Employees embody school spirit

Photos by Elaine Smith

(TOP) THE DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD WENT TO TESS SHEARER. (Bottom) Kelvin Hanson was chosen District Classified Employee of the Year. Building Employees of the Year (not pictured): Rob Porter, Fife High School; Paula Schwan, Fife High School; Keith Hannah, Columbia Junior High; Julyn Cook, Columbia Junior High; Shayla Millen, Surprise Lake Middle School; Shelley Pendergast, Surprise Lake Middle School; Mike Staehler, Hedden Elementary; Leanna Bennett, Hedden Elementary; Devin Olson, Endeavour Intermediate; Debbie Hartigan, Discovery Primary; Candice Melvin, Transportation; and Orrin Daily, ESC.

Fife Public Schools recently announced its “Employees of the Year” from each school location and district-wide. Chosen for exemplifying the finest in the profession of educating and taking care of children, these winners represent the true spirit of Fife Public Schools.

Tess Shearer, counselor at Endeavour Intermediate School, was chosen District Teacher of the Year and Kelvin Hanson, custodian at Discovery Primary School, was chosen as the District Classified Employee of the Year.

Shearer has been with Fife Public Schools for 12 years. While she said she is thrilled to be credited for helping make the district one of top quality, she acknowledged that she is just one of many district employees who work hard to make Fife shine.

“It’s, of course, such an honor,” Shearer said of the award. “It’s also one of those things where you wish everyone could be chosen – there are so many people deserving of this.... I wish I could share it with everyone.”

As counselor at Endeavour to children in second- through fifth-grades, Shearer helps these young people through some of the most difficult passages in life such as grief and loss, anger management, or their mom and dad’s divorce. Shearer said her “kid-centered” job provides variety and a deep sense of satisfaction.

“I love my job. No two days are the same.”

She starts each day by greeting students as they get off the bus. Throughout the day she meets with students one-on-one, does classroom presentations, and coordinates the school’s “buddy lunch” program in which young students who need some extra support are matched with an adult volunteer to have lunch with.

A big project Shearer is organizing now is Career Week at Endeavour, June 7-11, an event for students to learn about career choices open to them in the future. “We love having parents, grandparents, family, friends and community members come in to visit with students about their jobs,” Shearer said. (Those who may wish to participate can call Shearer at (253) 517-1400 or visit http://www.fifeschools.com/endeavour.)

As custodian at Discovery Primary School, Kelvin Hanson shoulders the responsibility of keeping these littlest of students safe by providing the cleanest environment he can for them. He said he was “surprised” at being singled out for special thanks by the district.

“It is very special to be recognized as someone who helps create an encouraging and cheerful atmosphere where the teachers and students…can succeed,” he wrote in a thank-you letter.

After 28 years of truck driving, Hanson retired from the Teamsters in May 2007 and started working for the Fife School District in August 2008.

“I have worked at several places over my many years, but I have never felt as appreciated as I do at Discovery Primary,” he said.

His favorite part of the job is the children, but he only gets a short time with them given that he starts work at 3 p.m. Nevertheless, Hanson can often be seen working with a “posse” of excited young’uns following him around, scrubbing scuff marks off the floors with a tool Hansen invented called the “Incrediwand” – a tennis ball glued to the end of a stick.  

Parents need not worry as much about their kids coming down with something with Hanson on the job.

“I go through each classroom cleaning and disinfecting door handles, drinking fountains, counters and tables. When I am finished, I look back into the classroom and ask myself, ‘Would I be happy if this were my classroom?’ I go above and beyond a usual custodian.”

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