Leading Learning Award - Current and Past Honorees

Debra Smith, Going Above and Beyond “While she is only temporarily working with us at Empower U South, she has gone above and beyond to make sure the transition for the young adults she serves has been as smooth as possible. She immediately took a new ISS staff member under her wing on the very first day and walked them through all of the duties we just cannot capture in standard onboarding. I am thankful for the time we have her." -Nic Bond, Center Programs Administrator

Elizabeth Schafer, MySchool@Kent “Elizabeth has always contributed outstanding work and shown great dedication to our school. Her compassion, loyalty, and reliability help MySchool@Kent succeed. She shows a genuine concern for the well-being of her students, and she goes out of her way to ensure that all feel supported and valued." - Matt Reda, Instructor, MySchool@Kent

Stephanie Harkema, KEC Beltline “Stephanie is the true definition of an outstanding educator and her efforts do not go unnoticed. She also leads our Student Government, school store, and is an integral member of our Continuous Improvement and PBIS Teams. Stephanie is extremely organized and has targeted lesson plans that meet all her students where they are." - Kevin Zaschak, Principal, KEC Beltline

Nicole Burman, Bright Beginnings Nicole recently encountered a dangerous situation involving a family at-home visit. "Nicole remained calm, used excellent judgment under pressure, helped de-escalate the situation and kept the children and herself safe. Nicole is a strong advocate for young children and parents in the community. She is outstanding at building relationships with families and they love having her in their homes. And she does all of these amazing things with a smile on her face!" - Rebecca Hodges, Bright Beginnings

Nate Cooper Working with Nate Cooper is always a pleasure. He makes himself available for technology consultations, installs, repairs and Capital Outlay recommendations. He is the epitome of service that is second to none. We rely on his experience with different equipment and programs. Nate's advice gets us back on track when we have questions or delays.

Officer Steve Toonstra “I want to give a positive shout out to Officer Steve. He shows up to KEC Beltline every day and goes above and beyond. His relationships with students, parents and staff are amazing, and he pulls weeds out front, sweeps wood chips off the sidewalk, cleans tables and this week I came back in the building from a meeting, and he was cleaning the floor on his hands and knees. Kudos to Officer Steve!"

Kelly Cleveland Kelly Cleveland has always been an exceptional teacher and learner. She never stops thinking of how students can have better outcomes and how she can better her practice to make that happen. She is a top-notch teacher, advocate, role model and leader within our county, state and even nationally. Because of her early, specific auditory work with students, we have seen them go from being fully mainstreamed in their elementary years, to being fully mainstreamed by kindergarten. or preschool in some instances. It has been an incredible shift to see children who are deaf and hard of hearing have the level of auditory skills, language and vocabulary skills and the confidence to be at school in their home districts.

Jeff Miller Jeff has served as Custodial Supervisor at Kent ISD for 19 years and his commitment and dedication to serving students, staff and guests truly exemplify what it means to lead learning. He often comes in early, stays late, or gives up time on weekends to assist with meetings and student activities, or to ensure that our buildings and grounds are safe and secured. Jeff is someone that values helping others and will go out of his way to accommodate even the smallest need or request. It is evident that Jeff has instilled this service-oriented approach to the staff he supervises, only further extending the positive impact Jeff has had throughout Kent ISD.