My name is Nicole Price. I am a lifelong resident of the district. I actually am a Tartan graduate myself. I actually had all of my boys in ECF in the district and wasn't ready to be done when they were aging out of the program. So I decided to work in ECF and that's how I started my professional life in the district working as a parah only when they were in school later in preschool and um I was the parent volunteer coordinator at Cow Elementary and I do feel like that was a huge part of how I sort of immersed myself in the community and got to know people um in this area. The most rewarding part of working in community ed, but specifically here at Gladstone, is that we house multiple programs in our building. So, I not only get to see my seniors that visit each day, but I also get to see a lot of families that come for ECF um and then some of the preschool students. And it's just really awesome to see how they engage with one another. I love seeing our seniors come through and they're like, "I used to do daycare." and they're getting down in the faces of all these little babies and they're just cooing and you know so excited to see them. It's just a reminder that life is just there's so much out there for us, right? And that our seniors are still living such wonderful meaningful lives, but that they come with all this history and experience and life that they've already lived to share with us, even down to the tiny little babies. So, this place is a really unique place in that regard, for sure. Something I'm most proud of in my time here at Gladstone is all the connections that I've made with the community um beyond what I mentioned before at Coward. Now here at Gladstone, I've realized that seniors often are just looking for a tiny connection, right? Just a little interaction. I've learned to not only ask them how they're doing, but also tell them that it's just nice to see them. I think some of them maybe don't hear that enough. So, making sure I know their name and just a hello and a smile. Seeing their faces light up when they come reminds me that I am doing a good job. It makes me feel good for sure. My mom actually won an Excel award a couple years back. She was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and she was entirely deserving. So, I was so happy that she was able to um be recognized for that. She's a super compassionate person. She's just incredible. She's an angel. I think if kindness runs in our family, you know, perhaps maybe. And if I could be just maybe half the woman she is, I'd be very successful. I'd be very proud. She's wonderful. When I found out I won this award, I was incredibly honored and humbled. Um, I share my office with such an amazing person. I I'm I'm just incredibly honored that somebody as wonderful as her would see good in me. My dad died about 16 years ago now and it was kind of sudden. Um I'm always looking for ways to remember him or be reminded of him and one day I was working at my desk. All of our seniors have a little visitor badge when they visit. Um and they'll leave it on the counter when they leave. Sometimes they just drop it and go. Sometimes there's a goodbye. you know, it just depends on the day. And one day in particular, this gentleman that was here to play cribage was leaving and he just had this long pause when he set his little badge down. Um, he just seemed like he had intention. There was something behind it and I looked up from my desk to say goodbye to him and wish him a good day cuz he seemed to like need something, right? and he just was smiling at me and he said, "You know, you really bring the sunshine." And I was sort of taken back. It was beautiful. It was really, really sweet of him, but my dad called me sunshine. So, that was the nickname that I was always called as a child from my dad, even as an adult. Um, but it reminded me of him and it helped me kind of realize that he is everywhere and I can find him. I can see those things and I do I see them in the seniors here and I think you know if he could still be alive he'd be living his life the way that some of these people here are. So, I'm so happy they're here continuing to grow and learn and just live. My name is Susan Eyer. I've been with the district for 32 years. I love working with Adventure Connection and working with the lunchroom and working in the classroom with the kids. My hobbies are shopping >> and going out to dinner with friends and family. The most rewarding part of my job is the children and playing games and playing in the gym and focusing in what they like to do and talking to them and find like this weekend and what they did for the weekend and stuff like that. >> Do you have any humorous stories having worked with children for all of these years? a child this did a April Fool's prank on me. Um, I went to sit down and there was a whoopy cushion. So, I work here and then I work in a classroom with kindergarteners helping them read and then I work in the lunchroom. When I found out I won this award, I was kind of not kind of dumbfounded cuz I wasn't expecting it just enjoying being with the children. I'm Reverend Shawn Morrison. I'm the founder and the executive director of a change agent organization known as Good in the Hood. We were going to name it Good in the Neighborhood, but Mr. Rogers had that. So, we called it Good in the Hood. And uh Good in the Hood, it's really about community. And so what we love to do each and every day is to mobilize resources and help people in need. And our mission is to simply make a difference by bringing help and inspiring hope to all those in need. We love to say there's four pillars that we follow. And the first one is promotion