Nine Shaler Area School District nurses are among 13 recipients of the 2022 Kim Baysek-Young Extra Mile Award. Each received their award on Tuesday, January 18 during the District's mid-year in service meeting.
The annual recognition honors District employees who have gone above and beyond for Shaler Area students or to contribute to the success of the School District. Members of the community nominated teachers, custodians, administrators, and more, celebrating the ways these staff members invested in student well-being. Nominations were received throughout the fall and winter and reviewed by a panel of District stakeholders.
“We are grateful for the distinctive contributions of each and every one of these 13 individuals and honored to recognize them with this award,” said Dr. Sean Aiken, Superintendent of Schools. “That our nurses are such a focus of this year’s recognition is not surprising as the last two years have brought profound challenges to their roles in serving our students day-in and day-out. They have responded with unending professionalism, and have tapped into equally limitless reservoirs of grace, care and compassion and it’s wonderful to see how much this has meant within our community.”
This year’s awardees are:
Gina Chmielewski (High School Special Education Teacher)
Christina Erdlen (Middle School Certified School Nurse)
Danielle Franc (Scott Primary School 3rd Grade Teacher)
Audrey Gaskill (Burchfield/Scott Primary Certified School Nurse)
Darcy Lutz (High School Certified School Nurse)
Nicole Monahan (Nurse RN – Scott Primary/Burchfield Primary)
Kathy Newport (Middle School Social Worker)
Hannah Petrell (Marzolf/Reserve Primary Certified School Nurse)
Shari Roth (Nurse RN – High School)
Kaylen Schaffer (Nurse RN – Elementary School)
Diana Sukitsch (Nurse RN – Marzolf/Reserve Primary School)
Mindy Thiel (HS Social Studies Teacher / Activities Director)
Jessica Wilson (Elementary School Certified School Nurse)
The award, previously the "Extra Mile Award," is named in honor of Mrs. Baysek-Young, a beloved third-grade teacher at Reserve Primary School, who passed away early in the 2020–21 school year. During her 22 years with Shaler Area, Mrs. Baysek-Young was an integral part of multiple schoolwide programs and community events and went to incredible lengths to provide students with educational opportunities and experiences. She received the award in 2019 for her unwavering support of students.