#IAMSBISD Awards Recognize Leadership During Hurricane Harvey

In the gloomy days both during and immediately after Hurricane Harvey, Spring Branch ISD employees were rising above and beyond their normal duty assignments. Many of those staffers have been recognized with #IAMSBISD awards, which recognizes those who embody one or more of SBISD’s core values: Collaborative Spirit, Collective Greatness, Every Child, Limitless Curiosity and Moral Compass.

View honorees on the IAMSBISD site >>

At September’s Board of Trustees meeting, Associate Superintendent for Talent and Operations Jennifer Blaine recognized with Collective Greatness awards several directors who stepped into more senior roles during Harvey. Controller David Bender, Executive Director of Talent Karen Heeth, Executive Athletic Director Paige Hershey, Director of Facilities David Vesling, Director of Planning Travis Stanford, Director of Transportation Sherry Lawson, Director of Child Nutrition Services Chris Kamradt and Director of Applications Mark Maxwell.

At October’s meeting, Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman presented SBISD parents Minda Caesar and Suzanne Stiles with #IAMSBISD for #CollectiveGreatness. Buchman said that Caesar contacted her several times in the days after Hurricane Harvey, asking what she could do. Buchman told her to be patient. Finally Caesar told her that she knew displaced SBISD staff had lost everything and needed professional clothes for the return to classes. Caesar and Stiles opened their community networks and soon had rackfuls of new and gently used clothing – clothing that because of a meeting in the district’s boardroom was sorted (by an army of volunteers) at Spring Branch Middle and brought over later to the administration building. Chief Information Officer Christina Masick, whose house was flooded during Harvey, told the pair that she had come to the administration building that day “hoping she had a pair of shoes under her desk” and was taken in by volunteers and left with several professional outfits.

Associate Superintendent of Academic Performance and Support Tyler Ream told Trustees that he came into the administration building shortly after the storm and found a small staff group working in a meeting room, preparing for the social/emotional needs of students when they returned to school – “it’s impossible to calculate how many students benefited on behalf of them,” he said. Lance Stallworth, Pat Waldrop, Natalie Fikac and Natalia Fernandez were awarded #IAMSBISD for #CollectiveGreatness for their work during and after the storm. Ream also surprised Buchman with an #IAMSBISD for her role in helping facilitate the team’s work.

Somebody had to track the displaced students and families, and that work fell to Lawanda Coffee. Associate Superintendent of Finance Karen Wilson said that Coffee “and her team of one worked tirelessly” to gather data on displaced families. Wilson awarded Coffee an #IAMSBISD for #Collective Greatness for her efforts during and after the storm.

Chief Information Officer Christina Masick presented #IAMSBISD awards for #CollaborativeSpirit to the events support team of Petra Aguinaga, Jose Aguinaga, Brent Martin, Gerry Diaz and Roberto Yuson, under the direction of Ed Wilson, for their support of a multitude of events last summer. Masick also recognized Trudy Murato and her student information team of Cody Wallace, Jason Bostick, Clinton Huffman, Monica Villegas and Susy Bailon. Student information falls under Mark Maxwell’s applications team.