The Spotlighting Heroes in Education – or SHINE – program wrapped up its inaugural year in June. SHINE is a joint Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF) initiative recognizing LCPS staff members who go above and beyond in support of LCPS students. During its first year, members of the LCPS community submitted 530 LCPS staff nominations.
Of the nominations submitted, each month one nominee was selected as the SHINE winner of the month. This individual was celebrated by members of the LCPS administrative team, their principal/supervisor and other school leaders. On several occasions, students joined the celebrations. The monthly winners also received a gift coordinated by LEF worth at least $500.
This year’s monthly SHINE winners were:
Ruben Rodriguez Alcantara, custodian at Elaine E. Thompson Elementary School
Evelyn Ceballos, school nutrition manager at Brambleton Middle School
Traci Scannell Crowe, English learners teacher with Virtual Loudoun Online
Paul Hall, school counseling director at Loudoun Valley High School
Elizabeth Kraatz, traffic and pedestrian specialist
Randy Morgan, 3rd-grade teacher at Hillsboro Charter Academy
Kathryn Schroeck, 4th-grade teacher at Round Hill Elementary
All nominees were informed of the nomination and many were celebrated in their schools or offices. Those nominated remarked “how touched they were that someone thought enough of them to take time out of their day to complete the SHINE nomination form,” said SHINE coordinator Carrie Simms, supervisor, Employee Recognition.
Simms continued, saying that “SHINE emphasizes and gives life to the ‘little moments’ that might otherwise be overlooked. This program publicly celebrates the hundreds of little moments that are happening every single day, in every work location in the division.”
Next year, the SHINE program will continue and may even expand. Simms hopes that LCPS schools and offices will build the SHINE recognition into their daily practices. Simms noted that after a supervisor or principal announced a SHINE nomination, “we would see an increase in the number of submissions from that location, often from the nominee themselves, a kind of a ‘pay it forward’ mentality.”
Simms believes this type of recognition program reinforces employees' pride in their work and creates a culture of appreciation. “The positive energy that SHINE generates is truly infectious.”
Published July 16, 2024