KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Recognized for their dedication, long hours and hard work, youth workers and teachers were recently celebrated during a nation-wide salute.
May 7-11 was National Teacher Appreciation Week, which is dedicated to men and women who educate children, said Janice Broccoli, U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Morale, Welfare and Recreation partner specialist in Landstuhl.
In the past, each of the Child, Youth and School Services' facilities created their own events to thank the teachers. This year, each facility honored the teachers in a uniform way, Broccoli said.
The events were designed to celebrate the hard work the teachers do at CYS, said Ellen Harris, CYS Services coordinator.
"Our teachers are very talented, that undergo strict training and truly love working with kids," Harris said.
Each facility created journals for each teacher that parents could write notes in to thank their children's teacher.
"Parents are recognizing teachers by writing notes thanking them for what they have done and what they mean to the children and parents," Harris said. "One parent even asked for extra sheets to write notes for teachers that have already moved away because they made such a difference in their life."
In addition to the journals, staff members were given certificates to leave work 59 minutes early and another signed by the garrison commander thanking them for their service to childcare. Each facility also hosted a luncheon for their staff on Friday, Broccoli said.
With more than 400 children in regular full-time childcare and several thousand more that are in part-time, hourly or sports programs spread from Miseau to Sembach Army Airfields, the CYS staff spend a lot of hours with the Kaiserslautern Military Community children, Harris said.
"The time, effort and care our staff put into their jobs is awe-inspiring," Harris said. "They do make a difference in their lives."
Editor's note:
Each of the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Child, Youth and School Services facilities were asked to nominate one teacher who stood out. Here are those results and a few comments about them:
Maria Rodriguez, Kleber Child Development Center:
Maria has outstanding teaching abilities, which is evident because the children are excited to see her everyday as they always greet her with a smile. She loves the children and is always going the extra mile to plan interactive and interesting lesson plans to keep them interested and eager to see what she has planned next. She is a great teacher and very creative. She can use anything and teach the children how to turn it into a master piece.
Marcia Bisco, Landstuhl Child Development Center 1:
Marcia has gone above and beyond in her program such as doing special gardening projects, presenting a "Writing without Tears" workshop/training and designing and replacing all of the center's intercom number signs.
Laura Welsh-Strack, Landstuhl Child Development Center 2:
Although Laura has an Masters of Business Administration, she went to a job fair and decided to give childcare a try. Since then, she has taken every chance available to learn and grow in this field. She has completed her foundation level training in less than a year. She often asks for extra resources for parents and herself for things going on in the room. She is a real team player and always offers to help or stay late when needed.
Karen Vernon, Landstuhl Youth Center:
Karen is a positive individual who has a strong work ethic and is extremely competent. Karen has developed strong relationships with both parents and youth. Consequently, this has helped bring more youth into the program. Karen has also helped secure several Boys and Girls Clubs of America grants for the program. These grants include a Triple Play grant in the amount of $2,500 and a technology grant in the amount of $5,000.
Sabrina Shumate, Landstuhl School Age Center:
Sabrina works tirelessly to ensure quality programming is met. She implements the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) Program Smart Girls designed to target high risk behaviors such as bullying and drugs. Additionally, she guides the BGCA Junior Torch club ensuring the children have a sense of community and leadership skills. Her guidance in these clubs showcase her strength in childhood youth and development.
Shernett Bailey, Miesau Child Development Center:
Shernett has been working for Miesau Child Development Center since October 1998. Shernett started out as a FLEX CYPA floater, in 2000 moved up to a full time CYPA assigned to the Toddler classroom, promoted to Lead Teacher in 2001 and finally became the Supervisory Program Specialist in 2010. In her time at Miesau, she has worked for four CYSS coordinators, 10 directors, seven assistant directors and five training and curriculum specialists. Shernett is someone who is truly vested in the Kaiserslautern Military Community and dedicated to CYSS and the Miesau CDC family.
Christopher Shumate, Sembach School Age Center:
Christopher is a well-rounded MWR employee that touches each department. He is extremely dedicated and goes out of his way to volunteer for additional duties such as working with other divisions in MWR and Other CYSS facilities. Christopher is versatile with all ages, he is charismatic and displays a genuine love for his job. He consistently demonstrates the ability to perform a wide range of assignments throughout MWR.
Kurt Nusshag, Youth Sports:
Kurt Nusshag has been with CYSS for the past four years. His knowledge in sports and fitness was truly a valuable asset to the KMC community. He has worked many hours as a volunteer for CYSS and was recently recognized by the presidential volunteer service award.
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