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Fayette County school employees are continuing our commitment to customer service. We call our employees who provide excellent customer service “Freds,” inspired by the book, “The Fred Factor” by Mark Sanborn about a very service-minded postman named Fred. Anyone can be a “Fred,” just by going above the call of duty in serving the public

Last school year, we spotlighted more than 100 “Freds” in Stu’s News. If you spot a Fred, please call, write, send me an email, or fill out one of our on-line submission forms.

Due to space requirements, we will post Fred Sightings as they are received. We will hold those that don’t appear this time and publish them in future editions of Stu’s News.

Sharing and caring

Mrs. Beverly Baker is a counselor at Edythe J. Hayes Middle and Rocky is her pet Doberman. Mrs. Baker occasionally uses Rocky as pet therapy with her students. The students in Mrs. Ratliff’s class at Tates Creek Middle School were reading the novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, which is a story about an unfortunate dog who finds a much needed home. Initially, some of the students were afraid of dogs, so we contacted Mrs. Baker, and asked her if she and Rocky could pay us a visit. When we spoke with Mrs. Baker, she was thrilled to be able to help us out! Mrs. Baker brought Rocky to TCMS to demonstrate to students how dogs who have attended obedience school can behave properly. Fortunately, with Mrs. Baker’s expertise with dogs, she was able to allow additional students to get over their nervousness of being around an animal. We want to thank Mrs. Baker and Rocky, for taking time out of their busy schedule to spend the day with us at TCMS and putting some unnecessary fears to rest! Additionally, we would like to express our appreciation to Mrs. Baker and Edythe J. Hayes Middle for sharing and caring; this is just one example of what can be accomplished when we work together, with the help of not just one school, but schools across the district. It truly is About Kids!

Submitted by Karen Parido, Administrative Assistant
Tates Creek Middle School

Classes help parents and kids

Sometimes the wonderful things people do can go unheralded for too long, simply because of the quiet, gracious way in which these people work. Being able to nominate Sara Szwilski and Maria Mato-Fresan for a Fred Sighting is a perfect way to spotlight the enormous impact they have on families at Maxwell Elementary Escuela de Inmersion en Espanol. For more years than I even know (and I know of at least five) Sara Szwilski has offered Spanish language classes to family members and staff at our school. This year, Maria Mato-Fresan (a second year teacher at our school) has joined Sara in offering these classes. The classes are offered once a week in the evenings, for the convenience of our working family members, for the entire school year. The confidence these classes provide us “older” students in being able to assist our children with their math and science homework, which is entirely in Spanish, is invaluable. On top of it all, both Sara and Maria have such delightful personalities and such a joy of teaching that these classes are a highlight of my and many others' week! Kudos to both of these wonderful teachers for making our school such an inviting place for students and families alike.

Submitted by Stephanie Hamilton, Parent
Maxwell Maxwell Elementary Escuela de Inmersion en Espanol

Patience and kindness is appreciated

My son started as a new student this year at Stonewall in the third grade. He has ADHD and most people we have come into contact with don’t see him as a person, rather they see him as a hard to control little boy. Ms. Janie Griggs at Stonewall along with his teacher Ms. Clark and Mr. Gatliff, have blown us away with their desire to help our son. They see what we see – a smart, loving boy who wants to do his best. After a particularly hard week, Ms. Griggs had the idea of a behavior system that would reward my son if he had a good day. He gets to go play games with her and help in the office. If he is having a difficult day they provide him with a quiet place free of distraction that he can complete his work. This has had such a positive effect on my son, and me. I know that when I send him off in the morning he is in good hands and that Ms. Griggs will have patience and kindness for him even when he is having an off day. In my opinion Ms. Griggs is a “Fred” everyday.

Submitted by Laura, Parent
Stonewall Elementary School

A passion for kids

Mrs. Janice Duncan is one of the best teachers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. My son, who has a life-threatening peanut allergy, was in Mrs. Duncan’s fifth grade classroom last year at Stonewall Elementary. Mrs. Duncan began the school year early in August by visiting each and every student at home and presented them with fifth grade survival packets. She kept the survival theme throughout the year as she helped prepare her students for middle school. Mrs. Duncan always made sure that my son was safe in every situation where he came in contact with possible food allergens. When my son was invited to the breakfast honoring all honor roll students, Mrs. Duncan went out on her own, and with her own money, purchased food items that she knew would be safe for my son. She loves all of her students, but in our case, she really treated our son like he was her own. Teaching isn’t a job to her, it is her passion and her life. Thank you Mrs. Duncan, Taylor is thriving in middle school!

Submitted by Michelle Cohron, Parent

Creating a comfort zone

One day in the cafeteria, Mr. Wayne Taylor noticed I was freezing. He felt my cold hands and asked about the temperature in my classroom. I told him it was always uncomfortably cold and had been for a couple of years. I had inquired about the cold temperature a few years before, but thought that the room was as warm as it could get because of its location. He said he would be down to look at it as soon as he got a chance. Within 30 minutes, Mr. Taylor was in my room repairing a reset switch and adjusting the temperature. Now my room is more comfortable for my students and me to learn and teach. Thanks, Mr. Taylor

Submitted by Mary Benson, Teacher
Southern Middle School

Last minute assistance saves the day

I want to give a huge thanks to Dana Ramsey, Insurance Specialist at IAKSS. Dana went above and beyond on a Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., when open enrollment ended at 5 p.m.! I had some trouble with an address change and basically was not going to get the insurance that I needed. Dana called me back that Friday afternoon, after I called IAKSS needing to speak with someone in insurance. First, she answered my questions about what form I needed to fill out. Then, she guided me through the Web site to make sure I found it. Then, she went through the form with me, step by step, to make sure I filled it out correctly. To top it off, she had to call two more times to let me know that the fax machine was not working correctly and that she was not getting my form. Eventually, we figured out the problem and Dana found a solution!! She truly went above and beyond to help a teacher in need!!

Submitted by Teresa Howard, Teacher
Yates Elementary School

WPLD stays on the air

I am the TV Production teacher at PL Dunbar High School. Dave Stawicki, Duane Holland, and Jim Adams have gone above and beyond for me on so many occasions this year, helping me to keep our television station running. At the beginning of the school year, our sound system crashed and I did not have the technical skills to figure out what to do next. These men really stepped up for me. They each came in over and over to fix problems until we got it right. Dave loaned us equipment, set it up, and helped me to order replacement equipment. Jim came in to run repeated sound checks in the building and contacted Duane and Dave when we were stumped. Duane and Dave both came in to set up the new equipment when it finally arrived, and Duane came back in to set up a replacement piece of video equipment. These men have done so much to help me, my TV Production students, and all of the students, faculty, and staff who depend on the announcements produced on WPLD. I can’t thank them enough.

Submitted by Alicia Henning, Teacher
Paul Laurence Dunbar High