Dr. Shane Farnsworth, superintendent of the Alpine School District, visited classrooms to present the district’s Accent on Excellence awards to several teachers and support staff, praising long service and student-centered work.

The awards honor “those who just go above and beyond and do superior work,” Farnsworth said, and are given to a small number of employees each year. He told students and staff, “For you to sustain that level of commitment and care for that long is remarkable,” referring to an honoree nearing 30 years of service.

During the presentations, students described honorees’ classroom support and personal care. One student told the group, “She’s a wonderful teacher,” while others praised an employee who cleans the lunchroom and helps keep the school “clean so we can eat our food.” Farnsworth described recipients as both relationship-oriented and task-focused, noting they “connect with other people” while keeping the school “at a high level of efficiency, cleanliness, safety.”

Tyler Biggio, who the superintendent identified as representing the district foundation, spoke about additional gifts for honorees. The specific nature and monetary value of those gifts were not specified in the presentations.

Speakers identified multiple individuals during the visits, including staff referred to in the meeting as Becky; Stuart; Mr. Brown; Mr. Levitt; Mrs. Dalton; and a teacher variously named in the transcript as Baleston/Lisonbee. The transcript shows praise from students and staff comments about each person’s approach to students and duties, but did not provide a formal list of all awardees or specific award criteria beyond Farnsworth’s description.

The district said it selects a few employees for the Accent on Excellence recognition each year; how many employees were honored this session was not specified. The presentations combined brief remarks from the superintendent, comments from students, and a short handoff to a foundation representative for gift remarks.