News Release and information regarding the Classified School Employees of the Year Awardees for 2024.
Additional information can be found on the May 1, 2024, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces 2024 California Classified School Employees of the Year News Release #24-24.
Aries Lewis
Clerical and Administrative Services
Community Liaison, 5 years of service
Green Valley and Oak View High Schools
Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District,
San Bernardino County
Aries Lewis plays a pivotal role in fostering positive connections between her schools and the community, particularly in supporting at-risk students. Her dedication extends to guiding students through transitional services and collaborating with military recruiters. A testament to her commitment is her unwavering support for families after meetings, and she earns their trust in the process. Lewis actively participates in community events like Trunk or Treat and Community Night Out organized by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to emphasize the importance of school presence in the wider community.
Jason Cheeseman
Custodial and Maintenance Services
Utility Person II, 10 years of service
North Elementary School, Tracy
Tracy Unified School District,
San Joaquin County
Many North Elementary staff members say Jason Cheeseman is a committed leader, that they do not know what they would do without him, and he is a man of his word. He keeps it real no matter what. Cheeseman takes pride in making sure the campus is clean, supplies are stocked, and staff and students always have what they need. He is committed to keeping campuses safe and providing support as students come to campus and leave campus. Students say they like Mr. Cheeseman’s high fives and they like that he knows their names. They like the clean cafeteria and how he helps them separate their food into the right buckets or cans.
Concepcion (Connie) Flores
Food and Nutrition Services
Cook/Baker, 23 years of service
Garden Grove High School, Garden Grove
Garden Grove Unified School District,
Orange County
As a cook and baker at Garden Grove High School, Connie Flores wears many hats. She fills the role as the catering chef, makes all the meals for the Apple Cart Café in the district office and as the cook at one of the district’s largest high schools, helps to provide over 1,000 meals a day. Anyone who has placed a catering order with Garden Grove Unified School District, along with all the students who have tasted her meals, have experienced the value of her cooking. Flores’ impact also extends beyond the kitchen; she fosters a supportive work environment, nurturing the skills of her colleagues and student workers. Her genuine kindness and unwavering dedication have earned her the respect and admiration of peers and supervisors. Outside of work, Connie extends her generosity to the community through charity work, embodying the spirit of service and compassion. Connie's culinary expertise, coupled with her giving nature, makes her a beloved figure both in the school and the wider community.
Nachole Yaley
Health and Student Services
Health Clerk/School Secretary and Administrative Assistant, 6 years or service
Millville Elementary School, Millville
Millville Elementary School District, Shasta County
Nachole Yaley is in the front office and is the person students go to when ill or upset. Yaley provides a nurse’s care to students by offering first aid, a cracker, or just a sympathetic ear. She is trusted by Millville Elementary students, and they confide in her what they cannot confide to their own families. She builds relationships with students to build that trust so kids have that one person on campus they can go to. She draws her skills from developmental assets and social and emotional learning in a natural, unforced manner. Yaley’s responsibilities include being the acting attendance clerk and homeless foster child liaison, and she oversees student immunizations. In this area, she has dealt with many tricky and uncomfortable situations. She has uncovered falsified immunization records, forged doctor signatures, and invalid medical waivers. She handled each of these events with grace and firmness.
Sara Sanchez
Paraprofessional Services
Paraeducator, 10 years of service
Green Hills Elementary School, Millbrae
Millbrae Elementary School District, San Mateo County
Sara Sanchez excels in making immediate, nurturing connections with families in the Millbrae community. She understands the importance of building strong relationships with parents and caregivers and actively engages with them to support student success. Sanchez’s advocacy for students and their families further demonstrates her commitment to ensuring that every student receives the support and resources they need to thrive. Her natural leadership abilities, proactive approach, and genuine care for students and families make her an invaluable asset to the school community. Sanchez’s dedication to serving others and her advocacy efforts contribute significantly to the positive and inclusive environment the district strives to maintain.
Isaiah Joiner
Security Services
School Security, 10 years of service
Mesa View Middle School, Calimesa
Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, San Bernardino County
Isaiah Joiner stands out as one of Mesa View Middle School’s best campus security staff members. He demonstrates an exemplary understanding of what it means to make students feel safe and welcome during this time of uncertainty for students in middle school. With over a decade of dedicated service to the district, Joiner consistently goes above and beyond as campus security. Whether coordinating athletic events, supporting schoolwide restorative practices, or participating in various school activities, he consistently seeks ways to enhance the overall educational experience for students.
Joseph Federico
Skilled Trades Services
Senior Tile Layer, Facilities Division, 24 years of service
Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles County
Joseph Federico is a Senior Tile Layer who has a great impact on his department and the district as well as being an integral component in keeping school restrooms open for maximum duration by completing his department’s assignments with record completion times. Federico single-handedly runs a crew of 23 employees; he tirelessly keeps the department focused and moving toward completion of the myriad projects assigned to him. Federico’s impact extends beyond the confines of his immediate workplace as he actively engages with other departments to streamline processes and optimize resource utilization. His collaborative efforts have led to the implementation of innovative strategies that have resulted in cost savings and improved operational efficiency across the district.
Rinat Fried
Technical Services
Research Associate, 12 years of service
Oakland Unified School District, Alameda County
Known and called on by teachers, teacher assistants, principals, and district leaders, Rinat Fried is eager to support and quick to respond and partner with everyone. She has an incredible work ethic and has given the Oakland Unified School District invaluable tools in understanding data at the individual student, classroom, and grade levels as well as understanding school, network, and district data over time. She has facilitated meetings to negotiate changes in assessment calendar or dashboards with a lens for continuous improvement. Fried holds focus groups with site leaders and teachers to ask them what they need and how she can serve them better and will often pop in to join meetings with other teams to understand how she can help collect data.
Joshua Crotts
Transportation Services
Instructional Materials Coordinator, 13 years of service
Twin Rivers Unified School District, Sacramento County
Joshua Crotts continually strives to learn as much as possible, often going above and beyond his typical responsibilities, so the district has efficient systems in place. He comes to work each day ready to put forth amazing effort to complete tasks and problem-solve any issue that might arise. He collaborates well with all departments and is often a “go-to” person for knowledge and support. Each school year, Crotts and his team have the massive responsibility of delivering thousands of instructional materials to sites so that they are ready to begin the new school year with everything they need. The systems Crotts has created make this process go extremely smoothly. Because of his effort in creating and improving systems, it’s not uncommon to have other school districts visit the district’s warehouse to learn about its instructional materials processes.