Brainerd Public Schools recently announced the three 2016 employee Above and Beyond Award winners.
Award recipients serve as inspirations to the school district community and to the broader community because they are role models who strive to have a positive impact every day with young people, a news release noted.
The 2016 Above and Beyond Awards went to Margaret Knebel, Brian Bordwell and Steve Lendobeja.
Knebel is an occupational therapist with the Paul Bunyan Educational Cooperative. She is funny, gracious and always wants more for students and colleagues, said Heidi Hahn, PBEC special education director, in a news release.
"She is in homes and in daycares and is working with some of our youngest and most special students," Hahn said. "If there is a gidget or a gadget or a piece of technology that will improve a child's ability to access learning, she has it."
ADVERTISEMENT
Bordwell is an industrial arts teacher at Brainerd High School. He is a nice guy and is always willing to help others, said Andrea Rusk, BHS principal.
"He has a wonderful balance of building great relationships with his students yet maintains a professional commitment to being their teacher, responsible for preparing them for life after high school," Rusk said. "He spends almost every night after school and most Saturday mornings for months working with students."
Lendobeja is a technician in the technology department. He gets excited to see kids learning new things, so they get excited too, said Jessica Haapajoki, Brainerd Learning Center principal.
"There's never a problem in his eyes, he always wants to find a solution," Haapajoki said. "He has gone out of his way on many occasions to give staff support or talk through problems, or possibly user error."
The Above and Beyond Awards annually recognize employees who demonstrate a positive attitude that inspires others and consistently go above and beyond what is expected so students can be successful. All school district employees are eligible for this award and anyone can nominate anyone else. Nominations are gathered throughout the year and selections are made in May of each year.
