Moreland honors teachers, staff and volunteers at annual People of the Year celebration

Moreland School District leaders and school principals honored classroom teachers, classified staff and community volunteers at the district’s annual People of the Year celebration, recognizing individuals from each school site who district officials said have made notable contributions to students and school communities.

District Superintendent Dr. Codden opened the event and said it was “a privilege to work alongside you,” framing the evening as a celebration of educators, classified staff and volunteers who support Moreland students. Emcee Kasia Munez told the audience the nominees “are kid centered,” and emphasized the community-wide contributions to the district’s schools.

The ceremony combined school-level recognitions with district awards. At Anderson Elementary, Erin Sherwood and Manuela Chan were named the school’s volunteers of the year; both were described by presenters as adult English-class instructors who run weekly classes for parents and community members. Anderson’s classified employee of the year was announced as Derese Funk, identified in remarks as the school’s full-time counselor, and Laura Dumont was named Anderson teacher of the year for her role providing math instruction and interventions to third through fifth graders.

Across other sites, the ceremony recognized multiple honorees: Baker Elementary named Lori Larson its volunteer of the year (absent), Manuel “Manny” Rojas Gomez its classified employee of the year, and Andy Romero its teacher of the year. Country Lane honored Kiera Arslan (volunteer), Carla Maxfield (classified) and Stacy (teacher/intervention specialist). Easterbrook Discovery Schools highlighted long‑time volunteer Joyce Weitzel and classified employee Leticia Tapia, among others. Latimer, Moreland Middle School, Payne Elementary and other sites presented comparable awards to volunteers, classified employees and teachers.

Districtwide honors highlighted staff who manage or expand systemwide programs. Giselle Smith was recognized as the district’s program manager of the year for leading the district’s expanded learning program (described in remarks as a state-funded enrichment program) and for overseeing the district’s before‑and‑after‑school (extended day) offerings. Presenters said the expanded learning program serves about 850 students and that the extended day program serves about 575 students. The district volunteer of the year was named as Michelle Zhang; the district classified person of the year was identified as Almir Hadze (also referenced in site remarks), and the district teacher of the year was presented to Teresa (announced from EDS and described as a special education teacher with 16 years in Moreland).

Presenters at individual schools read statements from colleagues and students describing honorees’ classroom practices, volunteer work and contributions to school activities such as donation drives, assemblies, student clubs and family engagement events. For example, Anderson’s volunteer teachers were credited with holding a weekly English class that students and adult learners described as welcoming and supportive, and award citations for classified staff commonly cited day‑to‑day reliability, relationship‑building with students and practical problem‑solving around campus.

The evening concluded with thanks from district leadership and instructions that the board’s regular meeting would resume shortly in a different boardroom; presenters also thanked the district public information, HR and technology teams for supporting the event.

The ceremony did not include board actions, votes or policy decisions; it was a recognition event tied to the district’s annual awards program.