Jerome School District and Jiffy Lube/Burton Groupannounce the Excellence in Education recipients for March 2021: Summit Elementary School Teacher Veronica Medda; Falls City Academy Teacher Alex Yoshinaga; and Jerome Kindergarten and JEEP Center’s Registrar Trina Baird.

Guidelines for selection are:

• Recipients must be a current employee of the Jerome School District; for Certified Nominations: recipient must hold a valid Idaho teacher or pupil personnel certificate; for Classified Nominations: recipient must be employed in any non-certified position;
• Administrators are not eligible for this recognition;
• Students, parents, administrators, or fellow staff members may nominate the individual;
• The recognition is for those who go above and beyond in making difference in the life of an individual student or lives of a group of students.

The Excellence in Education Award recipients for February, 2021 are:
1. Elementary certified recipient: Veronica Medda. With 12 years school teaching experience, Veronica is the 5th Grade Teacher in the Dual Immersion Spanish Program at Summit Elementary School. She was nominated by a parent who wrote the following: School is not every student’s favorite place and for some students’ school is hard. My son has struggled with school for 5 years despite our efforts to encourage and help him. Mrs. Medda has helped him feel, despite his struggles, that he is supposed to be there and that his talents make a meaningful contribution to the classroom. After a meeting we had with her and other educators she took the time to call and talk to me as a parent about the belief she had in him, the potential he has, and what she could do to help him. She gave him a job in the classroom that build his confidence and change his prospective of his role in the classroom despite his struggles. She made him feel important and needed which changed his perspective of going to school and the efforts that he made there. He has grown in so many ways because a teacher took the time and I can never thank her enough for this. When I see her in thecommunity she always makes it a point to tell be something positive about my son. She feels it is important to listen to and apply in the classroom the suggestions and ideas of the students. My son said, “She gets me. She knows when I need help and she know how to help me.” “She is so kind to me. I am so glad she is my teacher.”
2. Secondary certified recipient: Alex Yoshinaga. As a Falls City Academy Mathematics Teacher, Alex taught for 7 years before moving to Idaho. This is Mr. Yoshi’s first year with the district and at Falls City Academy. He has jumped in with both feet understanding the importance of SEL (social emotional learning) for our students and is always quick to make sure all the staff has the weekly Core Project lesson and when student numbers are low, he is willing to have these lessons and activities in his room with great success. Mr. Yoshi moves up and down the halls with a quick pace as he is energized by the strides and success the students have here at FCA. Mr. Yoshi uses different techniques to teach students integrated math, and is always asking peers for advice on how to make each student’s work space friendlier and more interactive. Mr. Yoshi understands that at times students need to take their minds off school work and does so in a way that students are brought back on task easily. One way uses a simple hook, ring and string to form a simple catch game.
3. Classified staff recipient: Trina Baird. Trina has been with the district for 3 years as a Para Professional and Registrar/Secretary for the Kindergarten and Jerome Early Education Program at Horizon Elementary School. Trina was nominated by a kindergarten teacher, and the nomination included this information: Trina willingly took on a new job as secretary of the new Kindergarten Center this year.  Little did she know, she would not only be a secretary, but a disciplinary, greeter, face of the building, runner, paperwork guru, and glue that holds our school together. She is always willing to take on any job that comes her way with a great attitude. Whenever there is a staff member that needs assistance or a student or that needs something in addition to the classroom setting, Trina is the one to take them under her wing and care for or discipline them as necessary. She arrives to work well before and stays after her contract hours each day, doing what it takes to get our building ready for learning! Trina works incredibly hard to keep our new building running as smoothly as possible, with as many trials as we have been through this year working amidst construction and Covid-19, Trina has helped us get through every speed bump and supported us as we move forward. She does not receive the recognition she truly deserves on a daily basis. Please consider her as this month’s excellent educator!

The Excellence in Education Award program began in 2016 and continues through the 2020-21 school year and has recognized the district’s outstanding teachers and classified staff each month, for a full list of award recipients contact the district office. The Jerome School District presents each recipient a plaque with a $50 gift card provided by Jiffy Lube/Burton Group at the monthly school board meetings.