SCCOE Honors Classified Employees

SAN JOSE, CA – Six classified school employees have been selected to represent Santa Clara County in the statewide Classified School Employee of the Year Program for 2009.

Districts from throughout the county submitted nominations of employees to the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The districts were required to submit three letters of recommendation on behalf of each nominee. The SCCOE then submitted names of one person in each of the six categories to the California Department of Education. The CDE will name statewide winners in each category in April.

The program pays tribute to the efforts of classified school employees, who are vital staff members in creating a school environment that promotes student achievement, safety, and health.

Below are the six categories, names of the honorees, and excerpts from their nominations:

--Child Nutrition: Adeline Arce, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Adeline is the nutritionist/food services specialist for Head Start. She supports “an incredible range of children…with the same conscientious, calm, gentle approach”

--Maintenance and Operations: Richard Valdez, San Jose Unified
Richard, a truck driver for the district, “is a creative problem solver and is a good leader for his department; he is a hard worker, diligent and industrious.”

--Office and Technical: Toan Phuong, Fremont Union High School District
Toan is the network support specialist at Lynbrook High. “He is truly the ‘Godfather’ of technology at Lynbrook High School.”

-- Para-Educator and Instructional Assistance: Amelia Miramontes, Oak Grove School District
Amelia is an instructional assistant at Christopher Elementary. She “breathes our core values of quality performance, student learning, respect, positive interdependence and integrity.”

--Support Services and Security: Mery Cheung, Metropolitan Education District
A network specialist in the business office, Mery “is a self-driven highly motivated individual who puts her heart into everything she does.”

--Transportation: Per Sorensen, Oak Grove School District
Per, a bus driver, “is deeply respected by both management and his fellow workers because of his sense of fairness and his ability to listen to the needs of others.”

Date last updated: March 24, 2009