC Hospital School principal, Marny Ruben. “Tania Agosto is a teacher here that works incredibly hard to meet the needs of her students and families, most of which are middle school students that have a cancer diagnosis. She puts her whole heart into her job! She is a role model for other staff and an advocate for what is right, always! We are so proud of her and lucky to have her on our staff.”

Congratulations to Dorie Hall, the CHCCS Executive Director of Secondary Math and Science, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Dorie was nominated by Valerie Sellars, a Secondary Science Coach. “It is with pleasure that I submit a recommendation for Dorie Hall as a recipient of the CHCCS CHAMPion Award. She understands the importance of relationship building in both student-teacher, coach-director, administration-director, and community-district relationships. Ms. Hall has a vast knowledge of leadership strategies to support all those she serves. As evidenced in her work experiences, she is passionate about empowering individuals and teams to fulfill the strategic plans of CHCCS.

“As an academic leader and Director of Math and Science, Ms. Hall has built a district-wide instructional vision and implementation plan for improvements in math and science curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and has provided robust on-ramps for honors courses that have resulted in improved achievement for secondary math and science students. She has an innovative approach to leadership. As a leader in the instructional services, in addition to mathematics and science, she oversees other district initiatives such as Middle School Summer Success and Credit by Demonstrated Mastery for high school subjects.

“Ms. Hall often refers to herself as a lead learner. She actively demonstrates this philosophy by leading learning opportunities. She develops and leads large-scale professional development events for the district and its schools, including training for district leadership teams. This work includes monitoring instruction through frequent instructional rounds to provide effective feedback. She also provides learning opportunities for one-on-one support and teams of teachers and school math coaches related to teaching and learning, effective instruction, curriculum, and student engagement. Ms. Hall has shared her expertise as a lead presenter at state conferences about her equity driven instructional work in CHCCS.

“CHCCS students, teachers, coaches, school administrators, and district level departments are better because of the work that Ms. Dorie Hall has done and continues to do throughout her career in CHCCS. Her connections and passion for empowering teams to lead are valuable skill sets. I have seen this personally, as a member of her team, as a district science secondary lead coach, in the numerous school visits, meetings, etc. that I have attended with Ms. Hall, where participants define and implement initiatives. Participants leave with new ideas and excitement from working with her. Ms. Hall will always give herself in the support of others.”

Congratulations to Sylvie Williams, a bus driver in our transportation department, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Sylvie was nominated by two East Chapel Hill High School students, Pri Finkral and Louis Dasher. Pri said “She is an awesome bus driver who always does her best to make sure everyone gets home as soon as they can. She's friendly and always makes everyone's day brighter. She genuinely cares about her students and tells us so all the time. She always goes above and beyond, regularly asking about and then volunteering to take home students that have no bus driver. All her students love her and we look forward to seeing her every day. She works so hard and is such an amazing person!!” Louis added, “She is the hardest working bus driver in the district. She is always helping get everyone home, and she always stays happy.”

Congratulations to NaTasja Jeter, a senior at Chapel Hill High School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! NaTasja was nominated by Benjamin Knight (CHCCS student), Lorie Clark (Coordinator for Student Leadership and Engagement), and Kate Kennedy (Director of Advanced Learning and Student Leadership).

“Tasja is a strong leader in our school and district community, who effectively advocates for students’ needs. Recently, she, along with CHHS’s BBSU, CHS’s BBSC, and ECHHS’s LCSOC, organized a screening of “I’m Smart Too”, which was attended by district leaders and varied stakeholders. The event encouraged creative problem-solving, facilitated the sharing of ideas, and fostered connections between different people interested in improving racial inequities in the district.” - Benjamin Knight, student

“NaTasja is an incredible young lady. Not only is she an outstanding student but she is a social justice advocate for students and the community. She has volunteered in various capacities with local organizations and stays busy as a student advocate. She is a member of YLI, TigerLinks, co-founder of Black and Brown Student Union and CHHS SIT.” - Lorie Clark

