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Vancouver employees honored with Excellence Award

Employee Excellence Award
A district recognition program honors employees for their commitment to the students and staff of Vancouver Public Schools. The Excellence Award is given to individual employees who have created a positive, caring and productive school/work environment through exceptional effort, dedication, or performance in their area of responsibility.


Four employees were selected for the May 2012 recognition. Three of them were honored at the May 22 school board meeting. Recipient Woody Howard, principal of Hazel Dell Elementary School, was recognized at the June 26 board meeting. Pictured left to right are:
• Kathy Warren, Secretary, McLoughlin Middle School
• Carmina Harrington, Paraeducator, Lake Shore Elementary School
• Connie Coffey, First-grade Teacher, Sacajawea Elementary School
• Woody Howard, Principal, Hazel Dell Elementary School


The Excellence Award is given to two to four employees each month during the school year. Nominations are open to staff, students, parents, and community members. Nominees are selected for recognition by a committee of their peers.

Please nominate! The Excellence Award program will resume in the fall, but nominations may be submitted throughout the summer. Forms are available by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

Learn more about the Excellence Award recipients for May . . .

Kathy Warren
Secretary, McLoughlin Middle School
Hired January 1981
She began in the transportation department in 1981 and has since worked in five schools (including 17 years at Sacajawea) during her 31 years with Vancouver Public Schools. For the past four years, Kathy Warren has been the multi-tasking secretary in the busy McLoughlin Middle School office. At McLoughlin there are 100 staff members and 850 students. There are constant day and evening activities for students, parents, and the community. Kathy fills the need for substitutes, answers questions, and manages schedules. She is the friendly face greeting parents, visitors, students and staff, and she is the calming presence when faced with frustrated parents and students. Of those 850 students at McLoughlin, 40 percent speak a second language at home. Since the start of the school year, Kathy has welcomed 293 new students to McLoughlin. She also has said good-bye to another 279 students who have withdrawn this year. Kathy comforts students in the health room, takes temperatures, and calls their parents. Throughout her always hectic days, Kathy is reliable, dedicated and eternally upbeat. She knows the importance of customer service and competently represents her school to the public. Kathy loves her job. She does it so well she makes it look easy. And we know it’s not.

Carmina Harrington
Paraeducator, Lake Shore Elementary School
Hired August 2008
Carmina Harrington is a paraeducator in a Structured Communication Classroom at Lake Shore Elementary School. The 11 kindergarten through fourth-grade students in the class are on the autism spectrum, and many are nonverbal. While she seeks knowledge to better understand her students, Carmina demonstrates an innate talent in working with children with special needs. Sometimes these students, through frustration and an inability to communicate, are uncooperative and act out. Carmina is able to sense students’ needs and respond with patience and calmness. She also interacts in the classroom with energy and excitement when appropriate. Carmina knows when to step in to provide assistance, and when to step back to allow students to gain confidence by problem-solving on their own. The children respond positively and trust her. Carmina has a strong work ethic, tackling her daily work with pride and responsibility. When she is not working directly with students, Carmina is hustling through the building to locate and organize supplies to be used in class. She programs iPads, giving non-verbal students a voice. She is willing to help out whenever and wherever she is needed. Her support and enthusiasm provide students and staff with a sense of comfort, rapport, and respect.

Connie Coffey
First-grade teacher, Sacajawea Elementary School
Hired September 1986
As a first-grade teacher at Sacajawea for 26 years, Connie Coffey has been teaching long enough that she now has taught the children of some of her former students. Connie spends many hours planning and getting her room ready to welcome students in the fall. She makes a personal connection with every child in her class. She is kind and gentle. She greets the children at the bus every morning and tells them she is glad they are there. Connie finds the good in every child. She works on their strengths and moves them forward. Her experience and enduring patience enable her to make a difference for all children, no matter where they are in their learning ability. She reaches out to students. A first-grader with special needs has thrived in Connie’s class. Connie has a caring rapport with parents and staff members as well. She has been the PTA representative for many years, and she runs the school social committee, boosting employee morale with school celebrations and recognitions. Every Christmas, Connie graciously takes care of students who would otherwise go without. Recently, when a student lost his father in a tragic accident, Connie organized a fund drive to help the family. Connie is irreplaceable at Sacajawea. She is the heart of the school.

Woody Howard
Principal, Hazel Dell Elementary School
Hired August 2000
Parents, teachers, paraeducators, and volunteers at Hazel Dell Elementary School unanimously agree that Principal Woody Howard is a leader, with the compassion and wisdom to positively influence people’s lives. Woody encourages individual growth and development and provides superior guidance to staff members, parents and especially students. A common theme in all 14 of the nominations for Woody is his ability to provide support, understanding and leadership, both professionally and personally. Woody motivates and inspires people—all people—to grow in their lives. Over and over Woody was credited, by staff members and parents alike, as being professional, consistent, knowledgeable, understanding, warm, and inviting. He is supportive and hands-on while maintaining high expectations. Woody recalls what it is like to be a teacher, he knows what it is like to be a parent, and he remembers what it’s like to be a kid. Teachers credit him with making them better teachers, and parents credit him with making them better parents. Whether he is helping a teacher manage a classroom situation, guiding a parent with a concern, or teaching a student to ride a bike, Woody makes a difference. “My entire family will always be inspired by Woody Howard,” writes a parent. “He has made a difference in our lives, and he will influence the choices we make for many years to come. I would not be who I am as a parent, and as a person, if it weren’t for Mr. Howard.”