Community Service Awards

Christine Brown joined our Liberty Tree Family first as the grandparent of two students at our school. Three years ago Chris began volunteering for our classroom school program, Lark Launch, our school day volunteer tutoring program. Chris has volunteered to work with students in our primary grades with math and reading. Three years later, Chris is now in charge of the tutoring with all kindergarteners within the school day. When Chris walks the halls of Liberty Tree, the students light up with excitement when they see her. Her dedication to the students she sees has been very impactful. She has such close relationships with so many students and staff as well. She has helped staff at Liberty Tree in so many ways. She volunteers weekly in the library to assist our librarian with organizational needs. She offers assistance with creating and organizing a variety of curriculum materials. This gracious act has been a huge act of kindness towards the teachers at Liberty Tree. Chris truly has a heart of gold and we are forever grateful that Chris is part of our Liberty Tree family.

Erin Gibson, Administrative Services Coordinator at Del-Co Water Company, Inc., is deserving of a Community Partner Recognition Award for her outstanding commitment to supporting our students and staff. The Del-Co Wolf Water Center has generously shared its space to host a variety of events, including staff professional learning, leadership retreats, and the Coach Beyond Student Leadership Summits. Erin is an absolute delight to work with, and her continued partnership and hospitality have created meaningful opportunities for learning, collaboration, and student leadership development.

Erin is being recognized for her dedication to the students and staff at Tyler Run Elementary. As a licensed intervention specialist, she generously volunteered her time to support the Tyler Run Take Off program, providing kindergarten students with engaging math and reading activities. Through her weekly work with students and collaboration with teachers and staff, Mrs. Hughes helped make the program a success.

Kris has volunteered four years as a member of the board's Policy Committee, dedicating her time and energy to ensuring policy revisions and adoptions are needed and fair. Policy work is often associated with tedium, but Kris is always attentive to detail and finds how even the smallest decision about word choice can have a meaningful impact. She is thoughtful and a pleasant pearson, and our Policy Committee is grateful to have her on the team. Kris also substitute teaches around our district and we are also very appreciative of that as well.

Elizabeth has served as PTO Treasurer at Tyler Run Elementary for the past two years, providing exceptional leadership in managing finances, overseeing budgets, and supporting PTO operations. She works closely with the PTO board and school staff throughout the year to help ensure the success of events, functions, and field trips.

Stephanie served for six years on the board's Policy Committee, helping to craft our district policy fairly and transparently. Her tenure on the committee overlapped with the Covid pandemic and Stephanie's intelligence and pragmatism helped the district to navigate many policy topics that were impacted by social distancing and other reactions to public health. With her assistance, Olentangy emerged from the pandemic experience as a stronger district and we are grateful for her generosity of spirit.

Emily's creativity, dedication, and commitment kept our school community informed and connected. Through engaging posts, timely updates, and positive communication, she helped strengthen the connection between families, staff, and the PTO all year long.

When thinking about someone to nominate for the community partnership recognition through Olentangy, the obvious choice in our minds is Mr. Walt Williamson. Mr. Williamson serves on the Shale Meadows PTO and through this position he not only serves as our treasurer, but also serves on multiple committees including our school talent show and our fall family treat trail. He also provides learning opportunities for our students by forming partnerships with Intel to provide second graders with a hands-on robotics experience. Last but not least, Mr. Williamson helped provide books to all seventeen elementary libraries through the same partnership with Intel. Not a week goes by that you don't see Mr. Williamson walking the halls of Shale Meadows carrying a great big smile and a warm hello.