“NaTasja is an outstanding senior at Chapel Hill High. She was selected to attend Governor's School last summer and she is also our Gifted Program Advisory Council Student Representative. She leads with joy and strength and puts the needs of her classmates into the center of all she does.” - Kate Kennedy

Congratulations to Alejandro Huerta, Lead Custodian at Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Alejandro was nominated by Principal Karen Galassi-Ferrer and Assistant Principal Kat Rangel. “‘Mr. Alejandro’ is such an integral part of FPGB, I know this paragraph won't even begin to show how much he means to our school. As lead custodian, he takes pride in ensuring our school is clean and functioning well each and every day - and in a school as old as FPGB, that is not easy!! He doesn't want our school to just be clean, but to be beautiful and takes on added painting projects to brighten our space--from the joyous yellow in the admin offices, to our fun multi-colored wall and even the cute tree bench he built and painted.  He is wonderful with our students (and staff!) and was invaluable in several situations with students in crisis. He brings joy every day to FPGB!”

Congratulations to Gabriel Graña, Media Specialist at Smith Middle School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Gabriel was nominated by CHCCS students Nicholas Nolan, Alexandra Jamieson, and Ella Levy, as well as ELL teacher Christiaan Van Jimenez.

“He tries his hardest to make the library the safest space in this school. He's been making us happy by speaking up for us.” - Nicholas Nolan

“He's a great librarian and a great ally to the lgbtq+ community! He's very kind to people and hosts events like Harry Potter Week.” - Alexandra Jamieson

“He supports LGBTQIA+ unconditionally, he steps out of the way to support pride month and he's always very helpful and kind.” - Ella Levy

“In addition to being our amazing bilingual librarian, Mr. Graña has worked tirelessly to make Smith Middle School the most inviting place it can be. He has opened the library to students every minute of the day and has made it a safe space for everyone. He works to help students make connections with others to support their emotional as well as intellectual growth. He supports the ESL, EC, and AIG departments, jumps into classes, leads sessions in the library, and makes it a mission to cultivate a love of reading everywhere he goes. During the pandemic he reached out to and facilitated virtual meet and greets with authors. He continues to work with the Equity Team to bolster representation in our school community and curriculum.” - Christiaan Van Jimenez

Congratulations to Stevie Crownson, a floater custodian at Lincoln Center, one of three employees from Operations nominated by Executive Director of Capital & Facilities, Eric Allen. Bobby Woodard and Lay Po were also recognized and have been featured in previous CHAMPions posts. They received their CHAMPions award at the April 21 Board of Education meeting. Mr. Allen said of the trio, “These three gentlemen display the character that embodies what school districts should be about. They are extremely hardworking. Everyday they exhibit the servitude that is required of everyone in the arena of public education. They do not complete tasks for individual praise but for the betterment of the students and the district. In my time here in CHCCS, I have received emails from principals, teachers and community members highlighting the great things that these men accomplish on a daily basis. CHCCS would not be as great as it is without these gentlemen.” 

Mr. Crownson, a graduate of Chapel Hill High School, first worked for the district as a contracted night custodian. He was then the Head Custodian at Glenwood Elementary. After winning employee of the year honors and a short hiatus last year, he returned to his “Family” as a floater custodian at Lincoln Center.

Congratulations to Patty Moore, School Social Worker at Glenwood Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Patty was nominated by fellow School Social Worker, Wendy Johnston. “Patty is an exceptional member of the Glenwood Team. She worked diligently to maintain a strong relationship with all families while remote. She regularly reached out to incoming families to establish a personal relationship with each so they had someone with whom to connect and ask questions. She is the leader of the MTSS Committee and works daily to support teachers in data collection and child find concerns. Patty has a vision for students which includes building not only great educational experiences, but also healthy thinking and strong interpersonal skills. Patty looks at the daily work of being a School Social Worker in the broad scope of growing happy families and strengthening the community.”

