Support staff members earn honors

Posted on: Mar 1, 2021

It takes a wide array of staff members to keep a school running, including many who never stand in front of a classroom.

Four such employees recently received Educational Support Staff Awards after they were nominated by coworkers across the district. 

The honorees for 2020-21 include Delano High School lead custodian Martin Lira Landa, and paraprofessionals Margaret Grgas from Delano Elementary School, Judy Reed from Delano Intermediate School and Nathan Brisley from Delano High School.

Martin Lira Landa
Lira Landa started working for the district nine years ago in the fall of 2012, and said he is “happy and thankful” to have the opportunity to help others on a daily basis.

“The best part of my job is that satisfaction of making a positive impact,” he said.

An anonymous nomination submitted on Lira Landa’s behalf highlighted his work ethic and engaging demeanor.

“He works incredibly hard to make sure our school is ready for day-to-day operations,” said the nomination. “Martin always has a positive attitude, saying ‘hi’ to students and staff in the hallways with a smile on his face. Whenever he is asked for help with something, he is always willing to help right away without complaints.”

That hard work continued through the past year’s COVID shutdowns, which the custodial crew used to tackle extra projects such as painting and deep cleaning to improve the building’s overall appearance. Lira Landa said the crew was thankful for the opportunity to stay busy even when school buildings fell largely silent during distance learning.

“With the pandemic going on we were able to keep our jobs and make a positive impact on the school while most students were gone,” he said. 

The nomination noted that Lira Landa takes on every task with a smile, even when dealing with incidental absurdities such as tracking down chipmunks and other critters that occasionally find their way into the building.

“He is always a team player and brings positivity to our school,” it said.

Margaret Grgas
Grgas has spent seven years with the district, which comes after a previous career in customer and technical support at Thomson Reuters, followed by a dozen years at home raising children.

“Raising our kids has helped me more than anything in my job as a para,” Grgas said. “There are so many strategies and supports that I used with our kids that translate into supporting my students as their para.”

A nomination for Grgas noted that she has made a difference both when students are onsite and when they are absent from the building. 

“Margaret always goes above and beyond when working with staff and students at DES,” the nomination said. “She has not only been a great help during the school year but also during distance learning. She has taken the time to help organize classroom teachers’ libraries to help get them ready for years to come.”

For her part, Grgas said she was “humbled and grateful” to have received the award, and that she appreciates the support of her co-workers, many of whom have become close friends.

“Seeing the progress that my students make is the most rewarding part of my job,” she said. “I get the most satisfaction out of the relationships that I have formed with my students. … My students make me smile and laugh every single day. I am so proud of all of their accomplishments. They are wonderful kids who make coming to work so enjoyable and so rewarding.”

Judy Reed
Reed has filled a variety of roles for Delano Public Schools over the past seven years. Her first post was as a preschool Reading Corps tutor in 2014. She then worked with Tiger Kids Club, became a long-term substitute at the high school in 2017, and finally was hired on as a full-time paraprofessional when the intermediate school opened in 2018.

“I am very honored to have been chosen as a recipient,” Reed said. “It is very humbling to realize that fellow staff picked me for such an amazing honor.”

“Judy is the consummate team player,” said a nomination on her behalf. “She readily accepts all roles assigned to her with positivity and performs to a high degree. Judy has developed trusting relationships with her students and case managers and all who work with her know that she will perform all duties beyond expectations. Judy embraces the students she works with and looks out for them with passion and warmth. This attitude of concern and care continued during distance learning as she met with her assigned students to provide the best support possible. Judy is a tremendous asset to the DIS/DPS team.”
Reed said that the people were the aspect of her job that she loves the most.

“I spend the day with some pretty awesome students,” she said. “They are truly why I do the job! I also enjoy the camaraderie of the staff and feel like we all support and complement each other every day. Thank you to all the staff at DPS that make the position fun and rewarding every day. I also need to say thank you to my family for giving me the support and understanding that allows me to do this job.”

Nathan Brisley 
Brisley joined the high school in 2017 as the girls diving coach, and has drawn on that coaching background in his work to support students academically.

Multiple nominations commented on Brisley’s ability to connect with students and staff members alike, his proactive efforts to provide extra support or improve his own methods when time allows, and his consistency in going “above and beyond” his duties as a para. 

“He has been so supportive during distance learning and I know some students passed because of his help,” said one nomination.

“Nate is willing to adapt to any situation that comes his way,” said another nomination, highlighting a critical skill during the unpredictability of the current year.

“I am extremely grateful and honored to have been nominated, let alone be awarded this award. There are so many amazing paraprofessionals at Delano,” said Brisley. “More often than not I feel more like I am trying to keep up with the other support staff and what they are doing every day with the students they help.”

As for what he enjoys most about the job, Brisley said it is the opportunity to come alongside students and help them earn success in the classroom.

“I enjoy working with students and helping them figure out what they might need help with,” he said. “Sometimes it’s an easy fix, or simply saying the same thing the teacher had already said, but with it coming from someone else it seems to click.”
 

Post Categories: Elementary School, High School, Intermediate School