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Congratulations to Tracey Schepman, a second grade teacher at the Ellensburg School District’s Valley View Elementary School, for being named the 2010-2011 Educational Service District 105 Regional Teacher of the Year!

Schepman will serve as the south central Washington region’s candidate for the Washington State Teacher of the Year, which OSPI will announce on Sept. 27 in Seattle.  She is one of 10 candidates from throughout the state who will be considered for that title.   She was also named the Ellensburg School District’s 2010 Teacher of the Year this past spring.

Schepman began working with the Ellensburg School District as a substitute teacher and educational assistant for developmental kindergarten and preschool students from 1990 to 1993.  In 1993, she joined Valley View Elementary full time as a special education teacher, then moved into her current role as a second grade teacher in 2003.  She also served as an adjunct instructor with Central Washington University from 1996 to 2003.

Schepman’s creativity has helped her become known as “the go-to person” among her Valley View Elementary colleagues for developing school-wide assembly programs, and frequently writes and directs the school’s Christmas program.  She also models creative approaches to her fellow teachers on how develop instructional plans that capture the interests of all her students, and on how to effectively manage students so each child can get what they need to reach their learning potential.

As a teacher who also believes learning must be relevant to children, Schepman teaches her students about civics by taking them to field trips to the county historical museum and courthouse, then has those students take pictures of area landmarks and write about them for digital presentations.

“Tracey truly understands children and how they learn,” wrote former Valley View Elementary principal (and current Teaching and Learning director for the Ellensburg School District) Mike Nollan in his recommendation letter. “She has embraced classroom strategies that teach her students to read, write and think.  Each year her students not only do well in achieving standards, but many excel in them.  She has a gift in helping struggling students achieve, which is priceless.”

Beyond Valley View Elementary, Schepman is heavily active involved with district-wide committees that work to increase student learning, including the school’s technology team.  She successfully sought funding to mount projectors on the ceilings of 20 classrooms in her school, led a staff development program on writing, and this past spring received a “Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century” technology grant from OSPI.  She also helped create the widely used “Jump Start” before-school homework assistance program at Ellensburg.

“I like helping out with committees that involve multi grades because, with those, you’re helping a lot of people,” said Schepman.  “I’m excited to be part of anything that’s positive for education.”

At a community level, the early education advocate has served as secretary for six of her past seven years on the Kittitas County Head Start/ECEAP Board of Directors.  She is also a member of the Council for Learning Disabilities, the Ellensburg Education Association, and the Valley View Elementary PTA.  She was the 2004 recipient of the Council for Learning Disabilities’ Pacific Northwest Region Outstanding Special Education Teacher award.

Schepman obtained her bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Maine and her M.A. in reading from C.W.U.

“There’s just never been anything else I wanted to do besides teaching,” said the new Regional Teacher of the Year.  “I like the connecting with kids, the connecting with parents, and connecting with my colleagues in the hallways.  When connections occur, bells ring.”

Schepman was one of eight candidates from seven area school districts who were nominated for the regional honor.

The ESD 105 Regional Teacher of the Year selection committee was comprised of ESD 105 Board of Directors member Kathi Bonlender of Yakima, Zillah School Board member Chris VanAntwerp, Wapato School Board member Javier Vela, Highland School Board member Dee Dee Trepanier, and West Valley High School ASB president Darel Smart.

ESD 105 will host the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly opened — and newly named — Maggie Perez Student Success Center on Thursday, September 23, at 10 a.m. The morning ceremony will include a reception and guided tours of the three-story structure.

Members of the ESD 105 Educational Services team – a little more than half of the agency’s staff – began moving into the new building on August 2.  The main floor of the new facility now contains the operations for the agency’s special education, literacy, arts, math, and science programs.  The top floor is the new home for the assistant superintendent for Educational Services as well as staff for migrant education, early learning, school nursing, counseling, school safety, drug and alcohol prevention and intervention, and other learning support programs.

The 32,046 square-foot new building is located at 111 S. 2nd Avenue in Yakima.  It is the first modular constructed office facility in Yakima and was built at an estimated cost of $3.9 million.

The new facility joins the agency’s A.W. Allen Business Building and Fred Greenough Conference Center, which are located north of the newly added structure on 2nd Avenue.

The late Maggie Perez served the seven-member ESD 105 Board from 2003 until this past May, representing the west portion of the Yakima School District.  She also served the statewide Association of Educational Service Districts’ Executive Board for seven years, including a term as its president during 2005-2006.

