NAME – Beth A. Frank
SCHOOL – St. Thomas Aquinas School
RESIDENCE – Alliance
AGE – Young enough to continue to be of service and old enough to pray for wisdom to know when to retire.
JOB TITLE – Campus minister
HOW LONG WITH THE DISTRICT – Eighteen years as a teacher; and 30 years as an administrator. Four years with St. Thomas Aquinas. All within Diocese of Youngstown.
FAMILY – I am the second oldest of 14 children. My parents went to heaven several years ago. They gave us, their children, many wonderful gifts, like the example of loving each other, how to work hard, an appreciation of Mother Earth by living on a farm, and a strong love and care for each other. We love to get together and talk, laugh, eat and enjoy each other. Traveling is beginning to be a luxury we are all starting to thoroughly enjoy.
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR POSITION? – Ministering together with such gifted, intelligent, skill-diverse, caring and dedicated co-workers helps make every day a new adventure. When all this energy is centered on sixth- through 12th-graders, there is bound to be lots of growth and advancement.
WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING? – The impact of this pandemic and its variants, and how it affects students, faculty, staff and families continues to concern us. For more than a year, the safety precautions would not allow us to celebrate at Mass, have assemblies, pep rallies, or pray together in large groups. Our students have always been so service-oriented, but familiar places like nursing homes, elementary school visits, the local fish fries were not permitted.
IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS, YOU’D BE – Unhappy. Providing opportunities that allows STA to resume (with caution) to serve, engage in group-learning, etc. is all part of development. If I can help facilitate this growth, then the students can learn they can make a difference in any are to which they aspire.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE STUDENTS YOU DEAL WITH THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW OR APPRECIATE – Our students are diverse in culture, religious backgrounds, ethnicity, and race, which adds to the rich variety of ideas, practices, discussions, and charism of this school. A variety of programs are being implemented which is slowly helping to develop students’ abilities to share, listen and appreciate each other.
HOW DO YOU UNWIND AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK? – Do Sudoku; read Nora Roberts’ and Mary Kay Andrews’ novels; walk; talk with my sister, family and neighbors; and sell tickets at school sporting events.
STUDENTS AND COWORKERS WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT YOU – Love to pencil-color intricate pictures of various themes. At times, I am true to real colors of reality and at other times I am totally outrageous with the use of color. It is so much fun.
WHAT IS ONE RESPONSIBILITY ABOUT YOUR POSITION THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED BEFORE TAKING IT? – Since this is my first year as campus minister, I have not experienced most of what a campus minister’s job description includes. At the same time, this allows for a lot of creativity. I look forward to each day.
OTHER NOMINATIONS:
ALLIANCE
Samantha Young, teacher aide at Alliance Elementary School – Samantha has gone above and beyond in accommodating her students and helping to assist lesson creation to meet the needs of her students in the classroom.
Kristy Woodford, principal at Alliance High School – Kristy is a great instructional leader who works hard on improving teaching and learning so all students at AHS can learn and grow at high levels. During this unprecedented time, Kristy recognizes the importance of the social emotional well-being of her staff and students and has put in systems and structures to make sure everyone’s needs are met.
CANTON
Stephanie Zuech, president of Kids Eat First – As president of this non-profit organization, she is the conduit between the STEAMM Academy and the Canton-Akron Food bank. Her efforts have allowed us to have a food pantry for families at the STEAMM Academy.
Elena Monahan, director of Instruction, Pre-K-5 – From Principal Erika Irwin of Gibbs: She supports me as a principal by being available to answer questions. She encourages me and checks in often. I am thankful for her leadership.
CANTON LOCAL
Dannette DeWitt, secretary – Dannette greets every person at Walker Elementary with a kind word. She makes everyone feel special and starts their day in a positive way.
CENTRAL CATHOLIC
Manny Fernandez, director of maintenance – Manny Fernandez has been working at Central Catholic since 1981 and has been part of implementing every facility upgrade, renovation, and remodel project Central has undergone in that time, which has been numerous. It’s also his responsibility to maintain the beauty of the CCHS campus, both the facilities and grounds. Anyone who visits Central will attest that it’s as beautiful as ever, and that’s due in large part to his hard work.
FAIRLESS LOCAL
Traci Marmet, high school cook – Traci has been part of Fairless’ kitchen family for 21 years. Her work ethic is admirable. She gets her job done, helps others do theirs, trains others, and can see ahead what needs to be done next. Most importantly, she prepares to feed our Falcons a healthy meal and with it there is always a greeting to welcome students and a smile. Traci is busy throughout the year with her grandkids and enjoying the outdoors.