Congratulations to Andres Reinosa, Second Grade Dual Language Teacher at Carrboro Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Andres was nominated by CHCCS parent Sara Garcia, who said “Excelente maestro.” Dual Language Coordinator Gina Bachelor added, “The level of mutual respect between him and his students is exceptional. The environment he creates allows for every student to learn. He is able to bring abstract concepts into concrete examples, and his students use content-specific Spanish so well that it’s hard to identify the native speakers from the non-native speakers.”

Congratulations to Ellen DePinto, Third Grade Teacher at Morris Grove Elementary School, today’s CHCCS CHAMPion! Ellen was nominated by CHCCS parent Lindsay Bedford. “Ms. DePinto is a third grade teacher who finds a way to meet each of her students exactly where they are. Her biggest strength is really knowing everything about her students and then helping to build them up in many areas that might not necessarily be academic, but are essential to their learning and success in school. For example, Ms. DePinto strongly values independence - in assignments, as a participant in group work, with executive functioning skills, and social emotional regulation. In each of her students, Ms. DePinto finds areas such as these that can be improved on and gives her students individualized strategies to help them learn and grow. Thank you Ms. DePinto, for valuing each of your students and helping them become the best version of themselves!”

Congratulations to Lay Po, Head Custodian at Lincoln Center, one of three employees from Operations nominated by Executive Director of Capital & Facilities, Eric Allen. Bobby Woodard and Stevie Crownson were also recognized. Bobby was featured in April and Stevie will be featured in a future CHAMPions post. They received their CHAMPions award at the April 21 Board of Education meeting.

Mr. Allen said of the trio, “These three gentlemen display the character that embodies what school districts should be about. They are extremely hardworking. Everyday they exhibit the servitude that is required of everyone in the arena of public education. They do not complete tasks for individual praise but for the betterment of the students and the district. In my time here in CHCCS, I have received emails from principals, teachers and community members highlighting the great things that these men accomplish on a daily basis. CHCCS would not be as great as it is without these gentlemen.” 

Mr. Po’s began his career at CHCCS as a custodian at Carrboro Elementary School. He transferred to Lincoln Center as the Head Custodian at Mr. Woodard’s urging.

Julie Werry states, “‘Mrs. B’ as she is called is an amazing CHAMPion teacher! She is intentional about meeting every student where they are and emphasizing their strengths while at the same time gracefully addressing their challenge areas. She takes time to recognize students for the wonderful connections they are making to what they are studying. She takes pleasure in seeing that what her students learn in the classroom carries beyond the walls of the building and impacts them in their own worlds. She is a wonderful person, teacher and mentor especially during these times! My family is grateful to her and has relied on her heavily!”

Whitney and John Martin added, “Ms. Bernasconi leads her 1st grade class with incredible enthusiasm, grace and compassion. Each day she points out ways she ‘made a mistake’ or is ‘learning new things’ so that her classroom is a place of courage and growth. I can think of countless days that her leadership lifted up my daughter and also myself.”

Congratulations to Bobby Woodard, CHCCS Custodial Supervisor, one of three employees from Operations nominated by Executive Director of Capital & Facilities Eric Allen. Lay Po and Stevie Crownson were also recognized and will be featured in future CHAMPions posts.

They received their CHAMPions award at the April 21 Board of Education meeting. Mr. Allen said of the trio, “These three gentlemen display the character that embodies what school districts should be about. They are extremely hardworking. Everyday they exhibit the servitude that is required of everyone in the arena of public education. They do not complete tasks for individual praise but for the betterment of the students and the district. In my time here in CHCCS, I have received emails from principals, teachers and community members highlighting the great things that these men accomplish on a daily basis. CHCCS would not be as great as it is without these gentlemen.” 

Mr. Woodard’s first position at CHCCS was as Head Custodian at Glenwood Elementary School before transferring to Facilities and Maintenance in Central Office. He is in his 27th year of service!