Sunset Elementary names Students of the Month
Published 3:29 pm Friday, April 21, 2023
- MOULTRIE – Elizabeth Huckaby was named the Colquitt County School District’s Employee of the Year during its BRAVO ceremony April 18.In its 19th year, the annual ceremony took place at Withers Auditorium. The BRAVO – Balancing Responsibility and Achievement while Valuing Others – Employee Recognition program was created to promote the Colquitt County School District’s shared values of excellence, innovation, continuous improvement, peer recognition, and school spirit.Superintendent Ben Wiggins said the program accepts nominations for bus drivers, clerks, custodians, food service workers, instructional providers, maintenance personnel, nurses, paraprofessionals, social workers, and technology specialists with at least three years of employment in the Colquitt County School District, a good attendance record, enthusiasm, initiative in job performance, and an excellent attitude and rapport in the workplace.Huckaby, who is a Norman Park Elementary School paraprofessional, has been employed in the Colquitt County School District for 36 years, and this is her second time being named a BRAVO representative.In her nomination, Huckaby was described as a compassionate person who “has a heart for students and goes above and beyond for each and every one of them as if they were her own.“She is willing to do whatever anyone asks of her, even if it means putting herself out. She arrives early and stays late to work with fostered students. Her love shines far beyond our school.”The ceremony also recognized the Employee of the Year from each of the county’s 14 schools. Each will receive a $200 bonus in their next paycheck.The three finalists were Huckaby, Lee Bankston from Colquitt County High School and Paul Kelley from Funston Elementary. Each will receive a $500 bonus, on top of the $200 they’ll get for representing their schools.When named a 2023 BRAVO representative Huckaby shared, “Being nominated for this by my school is an honor because it truly lets me know how much I am thought of and appreciated. It is satisfying to see the ‘light bulbs’ come on when working one-on-one or in a small group with students and knowing I am part of making their future much brighter.”Huckaby received a trophy, a gift basket from downtown merchants on behalf of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce, a membership to the YMCA, and an Employee of the Year ring provided by Herff Jones.“Now,” Wiggins continued, “as your final prize for being selected Colquitt County School District’s BRAVO Employee of the Year … and in addition to the $700 you have already received ($200 for your school nominee and $500 for being named a finalist). We are proud to present to you a check for $4,500!”School officials thanked donors from the community who made the awards’ prizes possible.Huckaby is a mother to three children, Terrance Jermaine Huckaby, Janice Irvin, and Angelic Slaughter.Other school Employees of the Year recognized April 18 were:• Lee Bankston, the principal’s secretary at Colquitt County High School. She has been employed with the district for 18 years.This is her second time being named a BRAVO representative. She is married to Michael Bankston and has two children, Landon Bass and Laura Lee Durham.• Laura Moxthe, a receptionist at Cox Elementary School. Moxthe is in her third year of employment in the district and this is her first time being named a BRAVO representative. She has one child, Quincy.• Crissy Paulk, a paraprofessional at Doerun Elementary School. She has been employed with the CCSD for five years and this is her first year being nominated. Paulk and her husband, Issac, have one child, Kamry.• Justin Dees, an electrician in the Facilities/Maintenance Department. He has worked for the district for the past five years and this is his first BRAVO nomination. Dees and his wife, Jessica have one child, Dallas.• Paul Kelley, a custodian at Funston Elementary School, has been employed in the Colquitt County School District for four years. In his first BRAVO nomination, Kelley is described as sacrificial. “This honor means the world to me. It shows that the great group of people that I work with appreciate and value what I do each day,” he said.• Melissa Lynn, a paraprofessional at C.A. Gray Junior High School. She has been employed in the Colquitt County School District for 17 years. This is her second BRAVO nomination. Lynn is the mother to Trenton, Hunter, Connor, Brayden and Elizabeth Weathers.• Leslie Gilbert, a paraprofessional at Hamilton Elementary School. Gilbert has been employed in the Colquitt County School District for five years and this is his first time being named as a BRAVO representative. He is married to Edna Ruth and they have three children, Theresa Lee James, Leslie Dawayne Gilbert Jr., and Mary Ruth Foster.• Hede Wright, a paraprofessional at J.M. Odom Elementary School. She is in her ninth year at the district. This was her first year being named a BRAVO representative, and she was described as caring. She has two children, Nola Grace Wright and Aaron Preston Wright.• Teri Payne, a paraprofessional at Okapilco Elementary School. Payne has been employed in the district for 25 years and this is her first time being named a BRAVO representative. She was described as compassionate. She and her husband, Mike, have one child, Katelyn Gibson.• Chris Duncan, a custodian at Stringfellow Elementary School. He’s been employed for three years and this is his first BRAVO nomination. He is married to Valerie and they have three children, Kamisha Sumlin, Shabreka Duncan, and Latoni Sumlin.• India Parker is the principal’s secretary at Sunset Elementary School. She’s been employed within the district for five years and this is her first BRAVO nomination. Parker and her husband, Alan, have two children, Bradley and Brody.• Tami Tillman is the district Student Information System Coordinator and has been employed in the CCSD for 29 years. This is Tillman’s first time being named a BRAVO representative. She is married to her husband, Robert, and they have four children, John, Justin, Robby, and J.D.• Yvonne Green is a custodian at Willie J. Williams Middle School and has been employed in the district for 25 years. This is Green’s first time being named a BRAVO representative and she was described as dedicated. She has four children, Sedrick Jr., Reakuwon, Bryson, and Tamaria.• Melissa Brannen, the speech-language pathologist at R.B. Wright Elementary School. She is in her tenth year at the district, and this is her first time being named a BRAVO representative. Brannen and her husband Lane do not have any children but do have a Labrador retriever named Drake.
MOULTRIE, Ga. — Sunset Elementary School recently recognized its students of the month for March. These students were selected for exhibiting school pride in all areas of academics.
Their teachers say they demonstrated good behavior, were respectful, and made good choices inside and outside of the classroom.
They each received a free ice cream and a $10 star buck to spend in the School’s PBIS store.
Back row, from left, are Elsa Kusek, I’Yana Flounoy, Aldon Hernandez-Mendez, Emmanuel Hernandez, Tramarion Thomas, Nallely Ayuso-Cruz, Levi Burns, Will Smith, and Jayah Fuller. Middle row, from left, are Aliyana Gonzalez, Addie Bruce, Avily Polley, Olivia Eubanks, Hope Sirmans, Nathaly Barrera Cruz, Terry Graves, and Lorenzo Daniels. Front row, from left, are Hadlyn Hood, Harlyn Rineer , Amelia White, Aubrey Carl-Rodriguez, Ava Spradley, Skylar Repass, Cheyanne Summerlin, Wyatt Cashwell, and Lillian Johnson. Not pictured are Octavio Garcia Jr., Jayden Rhymes, Sarah Llamas, Julius Holley, and Kase Mitchell.