of the intentional kindness message. We want to see intentional kindness in every community and that's what good and hood loves to do. Second one is provision. It's programs and services and resources that we love to mobilize to those with the greatest need. Third one is participation and it's mobilizing volunteers including recipients of services who want to give back and feel a part of the solution and have the dignity to do so. And the fourth one which is so important to us is partnerships. So Harmony and ISD 622, thank you for your wonderful partnership that allows us to fulfill our mission. And our mission is to simply make a difference by bringing help and inspiring hope to all those in need. We were in South Minneapolis area. We were doing uh just the beginning work of what we call our current food shelf system and uh we now host 30 sites throughout the Twin Cities. But this was in the early days. We were picking up groceries in the back of a pickup truck and bringing it into the city and just trying to help people. And one day we had uh finished our distribution and uh we had extra groceries and we didn't want to throw it away. So we went and we decided let's go door to door and just give the groceries away. But we knew if we just offered them the person would feel embarrassed. And so we thought well we'll ask the people if they know of anyone who could use the groceries. Very first house we go to and we want to know if you or anyone in the neighborhood you know about could use these extra groceries. And unexpectedly she just started sobbing. I mean, not just little crocodile tears, but the kind that really were heaves. And I took it off guard. And then after I composed myself because I was kind of, you know, taken aback, I asked her, I said, "Is everything okay?" And she goes, "You wouldn't believe this." She said, "I'm a single mom of two trying to raise my family and try not to be an assistant." She goes, "I work a full-time job." She goes, "I do that for dignity sake." She says, ' And last night I bought groceries, filled my refrigerator, and I woke up this morning, my refrigerator had burnt out and died. And she goes, I called my landlord and he's going to replace the refrigerator, but I don't have any groceries, and I'm not set up to get free groceries from, you know, assistants or any other way. She goes, I didn't know what I was going to do. And then you show up. what we get to do each and every day when we give groceries to people is we kind of get to be the answer to someone's prayers. You know, with Operational Metro Surge, um we had to make some quick pivots and none of us had ever gone through anything like this before. So, it was each local host site that had to help us pivot because we couldn't do it apart from you um choosing to make deliveries. And you couldn't just send anyone to someone's door. It had to be a trusted person, somebody that they considered a friend or a neighbor. You were able to do that. We just helped facilitate it on the back end. And uh but having the uh partner sites such as you being able to do this was so so important to the many that otherwise would have gone hungry, would have gone to bed without a full tummy, kids, um adults, elderly, and uh you made it happen. And I'm so proud that we were able to be just a part of that and able to make sure that every person matters and that food was on their table that night. If we were to think about what it means to access food right in the same place you learn creates an ecosystem that's in a community that's special. So often we learn but then if we can't learn and we're hungry or we can't learn because we're hungry doesn't really work well. But also what's more important even than filling a tummy sometimes is filling that emotional void that's lacking when there's not a community and the food program along with the educational aspects that are so important and the and the support services brought on by social workers and other people and aids and and the faculty and all that provides a community. It creates a space that is safe and how important that is. So, we're really proud to be a part of this. My name is Emily Nelson and I am the current 10th grade counselor at Tartan High School. I also serve as one of the adviserss for National Honors Society and lead counselor for counselors at the building. >> I'm the president of NHS. NHS is a select group of academic students who participate in community service. >> Is Katie Doctor. Um I'm a physical education teacher here at Tartan and I'm one of the National Honor Society adviserss. I loved the sweetheart dance. didn't know what to expect and I think my favorite first surprise was the the band that we had. >> I like the older music that they play and I recognize some of the songs. Music is always a wonderful part of anything. Everybody's been so cordial and nice and a few nice young men came up and asked me to dance which I like to do. >> The kids were fantastic and it was just a really fun event too. So, it kind of kind of ran itself, but it was uh it was really really a beautiful thing. It was I think it was a little bit overwhelming at first for the students. You could definitely tell, you know, they are they are the iPhone generation and so when there's a little you little timidity, a little maybe feeling awkward, immediately go to the phones. But I think this was such a great opportunity for them to get out of their comfort zones and just to talk to people no matter what their age is. I think they might need a little a little bit of coaxing at the beginning, but I think once they warmed up and they had their dance with with someone or got to hear someone's life story