Todd Quinn is a new custodian in our school. He does a fabulous job at making sure everything is clean and taken care of, however this is not why I am giving him this card. Todd is receiving this card because he takes the time to interact with the students in such a positive manner during school. He was bound and determined to make one little boy smile, and after a week in school, he did just that! Another little boy stopped him in the hall and told him that he aspires to be like him when he grows up. A lot of custodians do not realize the potential they have to be role models to children when they work in a school. However, Todd Quinn saw an opportunity to seek out and mentor young students, especially the ones who are quiet and don’t seem to get much attention. Our students are truly blessed to have Mr. Todd in their school and, more importantly, in their lives.

Sarah has been working with the teachers in our building to help them self-pace their classes, set up Google classrooms, and step out of their comfort zones. A veteran teacher wanted to set her entire team up with Google classroom. Sarah provided the support to make this happen. She has been available when needed. At 5:30 this afternoon she was in the teacher’s classroom helping her with a problem the teacher experienced during the day. Her support has helped validate the teacher and add excitement to the teacher’s and students’ day. Thank you Sarah.

Melanie has completely reinvented our library center. She has made changes that have excited our students in so many ways. One of the simplest things she has implemented is for each child to adopt a shelf. There is a note on each shelf that says “This shelf is cared for by…” The students are taking ownership of the library. They are excited to go and are taking pride in their part of the library media center. They are making sure their shelves are dusted, neat, and books are in order. The pride they feel has made the library a special part of their day. Thank you Melanie.

Sheriff Wheeler walked into the Custer County Communications Center midweek of the 2016 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The day had been a remarkably quiet day to this point and he not so innocently remarked upon the fact, dropped this card, 7 of hearts side up on my desk and sat down. Anyone who dispatches or is a first responder, knows that it is BAD luck to walk into a dispatch office and say the word QUIET. Within minutes the 911 lines were lit up and we had 2 motorcycle accidents with injuries. Once we got everything back to “normal”, I read the back of the card. “Today-YOU made a difference, by making a simple moment ……. Significant.” I sat back in my chair and thought about that for quite awhile before I logged in to see what journey this card had taken to get to me….turns out it started with me! You just never know when you are going to make a difference in someone’s life! Receiving this card was an instant wake up call to always be mindful of my words and actions! Thanks Sheriff! And so begins card #33687’s journey.

I’m given the honor every day to see kids in the school system. I observe and seek out those children that appear to be having a tough day, no matter the situation. I try my best to share time, no matter if it is just a minute or so, to encourage and motivate those children to have the best day possible.

I am beginning my 2nd year as an Administrator at MSMS. Very thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a part of something special here at MSMS. By working as a TEAM, our staff has created many opportunities to help or students develop a passion to want to come to school. We have been very blessed to have a positive working environment to where everyone does not take for granted any opportunities to make a difference each day.

Robin is a 2nd grade teacher in my district, and she is the epitome of the words “teacher leader”. She had been working hard on aligning her curriculum to her standards, while also transforming her classroom into a self-paced, personalized learning environment. She saw a desperate need for the entire grade level to go through some training and refocusing of priorities when it comes to teaching the standards. She took it upon herself to get the training need brought to the attention of the administration, and then offered examples and resources to all members of the grade level to show them how to align curriculum to standards and assessments. She also agreed to do further trainings with the other teachers to ensure they become comfortable with the new alignment process. ALL 2nd grade students will benefit from Robin’s initiative!