Extra Effort & Team Effort Awards
Virtual Extra Effort Nomination Form
Virtual Team Extra Effort Nomination Form
Click here to Jump to Team Effort Awards
The EXTRA EFFORT AWARD goes to:
David Omwenga, Catering Lead-Dining Services – nominated by Andrew Woody. “David logged lots of hours with catering over the summer 2024. He has been a trusted leader and worker for Dining Services and should be commended.”
Brash Njulu, Catering Lead-Dining Services – nominated by Andrew Woody.
“Brash worked extra hard through the summer of 2024. He was dependable and acted as a leader, helping catering to accomplish our goals while working with less staff. We thank him and his extra effort.”
Eliza Taylor, Catering Lead-Dining Services – nominated by Andrew Woody. “Eliza did the work of a lead in catering over the summer 2024. She was always available, ready to work, and has a great attitude. She logged a lot of hours and made herself a very valuable part of the team. What an outstanding help for us! Greatly appreciated her extra hours.”
David Dominguez, Counselor- Counseling – nominated by Alyssa Slana.
“David took time, during their busy season in Counseling, to walk a student from his office in the Student Center across campus to my office in the library. This student is a part of the Navigating Academic Probation Program, so building this bridge right away is extremely beneficial for the student and an essential component of wrap-around services.”
Katie Ashley, Program Coordinator-Workforce Development & Continuing Education- nominated by Kayla Harrity.
“While in line for the pastry sale, Katie conversed with the woman behind us, a former JCCC student and community member. She could not stand for long periods and brought a foldable stool with her. While in line, the woman fell backward off the stool and onto the floor, hitting her head. Katie, who has had CNA training, jumped into action. She stayed with the woman until JCCC Police and medical responders arrived. The woman was fine, although a bit shaken about having fallen. After the woman was assessed and able to get up, Katie still remained with her, getting back into the line and assisting with her making her purchases and walking her to her car after purchasing the items. This was well outside the scope of Katie’s role, but she used her skills to help someone in need without hesitation. She truly went above and beyond and represented JCCC staff so well.”
Erin Walters, Counselor- Counseling – nominated by Linday Blanchard.
“Erin is such an encouragement to all of us support staff. She took special time to write us all several messages during our busiest time of the year to say thanks for all of our “behind the scenes” roles. We appreciated all those shout outs so much!”
Alice Baty, Counselor- Counseling – nominated by Linday Blanchard.
“Alice is always so student focused–and that shows in how she builds her daily schedule and eagerness to help walk-ins. There have been times a student has just vanished from the waiting room because Alice came to get them so fast! She is always going above and beyond, and we see her all the time acting as a liaison to other resources–from helping students schedule Access Services appointments, talk to Financial Aid, meet with Registration, and more.”
Sheila Rader, Administrative Assistant – Comm. English & Journalism – nominated by James Hillen and Samuel Sommerville.
“Sheila Rader, Administrative Assistant of the Communications Department, helped the Spanish Immersion Retreat committee immensely in the preparation and implementation of the 2024 retreat.”
Haley Crawford, Financial Aid Communications Coordinator – Financial Aid – nominated by Ashley Jost.
“During the summer, we lost a team member to a promotion. Haley, who is only in her first year at JCCC, was quick to step in and take on additional scholarship responsibilities. She learned quickly and worked long hours to help with the increased workload on our team. This is an extremely busy time of year in our office and our performance has a great impact on a student’s enrollment intentions. Along with that, FAFSA issues continued to be unveiled that required extra attention. She remained detailed and diligent all while keeping a positive attitude during this stressful time. We are fortunate to have her at JCCC and the extra effort she provided was greatly appreciated!”
Jeremy Gragg, ATS Support Technician- Academic Technical Support – nominated by Brad Staupp.
“Following the recent implementation of Yuja Verity at the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester, some unforeseen issues arose with the EMS program during online testing using another product. After significant effort and reconfiguration, Jeremy Gragg successfully engineered a streamlined solution by developing a Kisko mode application to resolve the plugin conflict, thereby enabling testing with both programs. Thanks for such a creative solution, Jeremey!”
