The School District of Beloit will welcome Dr. Ramel Smith as the keynote speaker for the 2nd Knight of Distinction event to honor 78 school district employees, volunteers, parents and students.
The event will be held Friday, May 4 at 6 p.m. at the Eclipse Center in Beloit. Tickets are $25 and are currently available at all School District of Beloit Schools and the Kolak Education Center. Tickets will not be available at the door.
“The School District of Beloit is proud to recognize these honorees and welcome Dr. Smith. They are excellent models of commitment and dedication to our schools and community,” said Dr. Darrell Williams, interim superintendent of schools.
2018 honorees:
Converse Elementary: Renee Capozziello (Teacher of the Year), David Garry (Staff Member of the Year), Wayne Crawford (Volunteer of the Year), Serena Meyers (Parent of the Year), and Omar Arreguin and Adrianne Sanderson (Students of the Year)
Gaston Elementary: Tiffany Koenitzer (Teacher of the Year), Kenda Roman (Staff Member of the Year), Nancy Clark (Volunteer of the Year), Becky Miller (Parent of the Year), and Naheila Casique and Caitlyn Tracy (Students of the Year)
Hackett Elementary: Johnalee Kawalec (Teacher of the Year), Jolene Hall (Staff Member of the Year), Ruth Kolpack (Volunteer of the Year), Tamie Everson (Parent of the Year), and Sincere Thornton and Waseem Abed (Students of the Year)
Merrill Elementary: Nicole Davidson (Teacher of the Year), Deb Vance (Staff Member of the Year), Mary Doerfer (Volunteer of the Year), Luller Ray (Parent of the Year), and Aniyah Harris and Aiden Gibson (Students of the Year)
Robinson Elementary: Le Tran (Teacher of the Year), Amy Bishop (Staff Member of the Year), Wayne St. Clair (Volunteer of the Year), Porfirio Cervantes (Parent of the Year), and Mina Alonzo and Jason Garduno (Students of the Year)
Todd Elementary: Nanette Bolar (Teacher of the Year), Larry Martin (Staff Member of the Year), Alberta Fry (Volunteer of the Year), Jennifer VanLandingham (Parent of the Year), and Naima Brooks and Jose Esquival (Students of the Year)
Aldrich Intermediate: Suzette Nunez (Teacher of the Year), Diane Lovaas (Staff Member of the Year), Amy Johnson (Volunteer of the Year), Brenda Pinson (Parent of the Year), and Tarianna Edwards and Sharone Jones (Students of the Year)
Cunningham Intermediate: Shawn Petitt (Teacher of the Year), Cristina Douglas and Anderia Douglas (Staff Members of the Year), Heather Anderson (Volunteer of the Year), and Noah Moser and Adrian Hill (Students of the Year)
Fruzen Intermediate: Juanita Martinez (Teacher of the Year), Andrea Schroeder (Staff Member of the Year), Fausat Ganiyu (Volunteer of the Year), Lynette Collins (Parent of the Year), and Griffin Oberneder and Ke’Zhiah Chapman (Students of the Year)
McNeel Intermediate: Stephen Jacobson (Teacher of the Year), Rosa Nareja (Staff Member of the Year), Rebecca Olson (Volunteer of the Year), Matthew and Amy Williams (Parents of the Year), and Diana Sanchez Berrios and David Froeber III (Students of the Year)
Beloit Learning Academy: Susan Bailey (Teacher of the Year), Lexi Monroe and Robin Stuht (Staff Members of the Year), Michelle McCamey (Parent of the Year), and Rodney Moore and Esther Anaya (Students of the Year)
Roy Chapman Andrews Academy: Liz Watson (Teacher of the Year), Kristi Kauffman (Staff Member of the Year), Kathleen Bauling (Volunteer of the Year), Daisy Ortiz-Perez (Parent of the Year), and Shyia Blocker and Sydney Dashner (Students of the Year)
Beloit Memorial High School: Mary Stuedemann (Teacher of the Year), Noe Mar-Garcia (Staff Member of the Year), Larry Bergen (Volunteer of the Year), Kari Santas (Parent of the Year), and Lakya Jackson and Elton Rodriguez (Students of the Year)
About the keynote speaker: Dr. Ramel Smith, a product of Milwaukee Public Schools, is the president of Blaquesmith Psychological Consultative Services, Inc. He has worked with the federal government, Washington DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and Kansas University’s SWIFT Urban Education Project to improve educational outcomes for at-risk youth. Dr. Smith strives to make an impact locally through providing training and support to area schools and agencies on the topics of violence prevention, trauma-informed care, foster care reform and human trafficking. He co-authored the book, Building a Better Man: A Blueprint for Decreasing Violence and Increasing Prosocial Behavior in Men. He is a regular commentator for local and national radio, television and print news outlets. Dr. Smith has many relatives in Beloit and considers it his second home.
