Employee Awards

Congratulations to all of the 2023 Excellence in Education Award Honorees! Please see the photos from the event here. 

  The Excellence In Education Awards Ceremony will be in the Eisenhower Auditorium on Friday, April 28, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM with the doors opening at 4:30 PM for appetizers, photos, mingling, and more. The cost is $5.00/person (nominees and two guests are free; children under 10 are free).    

Yakima School District employees can be nominated for an award. Employees need to have served two years in a full-time role. Community members can be nominated for the Yakima Schools Foundation's Champion of Youth award. 

• Crystal Apple Award: Five certificated, non-administrative candidates will be awarded (YEA, Coaches)
• Crystal Apple Award: One building administrator candidate will be awarded (YPA)
• Shining Star Award: Up to five classified, non-administrative candidates will be awarded (Teamsters 760, YABS, YAP, YEOP, PSE, YMA, YPTA, Exempt, OSG)
• Shining Star Award: One district department director candidate will be awarded (YDA; certificated and classified YDA members)*
• Champion Of Youth Award: The Yakima Schools Foundation's Champion of Youth Award recognizes s community member who impacts the lives of our students and empowers them to achieve academic and personal success. Nominees are seen as outstanding community members dedicated to strengthening public education, creating equity, and empowering students. They are committed to seeking ways to enhance student learning to ensure a brighter tomorrow.  

*Members of the current year's superintendent's cabinet are not eligible.

Nomination packets are due April 10, 2023, by 4:00 PM. There will be no extensions. Nominations can be made by students, former students, parents, community members, teachers, administrators, or school-related groups.

Crystal Apple Nominees

This award honors the certified educator profession by awarding certificated individuals who positively impact the lives and futures of their students. Crystal Apple Awards are given by the business community in Yakima, not the district. The chairpersons of the Crystal Apple Awards this year are Carmela Solarzano and Drew Harris. The goals of the Crystal Apple Awards are to...

• Reward excellence in education in the Yakima Public Schools
• Encourage creative and quality instruction
• Encourage the development of a positive learning environment
• Encourage excellent educators to remain in education as a career
• Provide an incentive for individual initiative on the part of educators
• Contribute in a substantive way to the improvement of education in the Yakima School District.

 

Tammi Beam, 6-8 Band and Orchestra at Lewis and Clark Middle School

Lori Benoit, Grade 9 Career Choice at Eisenhower High School

Mattie Cuevas, Behavioral Specialist at Ridgeview Elementary School

Al Fischer, Music Teacher at McKinley Elementary School

Helene Flores, Math and Leadership Teacher at Washington Middle School

Heather Kessler, Librarian at Eisenhower High School

Leslie Mahony, 5th Grade Teacher at Whitney Elementary School

Jeffrey McFadden, 7th and 8th Grade Technology at Franklin Middle School

Noemi Moreno, Dual Language Kindergarten Teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School

Sonia Perez, School Nurse at Washington Middle School

Emma Scherschligt, P.E. Teacher at McClure Elementary School

Delia Mae Torres, Counselor at Barge-Lincoln Elementary School

Elizabeth Tull, Instructional Facilitator at Barge-Lincoln Elementary

Erika Vestad, Academic Specialist at McClure Elementary School

Doug Kaplicky, Principal at Adams Elementary School

Shining Star Nominees

The purpose of this award is to recognize the outstanding achievements of Yakima Public Schools’ classified employees. It honors those employees who consistently demonstrate outstanding work performance, exemplary leadership, collaboration, and dedication to the district and its mission every day.

 

 

Erica Aparicio, Community Health Worker at Health and Wellness Education

 

 

Evelyn Centeno-Dominguez, Retention Specialist at Eisenhower High School

Cherie Chouinard, Cook Manager at Stanton Academy

Jakelin De Jesus, Paraeducator at Adams Elementary School

 

 

Amy Franco, ASB/Athletics Secretary at Washington Middle School

 

 

Amy Franco, ASB/Athletics Secretary at Washington Middle School

 

 

Stacey Kloepfer, Cook at Nob Hill Elementary School

 

 

Kierstin Lybeck, Data Specialist at Nob Hill Elementary School

 

 

Whitney McCulloch, Paraeducator at Nob Hill Elementary School

 

 

Normalisa Torres-Strom, Office Manager at Hoover Elementary School

 

 

Sharon Williams, Resource Paraeducator at Yakima Online/Open Doors

 

 

Michelle Werts, Cook Manager at Franklin Middle School