Jaya Daniel, IISS Coordinator – IISS – nominated by Kim Steinmetz. “I am writing to bring to your attention the extra efforts of Jaya during our recent mandatory reporting period. Jaya has demonstrated a high level of commitment and dedication in ensuring that students are notified of any necessary adjustments and provided with the necessary support to maintain their status. It is evident that Jaya has gone above and beyond in reaching out to students who may be at risk of falling out of compliance with the reporting requirements. Her proactive approach has been instrumental in helping students understand the importance of maintaining their status and the potential consequences of failing to do so. I believe that Jaya’s efforts have not only benefited the students she has worked with but have also contributed to the overall success of our reporting period. I would like to express my appreciation for her hard work and dedication in this regard.”
Jocelyn Devaney-Prasad, IISS Coordinator – IISS – nominated by Kim Steinmetz. “Jocelyn has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving our orientation process by making it more student friendly. She has taken proactive steps to develop our presence on Canvas, effectively utilizing the platform to support student engagement. Her dedication to ensuring that students have a holistic experience at JCCC is truly commendable. In addition, Jocelyn has worked diligently to accommodate students who are unable to attend our face-to-face orientation sessions by implementing a required online orientation. This initiative not only demonstrates her proactive approach to student support but also underscores her commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. Overall, Jocelyn’s contributions have significantly enhanced the orientation experience for our students, and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. I believe that her proactive and student-centered approach is a valuable asset to our institution.”
Erica Lowry, Supervisor Student Development Specialist-Enrollment Services – nominated by Kim Steinmetz.
“I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for Erica’s exceptional efforts in supporting our department at IISS. Erica has consistently demonstrated a high level of commitment and dedication in ensuring smooth transitions for students entering our courses. Her expertise and attention to detail have been invaluable in helping students navigate important deadlines and requirements, particularly for our international student population. College Now was a stressful deadline that Erica provided a lot of support to IISS. Erica’s passion for enhancing the student experience is truly commendable, and her contributions have not gone unnoticed. We are fortunate to have Erica as a resource within our team, and her proactive approach to fostering student success is truly commendable. Please extend my gratitude to her for her continued efforts and support.”
Kelly McGregor, Travel & P-Card Analyst-Accounts Payable – nominated by Christina Wolff.
“Kelly took time to help me, and my colleague Kotoko Grass understand Concur. We appreciate your kindness and patience with us and the face-to-face meeting.”
Joel Straight, Sr Warehouse & Postal Service Associate -Warehouse – nominated by Leslie Dykstra.
“Joel’s creativity and writing genius brings joy and laughter to anyone who reads the Surplus Furniture Descriptions. Many people have told me they visit the Padlet site when they need a laugh. Thank you for being a spot of sunshine, Joel!”
Alyssa Slana and Yumiko Robinson, Wrap Around Services Coordinator and Japanese Tutor – AAC – nominated by Christina Wolff.
“Alyssa quickly sprang into action when I asked the AAC to schedule one on one tutoring for a student. Both Alyssa and Yumiko have done everything possible to help schedule time for a student. outside of tutoring hours. Thank you!”
Krista Grace, Admission Navigator-Admissions – nominated by Julie Sisk.
“Krista recently moved into the Navigator role and has hit the ground SPRINTING! She has taken on a huge role, being the primary contact for prospective students and their families who visit JCCC wanting to learn more, and she goes above and beyond not just to make sure every person has all of their questions answered, but also to make them feel welcome.”
Lizbeth Alaniz, CAV Leader-Admissions – nominated by Lisa Turner-Hernandez. “As an Admissions Ambassador, one of Lizbeth’s primary responsibilities is to give campus tours. After a tour she gave a potential student and their guardian, they reached out to sing Lizbeth’s praises for an outstanding campus experience.
“Thanks again for all the info and great tour yesterday! Lizbeth was AMAZING, and we all really connected! Way to go Lizbeth! Thanks for providing such a great tour experience for our potential students and their families!”
Andy Dandino, Creative Manager-Strategic Communications & Marketing – nominated by Lisa Turner-Hernandez.
“Andy went above and beyond to help get a postcard out to current high school seniors for our upcoming HS Senior Day event on a very limited timeline. Not only did he take care of all the creative content for the postcard, he worked with Printing Services on my behalf to find an available production window and expedite delivery. I cannot thank him enough for all guidance and assistance he provided!”
Aliyah Mata, CAV Leader-Admissions – nominated by Ryan Weber.
