Employees and friends of the Madison schools are invited to celebrate their accomplishments at the 2007 MMSD Recognition Awards ceremony on Monday March 26. Eleven individuals will receive the Distinguished Service Award, the Madison School District's highest honor for meritorious contributions to students and schools. Twelve nominees will also be recognized.

Five teachers will be honored as nominees for the Kohl Foundation Teacher Fellowship. In addition, three students will receive the Joe Thomas Community Service Award, while six other students will be recognized as Thomas Award nominees for their outstanding accomplishments. A listing of all award winners and nominees is below.

This year's ceremony, to be held at 7 p.m. in the Memorial High School auditorium, will include a special look back at the twenty-plus years of the MMSD Recognition Awards tradition. The event will be videotaped and shown on MMSD-TV Cable Channel 10 on Tuesday, April 10th at 9 p.m., as well as on other evenings throughout the year.

Distinguished Service and Joe Thomas Community Service Award nominations were submitted by colleagues, supervisors and friends who answered essay questions and gathered letters of support. Nominations were scored by a panel of judges representing students, citizens, media and representatives of every MMSD employee category. Nominations with the highest scores meeting or exceeding the qualifying score receive awards.

Kohl Foundation Fellows are nominated for their ability to inspire a love of learning and for their leadership and service. Selection of the Kohl Fellows is made by the Cooperative Educational Service Association (CESA) District 2, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Kohl Awards will be announced on March 1, 2007.

Join in the celebration on Monday March 26th. For more information call 663-1964.

2007 MMSD Recognition Awards

Elementary Teachers

Nominees
Linda Gourley, Crestwood Elementary
Susan Harris, Emerson Elementary
Mary Larson, Emerson Elementary
Julie Melton, Lincoln Elementary

Award Recipient
Jane Koval, Van Hise Elementary

Middle School Teachers

Award Recipient
William O'Neal, Jefferson Middle

Administrators

Award Recipients
Mary Gulbrandsen, Chief of Staff
Howard Landsman, Grants and Fund Development Coordinator

Educational Assistants

Nominee
Carol Borland, Whitehorse Middle

Award Recipients
Andrea Fuss, Jefferson Middle
Nancy "Jill" Murray, Van Hise Elementary

Citizen — Single School

Nominee
Debbie Wiesman, Lincoln Elementary

Award Recipient
Ann Lacy, Lowell Elementary

Citizen — Districtwide

Nominees
Shirley Hammond, Mentor Coordinator
David L. Nelson, UW—Madison Center for Biology Education

Custodial/Building Services

Nominee
Jim Stuchlik, Stephens Elementary

Award Recipient
Edward Carberry, Mendota Elementary

Food Service

Nominee
Martha Salmon, Pflaum Road

Award Recipient
Patricia Doran, Wright Middle

Team

Award Recipient
The Infinite Campus Implementation Team

Support Personnel

Nominees
Laura Holt, Cherokee Middle
Lauren Mikol, Lincoln Elementary

Award Recipient
Ellen Chybowski, Cherokee Middle

Kohl Teacher Fellowship Nominees

Ginny Kester, West HS
Kristine Krouth, Whitehorse Middle
Jill Olsen, Affiliated Alternatives-AERO
William O'Neal, Jefferson Middle
Erik Shager, Work and Learn Center
(Fellowship awards to be announced March 1, 2007)

Joe Thomas Community Service Award for Students

Nominees
Francisco Reyes, La Follette HS
Tosha Songolo, Memorial HS
Clay D. Yapp, Shabazz HS
Jair Alvarez, West HS
Janessa Boone, West HS
Ashley Hayes, West HS

Award Recipients
Tyrone Cratic Jr., East HS
Spencer D. Retelle, Memorial HS
Zina Knox, West HS

This year features a look at past Distinguished Service Awards. Ann Wilson (left) receives a DSA in 1991.