Cherokee Schools Support Staff Employees Of The Year Named

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — The Cherokee County School District surprised the overall winners of its third annual Support Staff Employees of the Year Awards on Thursday.

The awards program honors one Support Staff Employee of the Year from each of the district’s schools, centers and central office divisions, and one overall Cherokee Schools winner is selected for each of three categories: elementary school; middle school/high school/centers; central office.

While the traditional recognition ceremony could not be held this year, Superintendent Brian Hightower announced the winners during a virtual ceremony held online. The overall winners are:

Elementary School: Bonnie Schroeder, supportive instruction paraprofessional for Sixes Elementary School

Schroeder, who has 21 years of service with Cherokee Schools, including 12 years in her current role, is known for the care she provides to the students she serves.

“Ms. Schroeder loves a challenge,” Principal Ashley Kennerly shared in her school’s nomination letter. “As we know, all students have different obstacles that they face. Ms. Schroeder seeks out students who are experiencing difficult times, and she builds a relationship with them. Many parents have asked personally for Ms. Schroeder to work with their child. The community has faith in her due to her long-standing dedication and high rapport with students and families.”

This school year, Schroeder experienced her own challenge: the loss of her husband in a car crash. Despite her own grief, Schroeder stayed focus on her students and colleagues and how she could support them – even though the school community was focused on helping her.

“The love poured out on her and her family in food and cards and assistance and prayers and gifts and so many other ways was indeed a powerful testament to this community, but also to the impact Bonnie had made on countless lives.”

Middle School/High School/Centers: David McMickens, custodian for Cherokee Schools' Preschool Centers’ Ralph Bunche Center in Canton

McMickens has 36 years of service with the district, all in the same role as custodian for the Ralph Bunche Center. e has been part of the school’s family for even longer than that, as he attended the school himself as a child.

“David is a pillar of the Ralph Bunche community!” Principal Debbie Ritter said in the Centers’ nomination letter. “Because David has a long history and tie to the campus, pride in ownership is evident. Ralph Bunche has the most immaculately kept grounds and that is because David sees the school as an extension of his own home. In addition to the wonderful work that David does daily, his interpersonal relationships with both students and staff are immeasurable.”

An example of this focus on relationships: he knows the name of every student, who all see “Mr. David” as their friend.

“He will stand in the hallway, patient and smiling, while he accepts countless greetings and high-fives from our adoring preschoolers,” the nomination letter continued. “His kind and warm demeanor makes him safe and approachable to even our most timid students. Often, ‘Hi, Mr. David!’ is the first verbal greeting our new talkers will learn.”

Central Office: Belinda Leach, clerk for Cherokee Schools Office of Technology and Information Services

“While she has been an instrumental part of our team for many years, there are no words to adequately describe her commitment and performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began last spring,” Chief Information Officer Bobby Blount shared in his division’s nomination letter. “To say that she went above and beyond for her team is simply an understatement.”

Leach, who has 13 years of service with the district, including seven in her current role, was praised especially for her work to ensure students and staff had access to technology last spring when schools were closed but teaching and learning continued online.

“While others were sheltering in place, she was at the office every day and helped take charge of new processes to facilitate the support for our teachers and students,” the nomination letter continued. “We created a Temporary Repair Center in our Training Building. After rotating some of our staff through the front desk to manage the customer traffic, Belinda took on the role of managing all incoming repair appointments. She helped schedule several hundred teachers to get new laptops while schools were closed. She even learned technical skills to help deploy software or erase hard drives.”

“We would not be able to run our schools or our school district without our dedicated support staff,” Hightower said. “The honorees we recognized this evening remind us all how valuable these CCSD family members are to our community every day, and especially over this past school year. The school nurses who added COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing to their other many critical responsibilities. The registrars who managed enrollment, schedules and records for dual systems as we offered both in-person and digital learning. The custodians who ensured our schools were even cleaner than their already high standards. We’re recognizing those who their peers named the best, but we know there also are hundreds more who have served our community with excellence this past school year. We appreciate you and all that you do."

The overall winners are selected by a committee of retired educators and community leaders. School and division winners were selected by their colleagues; everyone who works in a support role is eligible for the honor. Teachers, counselors, media specialists, and administrators are not eligible, as they are honored through other awards programs.

Each honoree received gifts thanks to the continuing support of event sponsors: Presenting Sponsor, the Cherokee County Educational Foundation; Platinum Sponsors, Guaranteed Seamless Gutters and Credit Union of Georgia; Gold Sponsor, Cobb EMC; and Silver Sponsor, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The three overall winners each were awarded a $300 Visa gift card funded by the sponsors, $50 gift certificate for Local on North given by Shottenkirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, $50 gift certificate from Riverstone Corner Bistro, a spa package gift certificate from Practically Perfect Day Spa in Canton, $50 Amazon gift card from Centegix, $50 Amazon gift card from Nova Engineering & Environmental LLC, a Chick-fil-A of Cherokee County gift certificate, and coffee from local distributor Alma Coffee. The school- and division-level winners each received a $150 Visa gift card funded by the sponsors and gifts from ABM Industries, Allegro Business Products, Chick-fil-A of Cherokee County, Cintas, Cobb EMC, Credit Union of Georgia, Double V Restaurants, Inc. McDonald’s, Northside Hospital Cherokee, and Shottenkirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.

Every week, a different school or division Support Staff Employee of the Year winner will be featured on the district's website and social media platforms. The winners also will be congratulated by the school board at its March meeting with a virtual recognition.

To learn more and view other finalists, visit online.