Santa Barbara County Education Office kicks off Classified School Employee’s Week with annual awards
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) announced the 2023 Classified School Employees of the Year awards on Thursday.
Winners were selected from 125 school sites across the county after education offices were asked to select nominees for nine classified school employment categories: Clerical and Administrative; Custodial and Maintenance; Food and Nutrition; Health and Student Services; Paraprofessional; Security Services; Skilled Trades; Technical Services; and Transportation.
“Classified employees provide the essential services that keep our students safe, well, and learning,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido. “They support teachers, school staff, and countless others to make our public school system the vital resource hub that it is for students and families. I congratulate the winners and appreciate the many contributions our classified employees make each and every day of the year."
Some of the winners are listed below.
Kathleen Stevenson of Orcutt Union School District (OUSD) was selected for the Clerical and Administrative category. Stevenson has served seven years as the office manager for two schools on OUSD's Los Alamos campus, Olga Reed School and Orcutt Academy Charter School's TK-8 program.
“Kathleen interacts daily with all visitors, assisting students and parents, welcoming substitute teachers, and fielding questions from neighbors. Somehow she manages to coordinate all of the activity on this bustling school site, and she does it with grace, warmth, and a genuine interest in helping,” says Brenda Galvez, who works in the school office as the campus community liaison.
Herk Hang of the Lompoc Unified School District won the Custodial and Maintenance category. Hang has served as the groundskeeper at Leonora Fillmore Elementary School for the past five years.
Students and staff “walk onto campus feeling proud of where they learn and work,” members of the Fillmore staff said of Hang in the SBCEO press release. “His commitment to our school shows through the inviting areas he has created throughout the campus.”
Maria Charco with Santa Barbara Unified School District was the award winner for the Food and Nutrition category. Charco has been a Food Services Assistant at La Cumbre Junior High for seven years.
Members of her team said of Chaco, "Maria is a great asset to the department and deserves any and all accolades.”
Norma Flores of Lompoc Unified School District won the Health and Student Services category award. Flores has dedicated almost 23 years to Leonora Fillmore Elementary School and 11 years to the surrounding community as a Home/School Community Liaison.
“Norma puts all staff members and families at ease with her approachable demeanor. She always has a smile on her face, is willing to do anything needed, and creates a positive feeling in our office,” detailed members of her team in the SBCEO press release.
Diane Campo of Lompoc Unified School District won the Paraprofessional Services category award. Campo has served 16 years as a special education paraprofessional at Los Berros Visual and Performing Arts Academy.
“Mrs. Campo is a true team player. She knows her responsibilities as a special education para-educator and will do whatever needs to be done to meet the needs of the students she supports,” detailed colleagues at Los Berros. “We are very fortunate to have her on our Los Berros team.”
