CIS of Eastern PA Recognizes Employees at Annual Staff Appreciation Awards Ceremony

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Eastern PA brought over 60 employees together virtually on Friday, June 4, 2021 for its annual staff appreciation event to celebrate the team's dedication to students and families during a school year that saw more challenges than ever due to the COVID-19 crisis. During the ceremony, CIS Eastern PA leadership also recognized nine employees with special awards and nine employees for their years of service to the organization.

Five Basics Award

The annual Five Basics Award acknowledges employees who embody all five basics of CIS while empowering students to succeed in school and beyond. See the 2021 Five Basics Award winners below:

• Kristen Hackman, Site Coordinator at Eyer Middle School (East Penn School District)

• Jeanine Stanilious, Community School Coordinator at Paxinosa Elementary School (Easton Area School District)

• Nancy Ettwein, Site Coordinator at Liberty High School (Bethlehem Area School District)

Kristen Hackman

Jeanine Stanilious

Nancy Ettwein

Innovation Award

The annual Innovation Award recognizes employee-led projects or programs that demonstrates creativity and accomplishes large scale impact while meeting student needs. See the 2021 Innovation Award winners below:

• Azucena Snyder, Activities Coordinator at Lincoln Elementary School (Bethlehem Area School District) was recognized for her virtual "Mini Globe Trotters" program that she created for students on Zoom. The program allowed students to "travel" to a different country each week to learn about customs, food, dress, language, geography, and more.

• Gena Holmes, Community School Coordinator at Lincoln Elementary School (Bethlehem Area School District) was recognized for developing a school-wide initiative to support the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) needs of students by creating take home SEL kits that included tools, resources, and practical guidance to help families implement the kits effectively.

Gena Holmes

Azucena Snyder

Milliken Leadership Award

In honor of Communities In Schools national founder Bill Milliken, the annual Milliken Leadership Award recognizes employees for setting a high standard of excellence by doing whatever it takes to serve students. See the 2021 Milliken Leadership Award winners below:

• Elise Symia, Site Coordinator at Easton Area High School (Easton School District)

• Phil Parise, Program Manager at CIS Eastern PA Administrative office

Elise Symia

Phil Parise

Collaborative Impact Award

The annual Collaborative Impact Award recognizes employees' ability to leverage school-based and community resources to drive wide system change to benefit students. See the 2021 Collaborative Impact Award winners below:

• Magan DePrefontaine, Community School Coordinator at Union Terrace Elementary School (Allentown School District)

• Wanda Colon, Family and Community Liaison at Southern Middle School (Reading School District)

Magan DePrefontaine

Wanda Colon

Years of Service Recognitions:

CIS of Eastern PA also celebrated employees who recently reached years of service anniversaries with the organization. We presented the following employees with recognition for reaching 5 years of service and 10 years of service in 2021:

Five Years of Service:

• Daniel Foulk, Student Support Specialist, Easton Area Middle School (Easton Area School District)

• Alana Lowe, Site Coordinator at Freemansburg Elementary School (Bethlehem Area School District)

• Jeanine Stanilious, Community School Coordinator at Paxinosa Elementary School (Easton Area School District)

Ten Years of Service:

• Timothy Mulligan, President & CEO of Communities In Schools of Eastern PA

Five Years of Service (2020)

Because our annual Staff Appreciation ceremony was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we also recognized the following employees who reached the five year service milestone last year:

• Nicolas Camacho, Student Support Specialist at Southern Middle School (Reading School District)

• Gardenys Fernandez, Site Coordinator at Trexler Middle School (Allentown School District)

• Ryan Gruber, Site Coordinator at Southern Middle School (Reading School District)

• Tammy Patterson, Human Resources Coordinator at CIS Administrative Office

• Nancy Ettwein, Site Coordinator at Liberty High School (Bethlehem Area School District)

Congratulations to all CIS of Eastern PA employees for their commitment to being #AllinforKids!