Owasso school staffer Tanya Ciponaya praised as she nears 20 years with district

Tatiana "Tanya" Ciponaya, a staff member with Owasso Public Schools, was praised by a colleague during remarks at an Owasso Public Schools meeting for nearly 20 years of service to the district. "My name is Tatiana Ciponaya or people call me Tanya," she said, adding that she has "been with the Owasso Public Schools for almost 20 years."

A meeting participant thanked Ciponaya for her work, saying, "She is just a a great employee for Owasso Public Schools … She is getting ready to celebrate 20 years with the school district" and calling her "warm, kind, and friendly." The speaker said Ciponaya "strives for excellence each and every day" and thanked her for the small daily efforts that matter.

Ciponaya described her duties in administration and enrollment: she said she cleans, prepares buildings and makes meeting rooms presentable for conferences and boardroom meetings. "So I clean everything and make sure everything goes well and prepare for meetings, conferences, board boardroom meeting, making sure everything's perfect," she said. She told the meeting that her favorite part of the job is interacting with students: "My favorite thing was and is ... the kids," she said, describing how students recognize and greet her in public.

She accepted the praise with gratitude and emphasized that many employees share responsibility for district operations, noting custodians, bus drivers and cafeteria staff among those who help keep schools running. "There's many of us throughout the district, and everyone does a wonderful job as custodians, bus drivers, kitchen people," Ciponaya said.

No formal action or vote was recorded in the transcript; the record shows a brief staff recognition-style exchange and expressions of appreciation.