or just just share some punch and cake, uh they're just connecting on a human level and just how needed that is in society and what a kind of becoming a lost skill. So, I think it helps the kids to just keep that alive but teach them a new skill set, how important human connection is as well. these students that we have in NHS are kind of the leaders um when it comes to students. So, grades wise, behavior-wise, all of the things. Um they're kind of the epitome of uh helpers and the kids that are going to go out and do big things or want to do big things in the world. Um so, especially having kind of the mentorship of the older ones that, you know, we didn't really have to talk to. they just kind of went and found people and were dancing and were um you know just trying to have a good time and brighten other lives as they could. Um and I think that's really special to see, you know, even on the days when education is a hard place to be because we all have those days. Um these little reminders of how good all of these humans are that we're working with is um really special to see. >> I I had a couple bets with some some of the senior boys. I said, "You need to rack up those dances with the ladies." And so they kind of got into a little competition. >> I just turned 100 in January and I've been coming here to Gladstone for the last 25 years and I've always enjoyed the sweetheart dance and this is the first time I've come to this particular dance. >> The students are always so much they're always so nice and they give such nice prizes here all the time. It's interesting what they give to us. >> I thought the sweetheart dance went really well. It was very fun to interact with the seniors, you know, seeing people at different stages of life, you know, enjoying um time to themselves, you know, having this program. >> They taught us a lot about these dances that we weren't taught in elementary school, and I don't think that they're teaching now that they hold all the wisdom of and that we're kind of the ones to pass it down. >> I'm going to work on my dance moves for the Sweetheart dance next year. Need to work on that. My name is Lidelina. I came from the Philippines. I came to school because I want to learn more English. I'm 74 years old. I came here in the America last 2018. My sister, she lived here more than 40 years and she helped me to come here to work to work. When I am in the Philippines, I cannot work them because I'm too old. And when I came here, I work here and I earn money for my family. In the Philippines, we so very very poor. All of my family is in the Philippines. In my family, I have four kids. My eldest grandkids is a teacher now. For five years I work in a laundry. Then after that I decide to go into kitchen. Now I'm I'm I'm a server for the old people and senior living. I decide to come to school because I I really want to learn more English because you know if I talk to other people I don't know how to communicate since birth I didn't touch computer but just only now I'm 74 years all the the listening computer didn't didn't go in my mind. That's why that is my favorite favorite subject. Computer. The computer is fun for me. And the math math is fun for me. I just want minus times plus and divide. I want that but no square root. This is a good good exercise. Good good how to learn. I learn more about English because you know in my country I only elementary graduate. Yeah. In my country I didn't go to high school. I'm proud myself because I learn I learn I learned English and I communicate people lifelong learning is very good for me because even I'm old I need to in there. My name is Tracy Tessier and I am the early childhood and family education program coordinator and that entails overseeing the ECB programs. I started out subbing and um fell in love with it immediately and believed so much in this work and this program and here I am 32 years later. What has kept me at this district is my love for the job. I believe so much in the work that we do. This district is extremely supportive of early learning. My director and uh all the way up to the superintendent, they're very very supportive. They really much know the value of it and believe in it and I feel that from them. So that definitely helps me do my job. The job entails many many many different hats and for many years I I was Clifford the big red dog for many years at our book fair. We had a book fair every year for many many years and um I I was it I volunteered to be Clifford in the the big red dog suit and it was really really fun and we had a we had a kiddo who was so excited so excited to see Clifford came up and gave me a big hug. I loved it. I did it for many years and uh I actually even incorporated it in the senior program and we would go down and visit the seniors and they loved it just as much as the kids. I just really feel so strongly about the work that we do. Um, this is it. These first 5 years, it's it's it is the the foundation of of these littles. And so, I just really believe in it and I'm so happy to be a part of it. When I found out I won this award, I was very humbled. Um, very humbled and very honored, especially that it has the BJ Hack name attached to it. Um, I've met BJ many of times and um, it's very honoring. She had such great passion for her community. We've created a program that welcomes all families and I I'm really proud of that. All of our staff, all of our ECF staff um, do that and accomplish that. My advice to anyone who wants to be in the work in this field in early childhood, I would say you need to be very passionate about your work and um believe in that work and if you have that then that's everything.