Schools

Nantucket Elementary Media Specialist Honored

Debra Jolene Clark was recently named the Employee of the Month for November by Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) recognizes educators, employees and volunteers each month from September to June during the school year. Awards are presented at Board of Education meetings and Patch is pleased to announce the honorees.

The November "Employee of the Month" is Debra Jolene Clark, the media specialist at Nantucket Elementary in Crofton. According to the AACPS website, the Employee of the Month is chosen by a committee made up of members of the Anne Arundel County Retired School Personnel Association (AARSPA).

Here is the text of the speech presented at the Nov. 14 meeting in honor of Clark:

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Self-motivated and dedicated” are words used by the media specialist at Nantucket Elementary School to describe her media assistant and our Employee of the Month Debra Jolene Clark.  “When Deb and I opened the media center, I knew just then how fortunate I was to have such an assistant.  From the beginning, Deb displayed an unbounded enthusiasm for learning and for solving problems.”

As a first-time media assistant, Deb Clark quickly and eagerly learned all the intricacies of the library computer system from cataloging, to processing, to organizing and circulating materials.   She went beyond her contractual time and job description to methodically and patiently analyze the collection in order to customize it to the instructional and interest needs of the school community.  She proceeded on her own initiative to create special lists of resources and books targeting diverse audiences such as special education, military families, students with challenging family lives and ELL students.  She developed lists of materials needed to fill curriculum gaps in the collection and created wish lists from teachers, students and parents. One teacher commented, “she goes above and beyond to find books for teachers that relate to our themes.”

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Deb took it upon herself to support the school’s literacy program through the Accelerated Reader Program.  With the help of parent volunteers, she labeled 15,000 books with appropriate reading levels, created baskets of books for each classroom with a variety of reading levels, generated reports for teachers, and coordinated a buddy program where 5th graders read to 1st graders.  Nantucket’s circulation statistics show over 30,000 books circulated last school year, a number far surpassing all other schools.

Because of her professional, light-hearted, and kind demeanor Ms. Clark is successful at recruiting and training parent volunteers for the media center and especially for the school’s book fairs that she so effectively chairs.  Deb addresses all issues with extreme professionalism, listens patiently and carefully to problems, respects confidentiality and seeks the right process to answer problems.  “Deb is a perfect example of a hardworking and selfless person,” commented one of her colleagues. “I know that if there is ever something I need to help enrich my classroom that she will know the perfect solution!”

Deb Clark – Your diligent care and dedication to the entire Nantucket School Community is worthy to be recognized far beyond the school’s walls.  To list all of your qualities and achievements would require much more time than we have today.  So on behalf of the Board of Education, the students, teachers and staff of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, thank you for all you do and congratulations on your selection as Employee of the Month for November 2012!

Click here to nominate a deserving AACPS educator, employee or volunteer.

Do you know Deb Clark? Tell us in the comments.


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