Eight individuals and one team of staff members have been recognized as the Neenah Joint School District’s Employees of the Year for the 2017-18 school year.
The group represents one individual from each of the District’s employment categories. They were selected from the 699 total employees of the Neenah Joint School District and were nominated by colleagues, parents and students.
Four teachers were selected, including Rebecca VanDuser from the elementary level, Shelley Ropella from the middle school level, Shelley Dorner from the high school level and high school teacher Karen Wagner from the special services area. Assistant District Administrator of Business Services Andrew Thorson was named the Administrator of the Year, while Robin Grable from the high school was selected as the Educational Assistant of the Year. High school administrative assistant Pam Buss is the Administrative Assistant of the Year and District groundsperson Francis “Buddy” Diedrich is the Operations/Maintenance Employee of the Year.
The Team of the Year honor was awarded to the elementary math support team. Led by District STEM Coordinator Curtis Bartlett, the group has coordinated professional development to elementary teachers and special education teachers related to numeracy development. The team has created resources and materials to use with students to fill learning gaps related to math. Team members include Bethany Andersen, Crystal Bissing, Lori Long, Lori Marsden, Shannon McHugh, Andra Mory and Amy Vosters.
VanDuser has spent her entire teaching career at Lakeview Elementary beginning with first grade in 1990. She has taught second grade since 1994. VanDuser graduated from UW-Stevens Point and earned a Master’s Degree from St. Norbert College. VanDuser frequently uses a piano as part of her teaching methods and has helped write and produce Lakeview’s winter school concert. She was a Kohl Fellowship Award recipient in 2015.
Ropella is in her sixth year in the District and her third year teaching English Language Arts at Horace Mann Middle School. She taught her first three years in the District at Wilson Elementary School. Ropella is co-advisor of the Horace Mann student council. A Neenah High School graduate, Ropella earned a Bachelor’s Degree from UW-Eau Claire.
Dorner began her teaching career at Neenah High School in 1998. Prior to coming to Neenah, Dorner was a teaching assistant in the science department at Purdue University while completing her Master’s Degree. A graduate of Truman State University (Mo.), Dorner teaches Chemistry classes from beginning to advanced levels. She also has assisted with the Science Olympiad program.
Wagner is in her 26th year in the District as a Special Education teacher working with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). She also serves as the Special Education Department Chair. Wagner taught for eight years prior to coming to Neenah with stints in Menominee, Mich. and Kiel. She is a graduate of Central Michigan University and earned a Master’s Degree at Northern Michigan University.
Thorson has held two prominent administrative positions in just seven years of District employment. He spent the first half of his career as the Director of Facilities/Engineer before moving into his current role overseeing the District’s $90 million budget. He has a civil engineering degree from Marquette University and a Master of Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University. He also recently completed a School Business Management license from UW-Whitewater.
Grable is in her seventh year at Neenah High School as a full-time special education academic assistant after serving as a substitute teacher in the District for many years. She also assists as a coach with the Special Olympics teams in all sports. Grable has had perfect attendance four of the past five years and serves as a regular supervisor for high school athletic events.
Buss is in her 24th year in the District and ninth in her current role as the Administrative Assistant in the counseling office. Buss began her career as an Educational Assistant at Hoover Elementary for four years before moving to the high school where she was an Educational Assistant and attendance clerk. Buss has been active as a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Brigade.
Diedrich is completing his fifth year as a groundsperson, assisting with all 14 District buildings. He also serves as a relief custodian. Diedrich has a wide range of duties, focusing primarily on building exterior, including mowing, plowing and general building maintenance.
The Employees of the Year will be honored at a social at the Best Western Bridgewood Resort Hotel and Conference Center on Wed., April 25 from 3:45-5 p.m.
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