“Aliyah got a huge compliment from an external teacher for giving an excellent campus tour! She showcases our campus phenomenally!”
Paul Knoettgen, Manager Warehouse & Postal Services-Warehouse – nominated by Alyssa Slana.
“Paul has been super dependable and timely with our needs to pack and send out informational letters to students! He is always willing to help and gets things done fast– especially when we ask for a quick turnaround time! Big shout out to Paul and his team for being our go-to help!!”
Team Effort Award Nomination Form
The Team Effort Award recognizes a group accomplishment related to achieving goals in the Strategic and/or Operational Plans of JCCC. It may be a task force or cross functional team representing multiple departments or may be for an outstanding accomplishment by a single department or workgroup.
The TEAM EFFORT AWARD goes to:
- Chad Rawalt, Sr Enterprise Desktop Engineer, Information Services
- Robert Pitts, Sr Enterprise Desktop Engineer, Information Services
- Kathryn Douglas, Evening Supervisor Student Technical Support Center, Client Support Services
- Nathan Preston, Lead Enterprise Desktop Engineer & Support, Academic Technology Serivces
- Brett Robertson, ATS Support Technician, Academic Technology Serivces
- Jeremy Gragg, ATS Support Technician, Academic Technology Serivces
- Alex Wolf, ATS Federal Work Study, Academic Technology Services
Nominated by Brad Staupp, Director of Classroom & Lab Support – ATS/IS Accomplishment:
I wanted to inform you that the recent deployment of Yuja Verity caused some unexpected issues with the EMS program’s online testing with another product. However, the ATS Labs and Classroom and members of Client Support Services team quickly found multiple solutions and deployed mobile Chromebook carts to minimize disruption. This involved locating and deploying other equipment and other workarounds on a temporary basis until a final solution was discovered and fully implemented. As a result, EMS testing continued with minimal disruption and classes were able to proceed as scheduled.
Ties in with JCCC Strategic Goal(s):
Student Success
S1: Ensure our models of teaching and learning lead to student success.
S3: Create effective systems and pathways for students.
The TEAM EFFORT AWARD goes to:
- Jennifer Schrowe, lead digital literacy instructor, JCAE
- Natasha Jenkins, – lead instructor – OHEC and Main Campus, JCAE
- Julie Mulder, – lead instructor – West Park, JCAE
- Michelle Elwood, – lead instructor – Roeland Park, JCAE
- Margery Downey, – lead instructor – Gardner and Distance Education, JCAE
- Michele Buescher, – instructor – Main Campus, JCAE
- Marian Rose, – instructor – OHEC, JCAE
- Jill Reed, – instructor – OHEC, JCAE
- Kelly Lillis, – instructor – OHEC, JCAE
- Carol Souders, – instructor – West Park, JCAE
- Erin Lutz, – instructor – West Park – JCAE
- Adrianne Metcalf, – instructor – West Park, JCAE
- Katie Luettel, – instructor – Roeland Park, JCAE
- Ashley Richter, – instructor – Roeland Park, JCAE
- LaShea Wilson, – instructor and digital literacy – Roeland Park, JCAE
- Teresa Desmarteau, – instructor – ARC, JCAE
Nominated by Jessica Decker, ABE/GED Program Coordinator – JCAE
Accomplishment:
At JCAE, we onboard new GED students four times a year. We just finished our second onboarding session for FY25 on October 17 and welcomed 111 new students to GED classes. The 2nd quarter onboarding session is always an all-hands-on-deck group effort because we also must continue to provide instruction to our students who started with us in August. The whole GED staff works together to keep things running as usual while also welcoming new students to all classes and helping them transition smoothly to the work environment that is already established in classrooms. We could not do this without every member of the team doing their assigned task on schedule and with close attention to detail. I am grateful for all the instructors on our team who are dedicated to their positions and are always willing to take on extra tasks to ensure things flow smoothly and all students feel welcome and supported. Instructors are excited to help new students get started and already talking about getting students to their goal of obtaining their GED and deciding what goal they will set next. I want to thank my team for all they do each day to help JCAE students.
Ties in with JCCC Strategic Goal(s):
Student Success
S1: Ensure our models of teaching and learning lead to student success.
S3: Create effective systems and pathways for students.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
S2: Develop and support an inclusive environment that empowers all students, faculty, and staff to succeed.
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