Six School District Employees Named 2014 Employees of the Year
Greenville County Schools and Greenville Federal Credit Union announced six winners of the Greenville County Schools Employee of the Year Awards at last night’s Salute to Education banquet.
Winners were selected in six categories: School Administrator of the Year, Assistant School Administrator of the Year, School Support Employee of the Year, Operations Employee of the Year, District Professional Employee of the Year, and District Support Employee of the Year. Each award winner received $500 cash and a special award commissioned by Greenville Federal Credit Union. Their school or department also received $500 cash so all employees share in the honor.
School Support Employee of the Year
Lynn Mann, Program Director, A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School of Engineering
Lynn Mann is constantly creating initiatives, often from the ground up, to better the lives of students. She has implemented programs at A.J. Whittenberg that allow students to work side by side with GE engineers and connect students to mentors from the business and engineering community. She spends countless hours before and after school and on weekends to help with sprucing up the playground and traveling with the Robotics Team to state competitions.
District Support Employee of the Year
Brittany Oglesby, Human Resources Secretary, PAS-T and Processing Center
Brittany’s strong customer service skills are evident in the way she never shies away from assisting employees, even when it means answering questions outside her area of responsibility. She keeps staff informed about upcoming events and is quick to offer alternative ways of handling tasks to make the department more efficient. With the addition of a new online application system, Brittany has been able to assist applicants with questions and get issues resolved.
Operations Employee of the Year
Mike Hall, Plant Engineer, Greenbrier Elementary School
Before any school-wide event, Mike meets with administrators and staff to work out a plan to meet their needs. Whether it is to relocate equipment, host families for dinner, or decorate for the holidays, Mike is available and always has a genuine smile. He is clearly a positive role model for the students at Greenbrier and has a natural rapport with faculty, staff, students and parents.
District Professional Employee of the Year
Leisa Artus, Social Media and Creative Services Specialist, Communications Department
Leisa’s expertise is highly sought after by principals, department heads, webmasters, and administrators. She inherently understands how to create graphics that explain complex ideas in an easy to understand format. She supports her team and is reliable, professional, creative, intuitive, and ethical. Leisa has been a key player in many district projects that have received state and national recognition. She engages the district’s social media audience with interactive stories and graphics.
Assistant School Administrator of the Year
Kelly Hellams, Assistant Principal, Plain Elementary School
Kelly is quick to build relationships with students, faculty and the community she serves. Because more than half of her school’s students live in poverty, she pairs students with members of the community who serve as mentors. She began the Plain Elementary Giving Garden, a garden on campus that is used to educate students on the benefits of eating organic vegetables and provide practical gardening experience. Her love for health and fitness led her to create a blog for staff to post ideas, questions, or discussions about health and wellness.
School Administrator of the Year
Jason Warren, Principal, Beck Middle Academy
Jason has created an environment at Beck that encourages teachers to work together to provide high-quality instruction and assessments. He can often be seen in the halls talking and listening to students, and in turn, encouraging them to strive for excellence. He has made it possible for students to enjoy the Forensics Team and Youth in Government programs. The school’s phone app, new logo, and parent newsletter have all received state-level awards.