SBCSS News and Press Releases

Six Recipients Honored As County Classified School Employees Of Year

2010-03-30

SAN BERNARDINO - Six San Bernardino County school workers have been named 2010 Classified School Employees of the Year and will be recognized by the County Board of Education on April 5, County Superintendent Gary Thomas announced today.

"These recipients represent the thousands of classified members who help provide safe, clean and productive environments for the students in our county every day. Without their work, our schools and districts could not function," Thomas said.

The employees were nominated by their school districts and selected by a judging panel for the statewide program, which was initiated in 2008. The county winners advance to a California Classified Employees of the Year competition. The state recipients will be announced later in April.

The county Classified School Employees of the Year, their positions and the schools and/or districts they represent are:

• Martha Degortari, secretary, in the Child Development Department for the Rialto Unified School District;
• Sesaria Estrella, transportation scheduler, for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools;
• Sylvia Kipness, kitchen assistant, at Summit High School in the Fontana Unified School District;
• Rica Medalen, para-educator, at Bloomington Middle School for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools;
• Nancy Szydloski, parent volunteer coordinator, at Sandia Elementary in the Apple Valley Unified School District;
• Tom Ziech, groundskeeper, in the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.

In the category of Office and Technical, Degortari has worked in Child Development for Rialto for the past eight years. "Martha's diverse professional experiences, educational background and excellent people skills enable her to masterfully manage a wide range of office and technical tasks," wrote Child Development Director Lynne Brunner in the nomination of Degortari.

As a transportation scheduler for the past 17 years for County Schools, Estrella was selected as the Classified School Employee of the Year in the Transportation category. "She is always willing to go the extra mile in order to assist the students and parents that we serve," wrote Ralph Alba, program manager, in Estrella's nomination. "She is motivated and conscientious and always willing to assist her fellow employees while providing excellent customer services to our students, parents and districts."

For Kipness, the recipient in the category of Child Nutrition, she has worked as a kitchen assistant at Summit High School for the past eight years. She is highly respected by co-workers around the school for the pride she takes in her job to the benefit of students. "Sylvia is an outstanding worker," wrote Richard Bruce, food service technician, in support of Kipness. "Many of the kids call her 'mom.' She has befriended many of the kids, which is hard to do at a high school."

Medalen was chosen as the recipient in the category of Para-Educator and Instructional Assistance. For the past 13 years, she has worked with severe and profound handicapped students at Bloomington Middle School. "Rica is a vital employee in my class for County Schools," wrote David Whitt, a teacher, in the nomination of Medalen. "She goes out of her way to develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with students and staff."

Selected in the category of Support Services and Security, Szydloski has served as a parent volunteer coordinator at Sandia Elementary for eight years and has also worked at the site as a para-educator, proctor and pre-school assistant for an additional four years. "Nancy's enthusiasm is contagious," wrote Pat Shelby, principal at Sandia Elementary, in Szydloski's nomination. "She is an integral part of the daily functions at our school, and she creates a warm, welcoming environment for parents and visitors at our site."

For the past 20 years, Ziech has displayed a strong work ethic and commitment to helping solve irrigation issues for all the schools in the Yucaipa-Calimesa district. He is the recipient in the Maintenance and Operations category. "Tom is a great asset to our school district and the community," wrote Doug Savage, Ziech's district supervisor, in the nomination of him. "It would be difficult to replace his combination of skills, abilities and willingness to do all that is needed with any one person."