Eight Shaler Area School District employees have been recognized for going above and beyond for students and contributing to the success of the school district.
The employees — administrators, teachers and paraprofessionals — are recipients of the Kim Baysek-Young Extra Mile Award.
The award was named for Baysek-Young, a third grade teacher at Reserve Primary School who received the Extra Mile Award in 2019 before dying in September 2020 at the age of 43.
Baysek-Young had worked for the district for 22 years. A walking trail at Reserve Primary also is named for her.
This year’s awardees are:
• Lisa Bagwell, paraprofessional, Shaler Area High School.
Bagwell of Shaler has been with the district since 2008, beginning as a substitute paraprofessional before being hired full time.
Bagwell said she was surprised to received the award and is grateful to her nominator.
“I am so incredibly proud to work alongside such an amazing group of educators and staff at Shaler Area High School, and it really is a team effort,” she said. “Everyone cares deeply about our students, and I feel lucky to be part of that. The students mean so much to me, and helping them in any way I can is simply part of what I love to do. I never expect recognition. I just show up every day ready to help however I’m needed.”
• Camille Barrett, teacher, Scott Primary School.
Barrett, 60, of Pine began teaching in 1992 and has been at Shaler Area since 2013, after teaching in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Missouri before moving to Pennsylvania.
“I still love spending my days in the classroom,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be part of the Shaler Area School District and to have such a supportive team of colleagues to work with every day. Being recognized gives me even more motivation to be there for my students and help them to reach their potential.”
• Anita DeStefano, administrative assistant, Marzolf Primary School.
DeStefano, 61, has been with the district for 27 years. After beginning at Reserve Primary, where she worked with Baysek-Young, she has been at Marzolf since 2002 and an administrative assistant there since 2010.
“I feel very honored to receive the Extra Mile Award and thankful to those who nominated me,” she said. “ I have always worked in the primary setting. I loved working in the classroom with this age group, and I love being able to continue working with these little ones on a daily basis. It is so nice to see and hear from families and past students, which is a plus of living in the district.”
• Kelly Himes, teacher, Shaler Area Elementary School.
Himes has been teaching fourth grade for 18 years.
“I am truly honored to have been awarded the Extra Mile Award. It is very meaningful to me to be so appreciated by the community,” she said. “The kids are my inspiration and have positively impacted me, just as much as I have them.”
• Meribeth King, paraprofessional, Shaler Area High School.
• Ryan Kinzler, teacher, Shaler Area High School.
Kinzler of North Strabane has been with the district for seven years, the first five at the middle school.
“Just to know that someone nominated me is really humbling,” he said. “I didn’t get into this profession to win awards or be recognized for my contributions, rather to simply give all my students the opportunity to grow and learn every day in any way that I can.”
• Susan Randall, teacher, Burchfield Primary School.
Randall, 37, of Connoquenessing in Butler County, has been with Shaler for 15 years, teaching music at Burchfield.
“I feel surprised and honored to receive this award, especially knowing that I was nominated by a parent who noted my impact on her son,” she said. “Knowing that I’ve made a difference, even if in just one student’s life, is what it’s all about to me.”
• Betty Wesolek, administrative assistant, Shaler Area High School.
Wesolek, 65, of Shaler has worked for the district for 25 years.
“I was very honored and excited to receive this award,” she said. “I appreciated all the beautiful comments people had to say. It made me feel proud of all the work that I have done at Shaler.”
Nominations were received from members of the community and reviewed by a panel of district stakeholders.
This marks the first time that these eight have received the award.
“Our staff and educators bring compassion and insight to empower students through every interaction,” Superintendent Bryan O’Black said. “Each of these individuals are luminaries who not only enrich the lives of our students and families, but inspire their colleagues to grow. We are deeply grateful for their work and thrilled to recognize them.”
Recipients received the award during a district in-service event Jan. 19.
