Eanes ES EANESpiration Winners, 2021
Educational Impact
Those who display leadership and commitment to the district by making a positive, noticeable and significant impact.
Linda Khanoyan, Substitute teacher
Linda is a true blessing to the Special Education team at EE. When others would shrink from a challenge, Linda stepped up to learn a wide array of technology (Zoom, break-out rooms, Showbie, etc) and lessons to effectively support students who were in need of remote learning. She is an amazing colleague who can be consistently counted upon to provide consistent, professional and capable support to students. Many teachers at EE cannot imagine getting through this year of "firsts" (i.e. ever-changing instructional scenarios in a pandemic) without Linda's support. Thank you Linda for your incredible dedication to students and friendship towards teachers.
Marianna Ricketson, Educational Partner
Marianna has been an indispensable support in getting staff set up with the technology to teach in-person, remotely and in hybrid classrooms. She works tirelessly to make sure everyone has access to the best possible solutions, organized systems to learn about those solutions (i.e. tutorials, networking staff), not to mention her dedicated support to student learning. While being a gifted technology "nerd" she also has genuine and strong interpersonal skills. She can be counted on to greet you with a warm smile and make you feel like you are a top priority. Marianna makes EE a better place to work in innumerable ways!
Jennifer Sanders, 2nd-Grade Teacher
Jennifer Sanders has been an invaluable piece to the 2nd-grade team at EE. She is always quick to help someone out and never hesitates to share her knowledge and tips on a subject. Her students and coworkers adore her positivity that she radiates throughout the day. She is a mentor to two teachers this year and has led them to great success achieving the first year hump. Jennifer has never hesitated to offer weekends and after school time to make sure they are comfortable and fully understand what the curriculum is and the best way to teach it. We are so grateful to this teacher in our lives.
Stephanie Spencer, Special Ed TA
Stephanie Spencer is a vital part of our Special Education collaborative services for our 4th-grade students! During this unique year with ever-evolving changes, she has been a constant pillar of support for our 4th graders and the Special Education team. She has held responsibilities above and beyond what typically is assigned to anyone in her position and fulfilled all of them with grace and commitment. Her strengths lie in teamwork, collaboration, consistent data collection, data-informed dialogs and above all communication!! Her insights from daily observations and data collection have informed programming for students and their progress throughout this year. Thank you, Stephanie for everything you do for our EE Mustangs.
Heroes
Those who perform an outstanding achievement that brings prestige to Eanes ISD, or do something that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Michelle Corbett, Counselor
Michelle demonstrates all of the characteristics and more of each of these awards. She is completely dedicated to our students, going above and beyond when caring for them, regardless of need. She leads too many student groups to mention! But Michelle is also extremely invested in taking care of the staff at EE. She goes out of her way to touch base with teachers and staff, taking a personal, vested interest in our lives and staying up to date with the good and bad ins and outs of our personal and work relationships. She has a way about her that makes you feel safe, comforted, supported, cared for, and appreciated.
Caroline Kimble, 3rd-Grade Teacher
Caroline took the entire 3rd-grade team under her wing, staying late and going above and beyond what was required of her to make sure the other teachers felt supported. Caroline is just about as inspirational as they come. She’s tackled the challenge of teaching remotely and blended with such grace and poise under immense pressure. Her care for her students is palpable and they all adore her. It’s not at all uncommon to see her having an in-depth conversation with a student in an area of interest of theirs. You can watch their faces light up as she jokes and gets to know them as people. As a co-worker, Caroline is quick to offer support and guidance. She never condescends or ignores our needs. She’s been like a ray of sunshine in this crazy year, and giving validation after hard days and urging our team forward with our students at the forefront.
Holly Phinney, Special Education Teacher
Holly Phinney is a force of nature. She’s one of the strongest, most powerful, self-assured people you could meet. She’s one of those teachers that you look at and just know that she was meant to be a teacher. She’s a source of strength and confidence for the other SPED teachers around her and never denies her expertise. She advocates for her students and her co-teachers with the fierceness of a mama-bear. She’s been an incredible role model and friend to many on the campus and we are happy to have her on our team!
Hannah Turner, Special Education Teacher
Hannah is amazing! No matter the challenge, Hannah is kind, patient and optimistic. Hannah is always ready to support our staff and students with a steady calm. She is a wonderful role model. Hannah consistently puts children at the center of her work and is an avid advocate of all learners - respecting their needs, their backgrounds, and their strengths. Hannah is a gifted new teacher, and we’re lucky to have her at EE!