Perez graduated from Sunnyside High School and was the valedictorian of her class at Yakima Valley Community College.  She continued to promoted education locally in her professional life.  She worked as the academic coordinator for recruitment for Washington State University’s College of Nursing in Yakima from 2001 until this year.  In that role, she helped students from disadvantaged backgrounds progress academic skills toward graduation from WSU’s College of Nursing, coordinated tutoring programs, and matched students with community and national nursing mentors.  She also worked as a program assistant with Yakima Valley Community College from 1988 to 2001 in a position where she helped displaced homemakers enter college.

Perez also had extensive training in Hispanic and English parenting programs and was active with the YWCA Board, the WSU Yakima County Extension Committee, the Millennium Plaza Project Committee, and the Dispute Resolution Center.  She attended Heritage University in Toppenish, graduating with a B.A. degree in psychology and a master’s degree in educational counseling.

ESD 105 Superintendent Steve Myers praised the selection of the name, saying:  “We are elated that the building naming committee chose to honor Maggie because of her leadership and commitment to improving the lives of the children and families in the ESD 105 region.  She showed unparalleled commitment in her willingness to use her skills to serve others.  The members of our staff who are working in the building that will bear her name are people who are similarly focused on providing the resources necessary to help each student be successful in school.”

ESD 105 salutes the contributions and camaraderie of Dave Curry and Elma Rodriguez as they retire from our agency in August after making significant contributions to our region's schools during the past several years.

Dave Curry, ESD 105 chief fiscal officer, retires after a total of seven years with ESD 105.  Dave first joined ESD 105 as fiscal coordinator during the 2001-2002 school year before leaving to join the West Valley School District as assistant superintendent for Business Operations.  He returned to ESD 105 in September of 2004 as assistant superintendent of Fiscal Services, and has been heavily involved with the construction of the agency's new building during the past year.  His title was changed to chief financial officer in May of 2009.

Elma Rodriguez, a veteran presence with our Migrant Education Regional Office, has also had split periods of employment during her 19 years with the ESD.  She first joined MERO as an administrative secretary in January of 1989, then left us at the end of August 2006.  She returned to her former position the following January.

Thank you, Dave and Elma, for helping make a positive impact for our region's school employees and students, and for your colleagues at ESD 105!

Yakima resident Patrick Perez is the newest member of the Educational Service District 105 Board of Directors.  Perez was sworn in during the regular monthly board meeting on July 20 by new ESD 105 superintendent Steve Myers.

Perez will represent the seven-member board for District 2, which includes the west portion of the Yakima School District.

“Having worked with Patrick over the years on several educational and community endeavors, I know he will bring a wealth of knowledge, leadership, and experience to the board,” said ESD 105 superintendent Steve Myers, whose attendance at the July board meeting was his first since starting his duties as the regional education agency's leader on July 1.

The newest board member was appointed in June to step into the same seat that was previously held for seven years by his late wife, Maggie Perez.  Mrs. Perez, who joined the ESD 105 Board in 2003, was the group’s veteran member when she vacated her position on May 3.  She died on July 4.

Mr. Perez comes to the board with an employment background in community service roles and a longtime record as a community volunteer.  He worked with Washington State Employment Security in Yakima from 1984 to 1995 as a case manager, project coordinator, and outreach worker.  He later worked at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic as a project coordinator, parenting educator, and outreach worker from 1995 until his retirement in 2005.

Mr. Perez has been a member of the Yakima School District’s Strategic Planning Committee (1987-1990), the Yakima Valley Red Cross’s Board of Directors (1990-1992), the Yakima Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors (1994-1999), the Yakima Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Project Executive Board (2003-2004), and the Eastern Washington University’s Migrant Program Advisory Board (2004-2006).

Prior to moving to Yakima, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Alisal Union School District in Salinas, California, during 1974-1980.

“This is an opportunity to engage again with this region and help the educational system,” said Mr. Perez.  “Education is important to our present and to our future.  It’s what helps our youths to be properly prepared for the work force and for careers, and to be productive in their chosen fields.”

The ESD 105 Board of Directors is comprised of members who reside in seven areas of the agency’s region and who are accountable to and elected by the school board members in the region’s public school districts.  The ESD 105 Board of Directors provides direction to the ESD 105 superintendent, who is advised by local school district superintendents.