Gail Indorf, bus driver – As a bus driver and the district’s On Board instructor, Gail is always willing to help in any way she can and does so with a positive attitude. She promotes a professional image of the school district and works well with others.
JACKSON LOCAL
Stephen Karstetter, head custodian at Amherst Elementary – Steve is a quiet, steady performer who takes pride in his role as head custodian at Amherst Elementary. He does whatever he can for his fellow workers, teachers, and students to ensure they have a clean and safe environment in which to learn.
LAKE CENTER CHRISTIAN
Kayla VanVolkenburg, receptionist – Mrs. VanVolkenburg is the first one to greet those who come into our building. Her kind smile welcomes each one. However, her astute observations also assure that no one enters who is not correctly screened. She enables our students to feel both loved and safe while at school.
Gretchen Shaffer, director of curriculum – Mrs. Shaffer impacts all we do at Lake Center. Her understanding of what is necessary for a school to make a difference in the lives of the students enables her to guide, direct, and encourage our faculty.
LOUISVILLE
Wendy Mercorelli, monitor/library tech – Wendy Mercorelli does a fantastic job building positive relationships with her students. Her sense of humor and genuine interest in the lives of her students make her an invaluable part of Louisville High School because she helps build the type of culture that we are striving to achieve at LHS. Wendy goes out of her way to make connections with her students by attending extracurricular events, thus helping to develop strong bonds with her kids. In addition, she never hesitates to jump in and help solve issues that arise on a day-to-day basis within LHS.
NORTHWEST LOCAL
Cindy Lumpcik, classroom aide – You can find Cindy working with students one on one, building up her coworkers, jumping in to help the building function, and adding creative displays of love everywhere she goes. Mrs. Lumpcik’s most recent addition to the building was painting two new games for the children to enjoy during recess.
OSNABURG LOCAL
Teresa Lyon, crossing guard/elementary cleaner – Teresa Lyon is an extraordinary hard worker for East Canton Schools. Her calm and pleasant demeanor is greatly appreciated. Her efforts have been crucial to the safety of the district during morning arrival and dismissal.
PERRY LOCAL
Christine Jackson, Whipple cafeteria manager – Ms. Jackson works hard preparing breakfast and lunch for all of the students and takes pride in making the cafeteria a warm place for students to enjoy each other other’s company while eating. She is always thinking of creative ways to make the students smile (faces on bananas, homemade desserts, etc.).
PLAIN LOCAL
Lisa Smolik, instructional aide – Barr Elementary is honored to recognize Lisa Smolik as she is truly a Difference Maker! Mrs. Smolik is a dedicated and compassionate person who is a team player. Thank you for making a difference in the minds and hearts of the students at Barr each day!
Kortney Milford, principal – Kortney Milford brings so much love, care, and effort to her job each and every day as the principal at Taft Elementary. She has transformed the building and gives each student the opportunity to follow their passion and dreams in creating excellence. Her work with the preschool students and families at Taft is a great transition as they enter the Plain Local School District.
STARK COUNTY CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Michael Moriarty, kitchen manager – Stark County Catholic Elementary Schools would like to recognize Michael Moriarty, of St. Peter Catholic School, as a Repository Difference Maker. Mr. Moriarty works in the St. Peter School cafeteria by helping prepare and serves lunches to students. He is beyond kind and caring to all students, faculty, and staff. Each morning, he greets all the kids as they come in early for breakfast, and the kids affectionately call him, “Coach Mo.” He is a great asset to St. Peter School and is always willing to help where it is needed.
Dan Mitchell, principal of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Elementary School – Stark County Catholic Elementary Schools would like to recognize Principal Dan Mitchell, of St. Joan of Arc Catholic School. Mr. Mitchell was appointed to SJA right before the school year began, and he has been “full steam ahead” ever since! Mr. Mitchell focuses on positivity and often repeats his motto, “Do better, be better,” which he also expects from himself. He is making a conscious effort to build a rapport with each student, their families, and the SJA faculty and staff. He sets high expectations within an encouraging environment. Mr. Mitchell has established a Student Behavior Code based on the seven virtues of the Catholic faith, so students are rewarded for making good and virtuous choices while learning that poor choices not only affect them but others in the school community as well.
TUSLAW LOCAL
Mike Venditti, mechanic – Mike has really stepped up to the plate not only handling mechanic duties, he has had to run a route daily due to bus driver illness, and has had to cover extra hours in the garage due to the loss of our half-time mechanic taking another position. He has shown great leadership keeping the bus fleet in tip-top condition while short staffed, keeping the bus route on time and working extra hours.
Rich Bossler, athletic announcer/volunteer – Rich is always willing to help out with our school activities to benefit our students and community at all times. Even after all of his children have graduated from Tuslaw, he’s a constant helper within our community and school.
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