The Brentwood Union School District has announced two Employee of the Year Awards for the 2015-16 school year. Norma Arrequin was named the Classified Employee of the Year while Juliet Simens was named the Certified District Employee of the Year.
Norma Arrequin is a long time Garin School contributor. She has been a campus supervisor, and aide performing intervention services, a classroom volunteer, translator and District Employee Child Care Assistant. She volunteers to serve on many committees and has been a trainer for Garin bilingual parents.
Superintendent Dana Eaton highlighted Arrequin’s support of the students stating Norma is a joyous ‘servant leader’. She always is focused on helping others and always has a smile on her face.
“Miss Norma’s reach is far and her impact is large in our school community. She constantly goes the extra mile to support families and students. I am very proud to work with her and she is so deserving of this award,” said Eaton.
Outside of her work at Garin School, she continues to provide help and support for families in need. An amazing example was when she heard of a parent with a child at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, she drove that parent to Oakland every night and served as an advocate in ensuring her child received the best and most appropriate care.
Garin Principal Stacy Joslin stated “Norma is very dedicated. She goes above and beyond in everything she does. If anyone needs help, she is there.”
Juliet Simens is currently a 4th grade teacher at Pioneer Elementary School. A district employee for 15 years, she has also taught 1st and 3rd grades.
According to Eaton, Juliet is the type of teacher who takes every opportunity to receive additional training that will help her students succeed. She has been a leader in piloting new programs like Reading Wonders, and was an early user of chromebooks in her classroom.
Simens has served on both site and district committees, such as the school Leadership Team, the district Academic Vocabulary committee and the district Technology Advisory Committee. Besides using all of this learning to support her students, Simens is a constant collaborator and supporter of her peers as they too work with new materials and strategies. She also has accepted student teachers into her room, providing guidance and support.
According to Eaton, Simens truly cares about each and every student that comes in to her class and wants what is best for them.
“Mrs. Simens epitomizes the type of teacher any district would love to employ. She is frequently on the cutting edge of instruction and works to interest other teachers in the attempting to try new methods for finding success with students. She truly cares for her students by holding them to high expectations while providing the supports they need to be successful,” said Eaton.
Pioneer Principal Samy D’Amico said “Juliet truly cares about each and every student that comes into her class and wants what is best for them. Juliet is a teacher leader and a model teacher.”
Both will be honored at our annual District Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 5, 2016 at Wedgewood in Brentwood. They are also both in the running for County Classified Employee and Teacher of the Year.
