Congratulations to the following members of our staff who have been chosen as January’s Employees of the Month:
- Animas Elementary School: Ms. Kaleena Sampson! Ms. Sampson is a second-grade teacher. Her accomplishments include leading the school in ELA support and having perfect attendance this school year.
- Apache Elementary School: Ms. Alicia Kernagis and Ms. Connie Begay! Ms. Kernagis is well aware of her students’ needs, academically and personally. She has a great relationship/rapport with her students that is evident in every interaction. Ms. Begay has been a regular at the school, she always greets the students and staff with a smile and positivity, and is willing to help out wherever she can.
- Country Club Elementary School: Ms. Stephanie Foucault! Ms. Foucault leads our student council and has volunteered to lead the junior coach program in a new recess system being implemented at the school. She also goes above and beyond by creating and organizing daily, school-wide announcements for students to read.
- Esperanza Elementary School: Ms. Dora Garcia! Ms. Garcia is a Bilingual EA who has been an amazing contributor to the school this year. She has volunteered to substitute and never hesitates to offer assistance where it’s needed.
- Farmington High School: Ms. Gladys Fitzgerald! Ms. Fitzgerald is always willing to share strategies with the staff, leads a strong PLC, and has worked to build the capacity of the Science Department.
- Heights Middle School: Ms. Brittany Litke! Ms. Litke goes above and beyond to help out whenever help is needed. She covers classes and uses her prep time to make sure Heights MS is a safe place to learn.
- Hermosa Middle School: Ms. Candice Marsh! Ms. Marsh has helped so much in the office during this time of quarantines and absences. Ms. Marsh covers wherever is needed, and looks out for all of our students.
- McKinley Elementary School: Ms. Jodie McCarville! Ms. McCarville is a Kindergarten teacher and does a fantastic job working with students and families. She creates amazing relationships and works very hard to make sure her students are successful, regardless of their unique challenges. She makes sure that everyone who enters her room feels loved, accepted, and respected.
- Mesa Verde Elementary School: Ms. Amber Groves! Ms. Groves, who joined Mesa Verde this year as a second-grade teacher, is the PLC lead, and has truly embraced this role; her positive attitude and collaborative nature make her an asset to the team.
- Mesa View Middle School: Ms. Deadra Lepich! Ms. Lepich has been an amazing addition to the team and is always willing to help out wherever needed.
- Northeast Elementary School: Ms. Rachelle Westover and Ms. Linda Charley! Mrs. Westover goes above and beyond assisting students, staff, and families. Ms. Charley is not just a hard worker, she is an integral part of keeping Northeast safe, clean, and running smoothly for all our staff and students.
- Piedra Vista High School: Mr. Cody Dudgeon! Mr. Dudgeon stepped up in January to fill in during his prep time to provide regular and consistent support for a class that needed a substitute. He has consistently demonstrated leadership and dedication with the students at Piedra Vista.
- Rocinante High School: Ms. Lindsey Morales! Ms. Morales is still fairly new to the school, but she’s doing a great job of helping students enroll in dual-credit courses at San Juan College and the CATE Center. Ms. Morales always has a smile on her face and is willing to help in any way possible.
- San Juan College High School: Ms. Mandy Lundy! Ms. Lundy services the health needs of two high schools, handles all pandemic-related issues, collaborates with pandemic teams at San Juan College for SJCHS, and continues to find time to teach CPR classes. Ms. Lundy’s ability to troubleshoot issues on a daily basis is nothing short of astounding and SJCHS is thankful to have Nurse Lundy.
- Tibbetts Middle School: Ms. Jennifer Hank! Ms. Hank does an amazing job as a 7th Grade English Language Arts Teacher, and she manages all of the school’s ELD student schedules, classes, and she checks on them. Ms. Hank supports our other ELD teachers during English Language Development classes. Ms. Hank is also a valuable member of the Tibbetts Leadership Team.
- Athletics Department: Ms. Melynda Brenton! Ms. Brenton, the FHS Athletic Trainer, is an essential part of our athletic programs, as she ensures our athletes are healthy and ready for participation. Ms. Brenton has also worked extremely hard to cover our busy winter sports schedule while ensuring our Spring athletes are cleared for participation.
- Healthcare Office: Ms. Michelle (Mickey) Cooper-Holguin! Ms. Cooper-Holguin was nominated by Apache Elementary School for devoting her time on, and off, work hours to keep our families and staff safer and healthier.
- Plant Operations Department: Mr. Paul Brinkley! Mr. Brinkley is one of the district's three plumbers who continues to meet the demands of FMS's high volume of calls.
- Transportation Department: Ms. Veronica Vigil! Ms. Vigil is a long-time driver for the district. Ms. Vigil has a good rapport with students and parents.
- Custodial Department: Mr. Darby West! Mr. West has done an outstanding job being the custodial warehouseman. Mr. West delivers custodial supplies to all the schools. Mr. West also drove out to Shiprock to pick up the Toys for Tots.
Special thanks to Michelle Blades, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director of Support Services, for her tireless work with our local sponsors to celebrate our staff.
The Employee of the Month Celebration at Farmington Municipal Schools started in 2016. Schools and Central Office administrators nominate members of the staff for recognition, which then are selected at random and go on to win one of nine gift cards from local shops, boutiques, and restaurants.
FMS is very grateful to all of this year’s sponsors: Firehouse Subs, Chick-fil-A, CRS Massage, Costa Vida, Weck’s, Soul Den Hot Yoga, Detailz Boutique, and Papa John’s. Remember to thank our wonderful sponsors and to support local businesses. See you next month.