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- Employee Recognition Program
- Certified and Classified Employees of the Quarter Program
Certified and Classified Employees of the Quarter Program
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The purpose of the Certified and Classified Employees of the Quarter Program is to recognize excellence as accomplished by certified and classified employees of Grand Forks Public Schools. To be considered for the award, the employee must be a valuable asset to the Grand Forks Public Schools community by completing their job duties to the highest standard and displaying a commitment to students/parents/guardians and the school/program/school system.
The Certified and Classified Employees of the Quarter Program applies to all full- and part-time employees who have worked in the Grand Forks Public Schools system for at least one calendar year. The Certified and Classified Employees of the Quarter Program is reviewed periodically and subject to change without notice.
- Examples of certified employees include teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, and school psychologists.
- Examples of classified employees include custodians, nurses, paraprofessionals, receptionists, and secretaries/assistants, in addition to building and ground employees (carpenter, maintenance, electrician, HVAC mechanic, etc.), child nutrition (cooks, cook managers, drivers, etc.), and district personnel (accounting, secretaries/assistants, payroll, etc.).
- Note: administrators (including principals and associate principals) are not eligible for this program.
Nominations are open to the entire community. A district committee will use a scoring rubric (1-4) to evaluate each applicant on the criteria listed below. Committee members will first individually review the applications, and will then discuss their scoring in order to reach consensus on a Certified and Classified employee of each quarter.
The award recipients will be recognized at a Grand Forks School Board meeting. They will receive a gift from the Grand Forks School Board, and in gratitude for their impact on the school system and students, will also receive a $200 monetary award from the Grand Forks Foundation for Education.
Please click here to view the rubric the nominations will be scored on.
The Employee of the Quarter program will re-open in the Fall of 2023.
Past Employees of the Quarter Recipients
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4th Quarter
- Certified: Christine Dewey, English Language (EL) teacher, Winship Elementary School
- Classified: Mike Soli, facility manager, Red River High School
3rd Quarter
- Certified: Alisa Bowman, social worker, Lake Agassiz Elementary School
- Classified: Patti Blair, library and instructional paraprofessional, Community High School
2nd Quarter
- Certified: Kari Melland, instructional design coach, Discovery Elementary School
- Classified: Leigh Olson, secretary, Grand Forks Central High School
1st Quarter
- Certified: Sarah Bry, instructional design coach, Lewis and Clark Elementary School
- Classified: Cassandra Schmisek, special education paraprofessional, Grand Forks Central High School
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4th Quarter
- Certified: Chelsi Norenberg, 1st grade teacher, Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School
- Classified: Jake Geffre, theater technician, Grand Forks Public Schools
3rd Quarter
- Certified: Deanna Mattice, kindergarten teacher, Lewis & Clark Elementary School
- Classified: Richard Springer, custodian, Grand Forks Central High School
2nd Quarter
- Certified: Jana Makovsky, 1/2 grade teacher, Phoenix Elementary School
- Classified: Jared Rodriguez, paraprofessional, Discovery Elementary School
1st Quarter
- Certified: Diane Krueger, English teacher, Valley Middle School
- Classified: Angi Aamodt, payroll supervisor, Grand Forks Public Schools
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4th Quarter
- Certified: Miya Lautt, special education teacher, Elroy Schroeder Middle School
- Classified: Kayla Erickson, ENCORE coordinator
3rd Quarter
- Certified: Jeff Compton, network services coordinator
- Classified: Taunya Schleicher, grant writer
2nd Quarter
- Certified: Lori Eken, 6th grade teacher, Elroy Schroeder Middle School
- Classified: Pamela Soderberg, interventions para-educator at Grand Forks Central High School
1st Quarter
- Certified: Jennifer Modeen, social worker and homeless liaison, Winship Elementary School
- Classified: Sherri Motherwell, school nurse, Phoenix Elementary School/South Middle School
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4th Quarter
- Certified: Emily Parrill, foreign language teacher, Red River High School
- Classified: Milly Lafferty, custodian, Elroy Schroeder Middle School
3rd Quarter
- Certified: Trevor Lennon, business education teacher, Grand Forks Central High School
- Classified: Ken Carlson, print shop supervisor, Mark Sanford Education Center
2nd Quarter
- Certified: Kristy Hanson, education coordinator, Head Start
- Classified: Ione Seidlinger, EL paraeducator, Red River High School