Walnut Valley Unified Employees Make the Grade, Honored

Walnut Valley Unified School District’s 12 honorees for the 2010 Cornerstone Award have something in common.

The classified employees who provide support to teachers and administrators are all dedicated, hardworking and devoted to the children they serve.

“They are the constant, often making a long-lasting connection in the lives of our children,” said Assistant Superintendent Kathy Granger. 

The district hosted the ceremony Feb. 4 at the Pomona Valley Mining Company to recognize non-teaching employees who go the extra mile in providing service to schools and the community, according to a press release.

Walnut Valley Unified’s Personnel Commission honors one employee each month. Besides certificates of recognition from the district and Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, the recipients received gift cards from local businesses and a paid day off.

Among this year’s winners were: Betty Holmes, attendance clerk at South Pointe Middle School; Donna Ibarra, school office manager at Westhoff Elementary; Elizabeth Esparza, child care attendant at the Walnut Elementary Child Enrichment program; Ruthie Lu, school office manager at C.J. Morris Elementary; Mary Anderson, food services supervisor at Chaparral Middle School.

Also recognized were Donna Waggener, district campus security officer at Walnut High; Lam Bui, data base analyst, Technology Department; Cindy Franco, special education instructional aide at Vejar Elementary; Diana Lance, office assistant at Quail Summit Elementary;  Miguel Silva, food services supervisor at Suzanne Middle School; Christal Beccera, office assistant at South Pointe Middle School;  Patricia Hernandez, health clerk at Castle Rock Elementary School.

Waggener was named Classified Employee of the Year.  She was lauded for 23 years of service to the district.  Besides working as a campus officer, she also teaches a public safety and administration of justice class at the school through the Regional Occupational Program, according to the district.

She believes in going “above and beyond, to be there and to be visible” during school events to keep problems at bay.  Waggener makes students write an essay about what they did wrong and how to change it if they get in trouble.

She also represents Walnut Valley classified employees as the current president of the Classified School Employee Association (CSEA).

Superintendent Dean Conklin gave high praise to the classified employees during the ceremony.

 “Classified employees are constantly maintaining our schools - making sure they are safe and clean for our kids,” he said. “They prepare the food and do the paperwork. They are often in the background, but without them, we could not run the schools.”