Granite Falls honors students and staff with Success in Education and Bridge Builder awards
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Summary
At its regular meeting the Granite Falls School Board recognized district students across grade levels with Success in Education awards and named four staff members as Bridge Builder award recipients; the district highlighted 52 nominations and small gifts from a local business.
The Granite Falls School board on Wednesday recognized students from elementary through high school with the district's Success in Education awards and presented four staff members with Bridge Builder awards honoring those who build strong relationships with students.
The awards program highlighted individual students from Crossroads, Mountain Way, Monte Cristo, Granite Falls Middle School and Granite Falls High School. Winners named during the ceremony included Tana Carr and student representative Lexi Shaman at Crossroads/Open Doors; Kinsley Parish at Mountain Way; Violet Blake, Grayson and Ender Ackerman at Monte Cristo; Stephanie Garcia Villegas, Melina Newman and Jackson Marzell at Granite Falls Middle School; and several high school honorees including Joseph Roberts, Mikayla Herb and Thomas Hancock. Superintendent Dana Giesland introduced the students and presenters from the district's teaching-and-learning and school sites.
The Bridge Builder awards went to Crystal Johnson (secretary, Granite Falls Middle School), Sandra Wiley (bus driver), Trevor Williams (teacher) and Robin Barth (Crossroads High School). Giesland said the nomination pool totaled 52 entries and praised the nominations as "thoughtful, heartfelt, and clearly demonstrat[ing] the incredible impact our staff members have on students." She noted the district had the awards crafted in its own woodshop and that Pilchuck Espresso supplied $25 gift cards for each recipient.
School staff who presented winners described students' contributions to classroom life, leadership roles in ASB and Tiger Cabinet, and academic improvements on diagnostics. Presenters repeatedly emphasized character traits such as cooperation, persistence and leadership when explaining selections for younger students, and highlighted extracurricular involvement and rigorous coursework for high school recipients.
District leaders invited all award winners to the front for a group photograph at the conclusion of the recognition segment.
Acknowledging the ceremony format and multiple presenters, the board recessed briefly after the awards before returning to its regular agenda.
